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Unlock Hyper-V on Your Windows 365 Cloud PC: A Quick How-To

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Hey techies! Ever wished you could run virtual machines right on your Windows 365 Cloud PC? Well, you’re in luck! Thanks to Nested Virtualization, it’s totally doable. This guide will walk you through how to enable Hyper-V on your Cloud PC, making it your own personal virtual playground. Let’s dive in!

Windows 365 Cloud PC
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Unleashing the Power of Hyper-V on Your Cloud PC

Running virtual machines (VMs) locally is a powerful tool, and now you can bring that power to your Windows 365 Cloud PC. Imagine running different operating systems, testing software in isolated environments, or even creating your own miniature data center, all within your Cloud PC. This is the magic of Hyper-V!

What You’ll Need: Checking the Prerequisites

Before we jump into enabling Hyper-V, let’s ensure your Cloud PC meets the necessary requirements:

  • CPU Power: You’ll need a Cloud PC with 4 vCPUs or more. Ideally, aim for 8 vCPUs and 32GB of RAM for a smoother experience. Downsizing to 2 vCPUs after enabling nested virtualization isn’t supported, and it will actually disable the feature.
  • Location, Location, Location: Your Cloud PC needs to be in a supported Azure region. You can find the list of supported regions in the official Microsoft documentation. While most regions support 4 and 8 vCPU, some users in specific regions might experience performance dips with 4 vCPU Cloud PCs when using Nested Virtualization.
  • Spring Cleaning (Maybe): If your Cloud PC was deployed before April 5, 2022, you’ll need to reprovision it.

Enabling Hyper-V: Three Easy Methods

Enabling Hyper-V on your Cloud PC is surprisingly straightforward, much like doing it on a regular physical machine. You’ll need local admin privileges, of course. Here are three ways to get it done:

1. The Settings App Route:

  • Fire up the Settings app.
  • Click on Apps in the left-hand menu.
  • Select Optional features.
  • Scroll down to Related settings and click More Windows features. This opens the classic Windows Features applet. You can also just search for “Turn Windows features on or off” in the Start Menu.
  • In the applet, find and check Hyper-V.
  • Expand the Hyper-V option and make sure both Hyper-V Management Tools and Hyper-V Platform are checked.
  • Click OK and then Restart now when prompted.

2. The PowerShell Express:

  • Open PowerShell as an administrator (right-click and select “Run as administrator”).
  • Run this command: Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All
  • Type Y when prompted to confirm.

3. The DISM Command Line:

  • Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
  • Run this command: DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /All /FeatureName:Microsoft-Hyper-V
  • Type Y when prompted to confirm.

Running Hyper-V: Your Virtual Playground

After restarting your Cloud PC, you’re ready to play! Launch the Hyper-V Manager (make sure to run it as an administrator). Now you can create virtual machines using your own images or the quick create feature. It’s just like running Hyper-V on a physical machine!

Hyper-V Manager
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Troubleshooting Performance Hiccups

Some users in specific regions (Southeast Asia, Central India, South Central US, East US 2, West US 2, and West US 3) might experience performance issues with 4 vCPU Cloud PCs when running nested virtualization. If this happens, you can either reprovision your Cloud PC or disable Hyper-V.

To reprovision:

  • Go to intune.microsoft.com.
  • Navigate to Devices > All Devices.
  • Select your Cloud PC and choose Reprovision, confirming with Yes.

This will create a fresh Cloud PC, and you’ll receive new access information.

Bonus Tips & Tricks

  • Check if Hyper-V is Enabled: Right-click the Start button, select Event Viewer, and navigate to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Hyper-V-Hypervisor > Operational. If you see entries, the hypervisor is running.

Windows 365 and Virtualization: A Perfect Match

So, does Windows 365 support virtualization? Absolutely! As long as your Cloud PC meets the requirements, you’re good to go. Just remember the CPU, RAM, and regional requirements.

Your Virtual Journey Begins

Now you’ve got the power of Hyper-V at your fingertips within your Windows 365 Cloud PC. Experiment, explore, and create your own virtual world. What will you build first? Share your thoughts, experiences, and questions in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you! And if you’re hungry for more tech tips and tricks, be sure to visit again soon!

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