Windows — 7qcow2

Because Windows 7’s infrequent write patterns (once booted) work excellently with CoW, and snapshots allow you to roll back malware tests or driver experiments instantly.

qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows7-base.qcow2 40G # Install Windows 7 on this base windows 7qcow2

Once configured, you should "seal" the image to keep the file size small. windows 7qcow2

: If you are using KVM, you must load VirtIO drivers during installation so Windows can "see" the virtual hard drive. windows 7qcow2

qemu-img convert -f vmdk -O qcow2 windows7.vmdk windows7.qcow2