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Tip: Install Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008

Hyper-V is implemented as a server role on both Full and Server Core installations of Windows Server 2008 x64 Standard, Enterprise, and Datacenter editions. You can install Hyper-V on a Full installation of Windows Server 2008 using the following methods:

  • By launching the Add Roles Wizard from the Initial Configuration Tasks (ICT) interface
  • By launching the Add Roles Wizard from the Server Manager MMC snap-in
  • By using the ServerManagerCmd.exe command-line tool

To install Hyper-V on a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008, you must use the Ocsetup.exe utility by typing start /w ocsetup Microsoft-Hyper-V at the command prompt.

However, because the release version of Windows Server 2008 does not include the final Hyper-V bits, you must download and install the Hyper-V RTM Update Package (.msu file) before you install the Hyper-V role using any of the methods just described. T

The release version of the Hyper-V technology for Windows Server 2008 is described in Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article KB950050 and is available on Windows Update.

After you install Hyper-V, you must restart your computer before the role can take effect. If you discover that Hyper-V does not start properly after performing one of the listed procedures, try shutting down your computer completely and performing another cold boot of the system. If Hyper-V still fails to start, follow these steps to troubleshoot the problem:

  • Verify with the manufacturer that the processors in your system support both hardware-assisted virtualization and hardware Data Execution Prevention.
  • Make sure that hardware-assisted virtualization is enabled in the BIOS. If it isn’t, enable it and then shut down your computer before rebooting it so that the BIOS change can take effect.
  • Check the manufacturer’s Web site to see whether an updated version of the BIOS is available for your computer; install the update if one is available.
  • Verify that the BCD store is configured properly by typing bcdedit /enum and verifying that HypervisorLaunchType is set to AUTO.

From the Microsoft Press ebook Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions: From the Desktop to the Datacenter by Mitch Tulloch.

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