disk will appear. Create a new partition and proceed with the installation. Post-Install : After reaching the desktop, open Device Manager
Boot without the Windows ISO:
This article provides a step-by-step walkthrough to install Windows 8.1 as a QCOW2 image, covering native installation, ISO-to-QCOW2 conversion, VirtIO drivers, and performance tuning.
qemu-system-x86_64 \ -enable-kvm \ -m 8G \ -smp 4 \ -cpu host \ -drive file=/path/win8.1.qcow2,if=virtio,cache=none,format=qcow2 \ -cdrom /path/Win8.1.iso \ -drive file=/path/virtio-win.iso,if=cdrom \ -netdev user,id=net0 -device virtio-net-pci,netdev=net0 \ -vga qxl -spice port=5930,disable-ticketing \ -boot d windows 81 qcow2 install
: The hypervisor that manages the virtual hardware. 1. Create the qcow2 Disk Image
When you reach the screen, choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) .
-m 4096 -smp 4 : Allocates 4 GB of RAM and 4 CPU cores to the virtual machine. disk will appear
qemu-img create -f qcow2 win81-disk.qcow2 60G
While mainstream support ended in 2023, extended support lasts until (embedded versions longer). Windows 8.1 is lighter than Windows 10/11, supports UEFI, and can be optimized for KVM with proper VirtIO drivers. It remains a go-to for:
Before beginning the installation, ensure you have the following: qemu-system-x86_64 \ -enable-kvm \ -m 8G \ -smp
Once Windows 8.1 boots:
Installing Windows 8.1 today is harder than it was in 2013. Microsoft has officially ended mainstream support, and the original installation media often lacks drivers for modern virtual hardware.