Solved Hyper V and VMWare on the same machine

[Indianatone]

Hi,
I have many virtual machines in my VMWare Workstation install on Windows 7. I have now let Windows 8.1 lose on the bare metal of this machine as a dual booting system. I have enabled Hyper V on 8.1 to "play around with it and when I went to install VMWare the installer quit stating Workstation could not be installed with Hyper V installed. Any work around ? I don't have to know about Hyper V was just going to play around with it but VMWare will always be my main virtual platform.

 

[popeye]

I don't think it can be done because of the way Hyper V integrates into the Windows system unlike VMware which runs on top of it. Hyper V makes changes to the system that clash with VMware and it can't work with. Maybe someone else will prove me wrong.

 

[pparks1]

nope, it's one of the other.

 

[adamf]

You could make a new boot entry. You can then choose on reboot whether to boot with Hyper V turned on or not.

This is useful as if Hyper V is installed then VirtualBox or VMWare will not work. You get a message VT-x is not available (as Hyper-V is using it).

1. Install Hyper V
2. bcdedit /copy "{current}" /d "Hyper-V"
3. bcdedit /set "{current}" hypervisorlaunchtype off

Then you can choose when you boot if you want Hyper V or not so if you want to use vmware for example you pick the boot option without Hyper V.

Creating a "no hypervisor" boot entry - Ben Armstrong - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

 

[Kari]

... if Hyper V is installed then VirtualBox or VMWare will not work. You get a message VT-x is not available (as Hyper-V is using it)...

See the screenshot below, installing Windows 7 Pro Finnish in a VirtualBox vm, at the same time Windows 7 Pro English running on Hyper-V:

​

VirtualBox and Hyper-V have no issues running on the same machine, not even when run simultaneously.

Kari

 

[adamf]

Well that is interesting. Are you running (booting) your 8.1 host as a vhd or a normal install?

 

[Kari]

Windows 8.1 Pro Update 1 clean install, booting normally from HDD, BIOS not UEFI. I mainly use Hyper-V for my virtual machines but have VirtualBox installed as some Linux distros are easier to set up in VirtualBox.

 

[Indianatone]

You could make a new boot entry. You can then choose on reboot whether to boot with Hyper V turned on or not.

This is useful as if Hyper V is installed then VirtualBox or VMWare will not work. You get a message VT-x is not available (as Hyper-V is using it).

1. Install Hyper V
2. bcdedit /copy "{current}" /d "Hyper-V"
3. bcdedit /set "{current}" hypervisorlaunchtype off

Then you can choose when you boot if you want Hyper V or not so if you want to use vmware for example you pick the boot option without Hyper V.

Creating a "no hypervisor" boot entry - Ben Armstrong - Site Home - MSDN Blogs

In the article it uses Windows Server 2012. Is it the same for 8.1 Pro? With Hyper V installed VMWare will not install. I have since disabled Hyper V and installed and set up my VMWare. I'll try enabling Hyper V and report back.

 

[adamf]

It is the same in 8 Pro, yes.

 

[Indianatone]

That is what I get with hyper V installed booting with either setting. I checked the services and Hyper V was set to manual trigger start and was not running. So the issue is with VMWare checking for the presence of hyper v being installed so it then will not install or run. Oh well never mind.

 

[adamf]

What do you have in bcdedit? The set-up below works - if you boot with the second one you can start VMware as hypervisorlauchtype if off. That is the only difference between the first two boot entries.
You need these settings - it is not just a case of the services running or not...

