Hyper-V RTM Guest Operating System Support
This provides a list of supported server and client guest operating systems supported within a Hyper-V virtual machine as of June 2008. Please note that this list is subject to change. For the latest public version, please see KB article 954958 here: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/954958/en-us.
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Supported Server Operating Systems
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Microsoft Windows Server 2008 x64 (VMs configured with 1, 2 or 4 virtual processors)
· Windows Server 2008 Standard
· Windows Server 2008 Enterprise
· Windows Server 2008 Datacenter
· Windows HPC Server 2008
· Windows Web Server 2008
· Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V
· Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V
· Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 x86 (VMs configured with 1, 2 or 4 virtual processors)
· Windows Server 2008 Standard (x86 Edition)
· Windows Server 2008 Enterprise (x86 Edition)
· Windows Server 2008 Datacenter (x86 Edition)
· Windows Web Server 2008 (x86 Edition)
· Windows Server 2008 Standard without Hyper-V (x86 Edition)
· Windows Server 2008 Enterprise without Hyper-V (x86 Edition)
· Windows Server 2008 Datacenter without Hyper-V (x86 Edition)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x86 (VMs configured with 1 or 2 virtual processors)
· Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x86 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise x86 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter x86 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 Standard x86 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x86 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 Datacenter x86 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 Web Edition with Service Pack 2
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 (VMs configured with 1 or 2 virtual processors)
· Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard x64 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 R2 Datacenter x64 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 Standard x64 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 Enterprise x64 Edition with Service Pack 2
· Windows Server 2003 Datacenter x64 Edition with Service Pack 2
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server (VMs configured with 1 virtual processor)
· Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 4
· Windows 2000 Advanced Server with Service Pack 4
Linux Distributions (VMs configured with 1 virtual processor)
· Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10 with Service Pack 2 x86 Edition
· Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10 with Service Pack 2 x64 Edition
· Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10 with Service Pack 1 x86 Edition
· Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10 with Service Pack 1 x64 Edition
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Supported Client Operating Systems
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Microsoft Windows Vista x86 (VMs configured with 1 or 2 virtual processors)
· Windows Vista Business x86 with Service Pack 1
· Windows Vista Enterprise x86 with Service Pack 1
· Windows Vista Ultimate x86 with Service Pack 1
Microsoft Windows Vista x64 (VMs configured with 1 or 2 virtual processors)
· Windows Vista Business x64 with Service Pack 1
· Windows Vista Enterprise x64 with Service Pack 1
· Windows Vista Ultimate x64 with Service Pack 1
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x86
· Windows XP Professional x86 with Service Pack 3 (VMs configured with 1 or 2 virtual processors)
· Windows XP Professional x86 with Service Pack 2 (VMs configured with 1 virtual processor)
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 (VMs configured with 1 or 2 virtual processors)
· Windows XP Professional x64 with Service Pack 2
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Windows HPC Server 2008 x64 is supported, why not Windows HPC Server 2008 x86?
A: Windows HPC Server 2008 is released as x64 only. There isn’t a Windows HPC Server 2008 x86 Edition.
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Q: Windows Server 2003 is support with Service Pack 2. What about Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1?
A: Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 is not supported within Hyper-V. Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 includes specific enhancements and fixes for performance and stability running within a virtualized environment.
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Q: Windows Server 2003 Web Edition x86 is supported, why not Windows Server 2003 Web Edition x64?
A: Windows Server 2003 Web Edition was released as x86 only. There isn’t a Windows Server 2003 Web Edition x64.
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Q: Windows 2000 Server x86 is supported, why not Windows 2000 Server x64?
A: Windows 2000 Server was released as x86 only. There isn’t a Windows 2000 Server x64 Edition.
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Q: If an operating system isn’t listed, does that mean the operating system doesn’t work within a Hyper-V virtual machine?
A: No. The operating systems on this list mean have been extensively tested and are supported by Microsoft CSS to run within a Hyper-V virtual machine. However, many operating are compatible and may run within Hyper-V, but aren’t officially supported. Examples include, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Server, Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Fedora Linux 7, Fedora Linux 8 and CentOS 5.