How to disable PMU in Windows 11 virtual machine?

Question

I use Qemu to start the Windows 11 virtual machine on arm. If pmu is not turned on, the windows virtual machine will freeze during startup. The windows virtual machine will query the PMU counter register during the startup phase. In some scenarios, we want to disable PMU. How can we make Windows run normally when PMU is disabled?

Answer 1

Hello

Running a Windows 11 virtual machine on QEMU with PMU (Performance Monitoring Unit) disabled can be challenging because the PMU is often used by the operating system for various tasks. However, there are a few steps you can try:

Update QEMU: Make sure you are using the latest version of QEMU. Some older versions may not support certain features required by Windows 11.

Check TPM and Secure Boot: Windows 11 requires a TPM 2.0 chip and Secure Boot to run. You can emulate these in QEMU. If you’re not sure how to do this, there are guides available online.

Adjust BIOS settings: If QEMU is running slower than usual, check your BIOS settings. Make sure that VT-x is enabled.

Use QEMU GUI: You can use the QEMU graphical user interface to manage your virtual machines. This can make it easier to adjust settings and troubleshoot issues.

Check Hardware Requirements: Make sure your system meets the hardware requirements for Windows 11, which include 4GB of RAM and a hard drive with a capacity of 64GB.

Please note that these steps are general suggestions and may not solve all issues related to running a Windows 11 virtual machine on QEMU with PMU disabled.