Windows Inside of Linux

This will show you how to optimize Windows inside of Linux. When complete, this will make it feel like a native install without Linux.

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:35 VM Performance and Recommendations
02:55 Initial Windows VM Setup (Stock - No Changes)
09:53 New Windows VM Setup (Hard Drive Pass-through)
16:22 Optimizing the Existing VM (VirtIO and Guest Agent) .

[robotglock]

I'm running Chrome OS Flex inside Window Subsystem for Linux 2 running inside a Windows 11 VirtualBox on a Steam Deck (which runs Arch, btw).

[LilBabyChild]

Thank you SO much for making an easy guide. There's so many confusing tutorials regarding VM performance that this is a breath of fresh air

[jesse]

Wow, you included some steps and recommendations that I never would have thought about, frankly. I am definitely going to build a Windows 10 VM using QEMU/KVM. This was really informative.

[Whatness]

Really looking forward to a video on GPU pass-through. For Windows gaming specifically. Level 1 Techs had teased doing one and referenced using Looking Glass but nothing ever seemed to come of it.

[SosirisTseng]

FYI, one should set up CPU topology manually in the VM settings page since virt-manager (or QEMU) assigns one socker per vCPU core but Windows 10 Pro only supports 2 sockets. So if you don't set up topology manually, Win 10 only sees 2 CPU cores.

[zoeyaaahmed]

this video litteraly came out the moment i needed to make a windows VM for school, thank you so much for the help and keep it up chris!

[madnj]

For truly great VM performance on KVM/QEMU, configure CPU pinning and set the host and guest to run on different cores. Also, GPU passthrough will allow for full baremetal graphics performance and hardware accelerated graphics performance. Obviously you'd need multiple GPUs to be able to passthrough a GPU physically, but it works great (allowing for gaming with baremetal performance on the VM). You CAN run with a single GPU, but then you have to close out the linux window manager when launching the VM (using hooks scripts), but it still gives you the benefit of a virtual windows VM and linux hypervisor running in the background. I've been running this way for months and prefer this over baremetal installations.

[Brayconic]

Nice timing on this video! I've been a long time Windows user and have been dabbling with Linux in recent months. I'd like to switch over fully, but I'm also an avid gamer. I wanted to set up a Windows VM with GPU passthrough to accommodate that, but it can be tough finding the info you need. Looking forward to the next video on this.

[Owczarekk]

What i personally like to do when i need to use windows vm is i just run it in headless mode and RDP into it with remmina, and its pretty seamless, also you can enable the multimonitor mode in remmina so it feels just like native experience.

[jason-budney]

What timing! I just spun up a Win10 VM with virt-manager yesterday, so I'll be trying those settings. Thanks Chris!

[mort_brain]

What you're explaining about your setup of fully accelerated Windows and Mac with a full Linux enviroment just sounds like a perfect PC solution for every type of task!

[Psoewish]

Literally subscribed for that pass through video, this was so incredibly well explained and I can’t wait for that one.

[gwgux]

I haven't bothered with Windows at home in so long that I never thought about these settings. This is some really good info and could be a good option for those who are making the switch to Linux but can't completely let go of Windows yet.

[jonathandawson]

As Johnny Lawrence would say: badass!
This is the video I was looking for. Not for running Windows, but to get to know about how to use VMs properly on my desktop from a professional.
Thank you Chris.

[Revenant]

You are awesome Chris! I was thinking about trying something like this on my rig as I built this thing for Gaming / graphics editing. I wanted to get on Linux full time and use Windows as a gaming VM. Can't wait till you put out the Video on Passthrough to the graphics card. This whole guide has helped me understand how the process should work.

[TheLazyJAK]

I've been waiting for this video for a long time! Ever since you said you live in Linux and virtualize windows and mac.

[peterramirez]

Great video, depending on the purpose of the windows vm sometimes I also do 1)Disable search services, 2)Disable automatic windows update, 3)disable antivirus after I have installed everything that I need.

[guivaloz]

Your video is pure GOLD. Many tips that was dispersed you joined in this tutorial. I'm installing with your recommendations right now.

[farolito]

Love this. Can't wait to see your video passthrough tips. I have a Hades Canyon running Linux and I've yet to successfully do video passthrough on it no matter what guides I follow. Your video may not help my particular situation, but more info is always good.

[perryuploads]

Thank you Chris. You explained so well, I have never used QEMU/KVM. It looks awesome!