Once you have Hyper-V installed on Windows Server 2012 R2, you will want to create a new virtual machine. This guide will step you through creating a new virtual machine using the Hyper-V Console, Connecting it to a virtual switch and changing some of the options like processing cores and memory allocation.
Creating a Virtual Machine
1. Click on Start and type virtmgmt.msc, or type Hyper-V and click the Hyper-V Manager
2. In the Hyper-V Management Console, select your virtual host in the left most pane, then click New > Virtual Machine in the Actions Pane (right)
3. In the New Virtual Machine Wizard, click Next to skip the Before You Begin page
4. On the Specify Name and Location page, Enter a name for your virtual machine (Usually what you intend to use as a host name) and choose a location for the virtual machine to be stored.
5. On the Specify Generation page, choose the generation the best fits your virtual machine.
Note: If you are installing an operating system other than Windows Server 2012 or Windows 8 x64 or newer, Be sure to choose Generation 1. This would also include Linux based Virtual Machines.
6. On the Assign Memory page, enter the amount of RAM that you want to dedicate to the virtual machine (In MB). Some people use round number like 4,000 MB instead of 4096 MB, but I would recommend using the actual MB count for the GB amount you would like to use.
If you are unsure of the correct calculation in MB for your desired GB amount, visit http://www.convertunits.com/from/MB/to/GB
7. On the Configure Networking page, choose the Virtual Switch for VM Communication. If you haven’t created a virtual switch yet, reference this article to learn how to create one.
8. On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, Enter a Name, Location and Size for your virtual hard disk. These options can all be changed later, and the Name and Location are automatically filled out for you (based on the options you chose when you installed the Hyper-V Role).
9. On the Installation Options page, choose either to install the Operating System later, choose an ISO or if you are using WDS to deploy images, choose the network option.
Remember: If you are using a Generation 2 virtual machine, you will be unable to boot from a physical CD or DVD drive.
10. On the Summary Page, verify all of the information is correct, then click Finish.
11. Once the virtual machine has been created, open the Hyper-V Management Console and locate your newly created virtual machine. Right Click on the virtual machine and choose Settings…
12. In the Settings Window, you have the option to change Processor Settings, Memory Configuration, Add or Remove Virtual Hard Disks and many other options. Because Hyper-V automatically gives each virtual machine 1 processing core to work with by default, I will be changing mine to use 4. Your settings will vary in this step depending on what type of virtual machine you are creating.
When you are done, click Apply and OK
You have a successfully created a virtual machine.
Attaching an ISO for Operating System Installation
Now that we have created the virtual machine, we will need to install the operating system. This will require you to have an ISO image of the Windows version you wish to install, or if you are using a Network Based Installation Server, then you can boot the virtual machine from PXE.
Note: If you chose the option “Install Operating System Later” during the creation of your virtual machine, you will need to add a DVD Drive in the Settings page. If you chose an image during the setup, you can ignore steps 1 and 2.
1. Open the Hyper-V Management Console and locate your newly created virtual machine. Right Click on the virtual machine and choose Settings…
2. In the Settings Window, locate SCSI Controller on the left, then click DVD Drive and Add on the right
3. On the right hand side, click DVD Drive and locate your ISO File (right).
4. You can now Start the virtual machine and install Windows.
