Set Up Hyper-V

Virtual MachinesSetup guide 2 of 345–75 minutes

Make sure Hyper-V is an option

Hyper-V is built into the Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows 10 and 11. It is not available as a host hypervisor on Home editions.

Open Settings → System → About and find Windows specifications. If the edition says Home, use the VMware Workstation guide instead.

Open Command Prompt and run:

systeminfo.exe

Find Hyper-V Requirements near the bottom. If Hyper-V is not already running, each entry should say Yes. If virtualization is disabled in firmware, enable Intel VT-x, AMD-V, or SVM Mode in the computer’s UEFI or BIOS.

Microsoft lists the current requirements in System requirements for Hyper-V.

Enable Hyper-V

Open the Start menu and search for Turn Windows features on or off.
Select Hyper-V. Make sure Hyper-V Management Tools and Hyper-V Platform are selected beneath it.
Select OK and let Windows install the feature.
Restart the host when prompted.

There is no separate Hyper-V download. It is an optional Windows feature.

After restarting, search for and open Hyper-V Manager. Your computer’s name should appear in the left pane.

Download Ubuntu

Download the Intel or AMD 64-bit Ubuntu Desktop LTS ISO from the Ubuntu Desktop download page. The filename should include amd64, not arm64.

Create the virtual machine

In Hyper-V Manager, select your host in the left pane, then select New → Virtual Machine.

Name the VM UnderDunn Vulnerability Research.
If you change its storage location, choose a drive with at least 80 GB free.
Select Generation 2.
Assign 8192 MB of startup memory. If the host has only 8 GB total, use 4096 MB. Leave Use Dynamic Memory for this virtual machine selected.
Connect the network adapter to Default Switch.
Create a 60 GB virtual hard disk.
Choose Install an operating system from a bootable image file and select the Ubuntu ISO.
Review the summary and select Finish.

A Generation 2 VM uses modern virtual firmware and is the right choice for current Ubuntu releases.

Before starting it, right-click the VM and select Settings:

Under Processor, assign 4 virtual processors, or 2 on a smaller host.
Under Security, keep Secure Boot enabled and select the Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority template.
Under Network Adapter, confirm Default Switch is selected.

The ordinary Microsoft Windows template is intended for Windows guests. Ubuntu uses a bootloader trusted by the Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority template. Selecting the correct template prevents a fairly unhelpful boot failure.

Install Ubuntu

Double-click the VM and select Start. If you see Press any key to boot from CD or DVD, click inside the window and press a key promptly.

Select your language, accessibility settings, and keyboard layout.
Select Install Ubuntu.
Choose the interactive installation and default application selection.
Allow updates during installation if offered.
Choose Erase disk and install Ubuntu.
Create an account. A username such as student is fine.
Let installation finish and restart the guest.

The disk being erased is the empty 60 GB virtual disk, not the Windows host drive.

If the VM boots into the installer again, shut it down. Open Settings, select the DVD drive, and remove the ISO or set its media to None. Start the VM again.

Confirm the result

uname -m

It should print:

x86_64

Update the installation:

sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade

The Default Switch uses NAT and should provide internet access without a custom virtual network. If updates fail, confirm that the network adapter still uses Default Switch.

Create the clean checkpoint

Shut down Ubuntu. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the VM and select Checkpoint. Rename the new checkpoint:

Clean Ubuntu installation

Hyper-V calls snapshots checkpoints. The job is the same: preserve a known state that we can return to later.

Knowledge check

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