PS C:\Windows\system32> bcdedit
Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier              {bootmgr}
device                  partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
description             Windows Boot Manager
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {globalsettings}
integrityservices       Enable
default                 {default}
resumeobject            {cccec493-1d67-11e3-bfa5-8567e34eb
displayorder            {default}
                        {235ee548-59b0-11e3-82a7-70f395506
                        {current}
toolsdisplayorder       {memdiag}
timeout                 10
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {default}
device                  partition=H:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
[COLOR=#ff0000]description             Windows 8.1[/COLOR]
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence        {cccec495-1d67-11e3-bfa5-8567e34eb
integrityservices       Enable
recoveryenabled         Yes
allowedinmemorysettings 0x15000075
osdevice                partition=H:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {cccec493-1d67-11e3-bfa5-8567e34eb
nx                      AlwaysOn
bootmenupolicy          Standard
[COLOR=#ff0000]hypervisorlaunchtype    Auto[/COLOR]
Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {235ee548-59b0-11e3-82a7-70f395506
device                  partition=H:
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
[COLOR=#ff0000]description             Windows 8.1 Hyper-V disabled[/COLOR]
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence        {cccec495-1d67-11e3-bfa5-8567e34eb
integrityservices       Enable
recoveryenabled         Yes
allowedinmemorysettings 0x15000075
osdevice                partition=H:
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {cccec493-1d67-11e3-b
nx                      AlwaysOn
bootmenupolicy          Standard
[COLOR=#ff0000]hypervisorlaunchtype    Off[/COLOR]
debug                   No

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier              {current}
device                  locate=\Windows\system32\winload.exe
path                    \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description             VHD_Boot
locale                  en-US
inherit                 {bootloadersettings}
recoverysequence        {cccec495-1d67-11e3-bfa5-8567e34ebb35}
integrityservices       Enable
recoveryenabled         Yes
allowedinmemorysettings 0x15000075
osdevice                locate=\Windows
systemroot              \Windows
resumeobject            {cccec493-1d67-11e3-bfa5-8567e34ebb35}
nx                      AlwaysOn
bootmenupolicy          Standard
hypervisorlaunchtype    Auto
detecthal               Yes

 

[Indianatone]

OK let me try that again and get back to you.
Here is what is in my Boot loader:

Windows Boot Manager
--------------------
identifier {9dea862c-5cdd-4e70-acc1-f32b344d4795}
device partition=\Device\HarddiskVolume1
description Windows Boot Manager
locale en-US
inherit {7ea2e1ac-2e61-4728-aaa3-896d9d0a9f0e}
integrityservices Enable
default {4df39fec-65d9-11e3-999d-c893be7dcf0d}
resumeobject {1d432a32-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
displayorder {4df39fec-65d9-11e3-999d-c893be7dcf0d}
{1d432a33-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
{1d432a3a-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
toolsdisplayorder {b2721d73-1db4-4c62-bf78-c548a880142d}
timeout 4294967295
displaybootmenu Yes

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {4df39fec-65d9-11e3-999d-c893be7dcf0d}
device partition=W:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 7 64 Bit SSD
locale en-US
inherit {6efb52bf-1766-41db-a6b3-0ee5eff72bd7}
recoverysequence {4df39ff1-65d9-11e3-999d-c893be7dcf0d}
recoveryenabled Yes
osdevice partition=W:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {4df39feb-65d9-11e3-999d-c893be7dcf0d}
nx OptIn

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {1d432a33-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Windows 8.1 Professional
locale en-US
inherit {6efb52bf-1766-41db-a6b3-0ee5eff72bd7}
recoverysequence {1d432a34-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
integrityservices Enable
recoveryenabled Yes
allowedinmemorysettings 0x15000075
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {1d432a32-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
nx OptIn
pae ForceDisable
bootmenupolicy Legacy
hypervisorlaunchtype Off
useplatformclock Yes

Windows Boot Loader
-------------------
identifier {1d432a3a-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
device partition=C:
path \Windows\system32\winload.exe
description Hyper-V
locale en-US
inherit {6efb52bf-1766-41db-a6b3-0ee5eff72bd7}
recoverysequence {1d432a34-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
integrityservices Enable
recoveryenabled Yes
allowedinmemorysettings 0x15000075
osdevice partition=C:
systemroot \Windows
resumeobject {1d432a32-ef1f-11e3-a769-8e31c1f9c8af}
nx OptIn
pae ForceDisable
bootmenupolicy Legacy
hypervisorlaunchtype Auto
useplatformclock Yes

 

[adamf]

It works for me. I have one VM I can only run in VMware - I can't boot it in Hyper-V or Virtualbox. I use Hyper-V for the others. It is quicker to have a boot option than add and remove the Hyper-V option in Windows - that is for sure.

Kari's post about VirtualBox and Hyper-V working together is interesting but I've not tried it yet...

 

[Indianatone]

OK It does work. I think I must have forgotten to reboot yesterday or screwed up another setting somewhere. I am very pleased (as a Windows Tinkerer) to have both options open to me.

 

[popeye]

Looks like I was proven wrong, happily.

 

[adamf]

Looks like I was proven wrong, happily.

Not at all. Setting the boot option is just a quicker way of turning it on and off than going to the "Windows Features" and adding and removing it which takes ages....

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

Perhaps I could suggest another approach. This method though will need TWO HDD's.

1) Ensure you have two HDD's.

2) Clean install Windows on one of the partitions say HDD1 and activate.

3) back up image with say macrium / acronis.

4) Restore to HDD2

5) now using the Boot menu of the computer just choose which windows HDD you want to boot (one will have HYPER-V the other with VMware / vbox).

"Seemples" !!!

Much easier than adding / deleting HYPER-V each time you want to use it. Windows won't need to re-activate on HDD2 - it's a clone of HDD1 running on identical hardware and both aren't running concurrently.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Indianatone]

Hi there

Perhaps I could suggest another approach. This method though will need TWO HDD's.

1) Ensure you have two HDD's.

2) Clean install Windows on one of the partitions say HDD1 and activate.

3) back up image with say macrium / acronis.

4) Restore to HDD2

5) now using the Boot menu of the computer just choose which windows HDD you want to boot (one will have HYPER-V the other with VMware / vbox).

"Seemples" !!!

Much easier than adding / deleting HYPER-V each time you want to use it. Windows won't need to re-activate on HDD2 - it's a clone of HDD1 running on identical hardware and both aren't running concurrently.

Cheers
jimbo

Yep you can suggest that as a way of doing it. There are 6 hard drives on the machine with Windows 7 Ultimate as the main and Windows 8.1 on a 149GB HD. Lots of other stuff so I feel the boot turn it off feature works fine for me. Would doing it your way Jimbo technically be a violation of Windows 8 License terms as I would need another licence. Since Technet shut down that now costs serious money just to stick the same OS on a machine twice.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

Perhaps I could suggest another approach. This method though will need TWO HDD's.

1) Ensure you have two HDD's.

2) Clean install Windows on one of the partitions say HDD1 and activate.

3) back up image with say macrium / acronis.

4) Restore to HDD2

5) now using the Boot menu of the computer just choose which windows HDD you want to boot (one will have HYPER-V the other with VMware / vbox).

"Seemples" !!!

Much easier than adding / deleting HYPER-V each time you want to use it. Windows won't need to re-activate on HDD2 - it's a clone of HDD1 running on identical hardware and both aren't running concurrently.

Cheers
jimbo

Yep you can suggest that as a way of doing it. There are 6 hard drives on the machine with Windows 7 Ultimate as the main and Windows 8.1 on a 149GB HD. Lots of other stuff so I feel the boot turn it off feature works fine for me. Would doing it your way Jimbo technically be a violation of Windows 8 License terms as I would need another licence. Since Technet shut down that now costs serious money just to stick the same OS on a machine twice.
View attachment 45301

Hi there

This actually is NOT a violation of the EULA -- it's Windows on te SAME machine -- you can install Windows as many times as you like on the SAME machine -- you can't RUN more than one concurrently of course.

Is this any different from say copying Windows to a NEW HDD or restoring an Image. The fact that the HDD is on the Machine rather than in a draw in a closet makes no difference.

For example say you are testing and have a SATA connector on the front of your machine -- You don't need TWO windows licenses if you change HDD's and boot from the SATA connector.

You obviously aren't running TWO instances of Windows on the same machine -- there's no COURT on this planet who would think you are breaking the EULA operating Windows like that.

If it's on a VM that's different as a VM is a separate machine and you would need another license.

I'd even go so far as to think Ms would approve -- certainly this method makes for a great testing Lab.

If your conscience really bugs you - get a SATA connector and attach directly to your Mobo -- then get two HDD's with a switch. End of story !!!.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Indianatone]

You know how it goes, just want to CoverMyA as they say. Don't want my key blocked for miss use.