Best Virtual machine software to try W10 TP on Windows 8.1

jimbo45 · 01 Nov 2014

Kari said:

First, Hyper-V uses less host resources than for instance VMware Player.

Second, who on earth would like to do some serious virtualization in a system with less than 4 GB of RAM? If you have 4 GB or more it's quite natural to assume you have an x64 version of Windows.

Hi there

Have to agree with Kari on that one.

Another thing often forgotten is that the HYPER-V system uses dynamic RAM allocation -- If you for example allocate 4GB to a VM then VMWARE / VBOX etc will reserve that 4GB RAM making it unavailable to other VM's or the HOST system.

HYPER-V will only allocate RAM as needed (up to the Max you've set in the configuration). So if you have say an idle W10 VM it could be using as little as 500MB RAM or even less depending on various factors.

There are downsides though -- it's a bit more complex to set up HYPER-V VM's and they can't run on HOST's earlier than W8 - so for Linux HOSTS etc you need other considerations. Also the idea of using RDP to access the VM's can in some cases be a bit horrible over slow networks. A VMWARE VM also can run on a LINUX or a WINDOWS Host without change too.

It's worth though trying a VM with HYPER-V.

Cheers
jimbo

Kari · 01 Nov 2014

For Windows 10 TP users, an easy way to get started with Hyper-V is to use Disk2VHD to create an exact copy of your current Windows 10 installation and set it up as a Hyper-V vm: Hyper-V - Create and Use VHD of Windows 10 with Disk2VHD

DavidE · 01 Nov 2014

I use VMPlayer on my PRIMARY Box with Win 7 as the Host OS.
My TEST box that has Win 8.1.1 is so bad (old) with a VM, it's unusable for me...

I can't use HYPER-V with a Win 7 Host as far as I know.
So, I use VMware with a Win 7 Host that allows me use a VM with acceptable performance with my hardware ...

Quisquose · 01 Nov 2014

Useful info on VMWare and Hyper-V here. If I want to try the W10 TP in either of those can I re-use the licence key I put into VirtualBox? Or would I need to uninstall from VB first?

Thanks

Kari · 01 Nov 2014

Quisquose said:

Useful info on VMWare and Hyper-V here. If I want to try the W10 TP in either of those can I re-use the licence key I put into VirtualBox? Or would I need to uninstall from VB first?

If you download the W10TP ISO from official site (https://insider.windows.com/) signing in to an MS Account, Windows 10 asks no product key when installed.

The same ISO can be used to as many installations on various physical and virtual machines as you'd like to. I have used the same ISO to install on three physical and at the moment about 10 virtual machines (various software setups for testing).

Quisquose · 01 Nov 2014

DavidE said:

For me VMware Player full screen works just like my Host OS in "full screen".

Yep, have just installed it under VMWare and got full screen, something I couldn't do in VB. Really pleased :)

Quisquose · 01 Nov 2014

Kari said:

If you download the W10TP ISO from official site (https://insider.windows.com/) signing in to an MS Account, Windows 10 asks no product key when installed.

Many thanks, worked a treat!

strollin · 01 Nov 2014

I find it interesting that I have 7 machines in the room I'm currently in. All 7 are capable of running VMWare Player yet only 1 of them can run Hyper-V.

Kari · 01 Nov 2014

strollin said:

I find it interesting that I have 7 machines in the room I'm currently in. All 7 are capable of running VMWare Player yet only 1 of them can run Hyper-V.

Is it somehow Hyper-V's fault that only one of your seven machines capable to run virtual machines has an x64 Windows 8 (or later) Pro or a Windows Server version? Are you seriously telling that because you run Windows 7 and / or x86 versions of Windows 8 or later it automatically means that VMware is better virtualization platform than Hyper-V? Can I use the same argument to prove that Hyper-V is better because all my machines have Hyper-V running?

Funny. Or rather it would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Seems I have to reconsider the situation here, your plus points in my books have to be reconsidered; I have thought you are a true geek and when you have something to say you keep yourself in valid facts. Apparently I was wrong.

strollin · 02 Nov 2014

All I'm saying is that of the VM software I have used, Hyper-V is the MOST restrictive, and has the heaviest software/hardware demand. Just because you have all high end hardware/software so that all of your machines can run Hyper-V is irrelevant.

I actually like Hyper-V, just wish I could actually put it to use but because it only runs on an extremely small subset of hardware/software, it is not very useful to me.

The OP asked about the least heaviest, IMO, Hyper-V doesn't qualify in that regard because of it's requirements. You got confused somewhere along the line and started arguing which VM platform was better. I've never said VMWare was better or worse, just that it didn't have the heavy requirements that Hyper-V has.

(Attacking my geekness? Really Kari?)