Windows 8 Qcow2 __exclusive__ Instant

qemu-system-x86_64 ... \ -object iothread,id=iothread1 \ -device virtio-blk-pci,drive=system_disk,iothread=iothread1 \ -drive file=windows-8.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=none,id=system_disk

It shares a kernel with Windows Server 2012, making it remarkably stable for legacy software testing. Windows 8 Qcow2

Running Windows 8 on a Qcow2 image offers several advantages: qemu-system-x86_64

Always install VirtIO drivers for Windows to ensure the Qcow2 image performs well with networking and disk I/O. qemu-system-x86_64 ... \ -object iothread