Windows 10 has a new feature called Hyper-V which is basically the same as XP Mode in Windows 7. It allows you to run as many guest operating systems on your Windows 10 host machine. However, Windows XP Mode was based on Windows Virtual PC, which was the consumer version of their virtualization product.
You now get a more advanced server version. Also, Windows 10 with Hyper-V doesn’t have XP Mode. XP Mode was a free copy of Windows XP SP3 that let you run old applications with Windows 7. It is no longer available on Windows 10 with Hyper-V.
Until now, Hyper-V has only been available in Windows Server editions. Plus, it’s the exact same version that is included in the Windows Server edition, so you get a free server virtualization product for Windows 10. It’s perfect for IT pros and especially support professionals who work from their laptops.
In this article, I’ll walk you through how to install and configure Hyper-V. Of course, any guest OS you install using Hyper-V must have its own license / product key. First you need to open the Control Panel in Windows 10.
Install Hyper-V in Windows 10
Then click on “Programs and Features”.
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Then click Turn Windows features on or off in the left pane.
Go ahead and check the box next to Hyper-V to install the Hyper-V management tools.
If you are running Windows 10 in a virtual machine like VMWare, you can see the Hyper-V platform is inactive. When you hover over it, a message appears
Unable to install Hyper-V: the hypervisor is already running.
In this case, you need to add a line to the configuration file for your VMWare virtual machine:
hypervisor.cpuid.v0 = “FALSE”
This is it. You have to make sure you turn off the virtual machine and then add a line and then turn it back on. Then you should be able to install the Hyper-V platform. Well, that’s if your processor supports Hyper-V. I got another message:
Unable to install Hyper-V: The processor does not have the required virtualization capabilities.
The CPU requirements for Hyper-V are as follows:
1. Processor based on x64. You must have a 64-bit version of Windows.
2. Hardware virtualization. You will need an Intel processor with Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) or an AMD processor with AMD Virtualization Technology. Read my post on how to enable virtualization in BIOS.
3. Hardware DEP Enabled – You must enable the Intel XD (Execute Disable Bit) or AMD NX (Disabled Bit) bit.
If you’ve met these requirements, you should have Hyper-V installed and running on your Windows 10 computer. After installing it, read my post on how to virtualize your current computer and run it in Hyper-V. Enjoy!
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