How to Install and Use Virtual Machine?
You can search for and install the Virtual Machine app from the App Center to easily deploy virtual machines running various operating systems.
1. Install the App
Log in with an administrator account, open the App Center, find Virtual Machine, and click Install.
After installation, the Virtual Machine app icon will appear on the desktop.
2. Preparation
2.1 Network Settings
To enable the virtual machine to use network services properly, you need to enable OVS (Open vSwitch) for the host's network connection to provide an independent isolated virtual network for the virtual machine. Currently, only wired network interfaces and bonded interfaces support OVS; wireless interfaces are not supported. To enable: open System Settings > Network, and click Enable OVS from the more options menu of the corresponding network connection.
2.2 Driver Downloads
2.3 Enable CPU Virtualization Support
Running virtual machines with hardware virtualization can effectively improve performance and responsiveness, provided that your hardware supports it and virtualization technology is enabled.
Hardware virtualization technology usually needs to be enabled in the BIOS or UEFI. The method to enter BIOS varies by motherboard brand, but the general steps are as follows:
- Restart your computer and press the corresponding key during boot to enter BIOS or UEFI settings (common keys:
Del,F2,F10,Esc). - In the BIOS or UEFI, find the Virtualization Technology or VT-x or AMD-V setting. The exact location may vary. Common paths include:
- Intel CPU: Find Intel Virtualization Technology or Intel VT-x and set it to Enabled.
- AMD CPU: Find SVM Mode or AMD-V and set it to Enabled.
- Save settings and exit (usually press
F10).
3. Create a Virtual Machine
4. Operating System Installation
The following uses Windows 11 as the complete installation example. Windows 10 and Windows 7 follow a similar process; only the driver directory differs.
Windows 11 OS Installation Example
Entering the Installation Process Correctly
Since Windows 11 checks whether the virtual machine meets minimum system requirements during installation, including TPM support and at least 4 GB of memory, it is generally recommended to use the Q35 + UEFI (with TPM 2.0) configuration when creating the virtual machine.
After proper configuration, when you power on and connect via VNC, make sure to press any key when "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD" appears on screen to enter the installation process. This prompt only stays for a few seconds.
If you miss it, the Windows installer will automatically enter UEFI Shell mode instead of the installation process.
To see "Press any key..." again, you can keep the VNC window connected and restart the virtual machine from the list, or type exit and press Enter in the UEFI Shell, then select continue and press Enter to reboot.
VirtIO Storage Driver
At the "Where do you want to install Windows 11" step, if you selected a VirtIO-type disk, you need to install the driver to recognize the virtual hard drive. Make sure the driver ISO is mounted to the virtual machine, then click "Load driver".
Click "OK" to load all drivers.
Click "Browse" and select the amd64/w11 directory in the CD drive, then click OK.
After the driver search completes, select "Red Hat VirtIO SCSI Controller" and click Install.
After the driver installation completes, the virtual disk will be recognized. Continue with the installation process as guided.
VirtIO Network Driver
At the "Let's connect you to a network" step during initialization, if you selected VirtIO network type, you need to install the driver to recognize the virtual network hardware. Make sure the driver ISO is mounted to the virtual machine, then click Install driver.
Select the CD drive and click the "Select folder" button.
After the driver search and installation completes, the network adapter will be recognized.
OS Installation Notes for Windows 10 and Windows 7
The installation steps are basically the same as Windows 11. At the disk selection step, click "Load driver" and select the matching VirtIO storage driver directory:
- Windows 10: select amd64/w10 for 64-bit systems, or x86/w10 for 32-bit systems.
- Windows 7: use the Windows 7 VirtIO driver ISO, then select amd64/w7 for 64-bit systems, or x86/w7 for 32-bit systems.
Windows 10 usually does not require TPM 2.0. After the driver is installed and the virtual disk is recognized, continue the installation as guided.
5. Install VirtIO Guest Tool
The following uses Windows 11 as the complete installation example. Windows 10 follows a similar process. For Windows 7, refer to the notes below.
Installing VirtIO Guest Tool improves the host's ability to manage the virtual machine, including monitoring memory usage data inside the virtual machine.
Windows 11 Guest Tool Installation Example
Make sure the driver ISO is mounted to the virtual machine. Do not remove the driver ISO until driver installation is complete. Open My Computer and click to open the CD drive.
Find and open the virtio-win-gt-x64.msi file (select virtio-win-gt-x86.msi for 32-bit operating systems) and follow the prompts to complete the driver installation.
Guest Tool Notes for Windows 10 and Windows 7
Windows 10 uses the same VirtIO Guest Tool installation process as Windows 11.
Windows 7 does not use the VirtIO Guest Tool installer in the same way as Windows 10 and Windows 11. After mounting the Windows 7 VirtIO driver ISO, open Device Manager and update the drivers for devices that are not recognized.
When updating a driver, choose to browse the computer manually, select the mounted driver CD drive, and let Windows search for the matching driver. Repeat this for any remaining unrecognized devices until the required VirtIO drivers are installed.