Modifying a Virtual Machine

This is a multi-part series that starts here:  http://blogs.technet.com/b/jeff_stokes/archive/2013/04/15/building-up-a-learning-lab-based-on-windows-8-and-hyper-v.aspx

In the previous blog post we created a virtual machine named “Great Lyrics”.  We’re going to modify that virtual machine as the default settings are fairly low power and the Dude is all about performance.  So in your virtual machine management console, right click your new shiny virtual machine and select “settings”.

This may be intimidating at first, lots of options, but I think you’ll find most of them are fine with the default values and you’ll want to modify them.  The first one you want to modify is “Processor” so click that bad boy now and behold the screen you are presented with:

Neato tito!  We’ve got a screen.  Lets increase our cores available to the VM to 2 instead of 1.  There are a lot of arguments for and against doing this involving complicated concepts such as CPU scheduling of the physical core and hyper-visor that you would want to take into consideration on a production system so as to not over-over-subscribe the host.  But in a lab I’m more concerned with the VM not taking forever to install and boot and do the work I tell it to do so bump it up please.  You’ll thank me later.  Click “Apply” when you are done.

Now go down to your “DCD Drive” under “IDE Controller 1” and lets connect an ISO for Windows Server 2012 to the VM so we can begin installing Windows Server 2012 on it!

Apply and OK until you are done with the settings for your DC.

For the next steps click here:  http://blogs.technet.com/b/jeff_stokes/archive/2013/04/18/building-up-a-learning-lab-based-on-windows-8-and-hyper-v-part-iv.aspx