virsh snapshot-create-as win81 clean-state "Fresh install with drivers"
From a VDI (VirtualBox):
qemu-img convert -f vdi -O qcow2 Windows8.1.vdi windows81.qcow2
From a VMDK (VMware):
qemu-img convert -f vmdk -O qcow2 Windows8.1.vmdk windows81.qcow2
From a RAW image:
qemu-img convert -f raw -O qcow2 Windows8.1.raw windows81.qcow2
UEFI example with virtio disk and virtio NIC:
virt-install \
--name win8.1 \
--ram 8192 \
--vcpus 2 \
--cpu host \
--os-variant win8.1 \
--disk path=/var/lib/libvirt/images/win8.1.qcow2,format=qcow2,bus=virtio,size=60 \
--cdrom /path/to/Win8.1.iso \
--disk path=/path/to/virtio-win.iso,device=cdrom \
--graphics spice \
--video qxl \
--network network=default,model=virtio \
--boot uefi
Notes:
Once the installation is complete, the QCOW2 file will begin to swell. Windows 8.1 is chatty; it writes logs, indices, and telemetry data constantly. This constant writing (write amplification) can degrade the performance of QCOW2 over time.
Windows 8.1’s "Metro" interface consumes significant resources. In a virtual environment with no 3D acceleration (unless GPU passthrough is configured), this UI is sluggish.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows 8.1. When prompted to select a disk, choose the virtual disk you've been using.
Before proceeding, ensure the host system meets the following requirements:
