virsh snapshot-create-as --domain Windows10 --name "BeforeDriverInstall" --description "Clean state before GPU driver"
$ qemu-img convert -p -f vmdk -O qcow2 source-windows.vmdk Windows10.qcow2
: As mentioned, installing the complete suite of VirtIO drivers is paramount. This includes the viostor (disk), netkvm (network), and qxl (video) drivers. These replace the emulated hardware, drastically improving I/O and graphics performance. Windows 10.qcow2
If you have a Windows 10 virtual machine running on VMware (.vmdk) or VirtualBox (.vdi), you can convert it to the QCOW2 format seamlessly using qemu-img :
Now that you have an empty Windows 10.qcow2 file (e.g., 100KB on disk), you need to boot the installer. If you have a Windows 10 virtual machine running on VMware (
When running qemu-img convert on Linux, you get an error like "unknown driver 'VHDX'" .
This allows for "linked clones," where multiple VMs can share the same base "golden image" of Windows 10 while only saving unique changes to their own separate files. Compression & Encryption: Compression & Encryption: The Definitive Guide to Windows
The Definitive Guide to Windows 10.qcow2: Deployment, Optimization, and Troubleshooting