Using virtio-win drivers with Win7 SP1 x64

Question

I have Ubuntu 20.04 server as my host machine and QEMU-KVM v6.0.0 as hypervisor. I created simple virtual machine configuration using SATA storage and successfully installed Windows 7 SP1 64 bit. After this all manuals suggest to add temporary virtio disk, get Windows 7 to install necessary drivers and then switch to new disk type.

I downloaded a set of latest stable drivers from https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/archive-virtio/, attached a downloaded image file to virtual machine and attempted to install drivers.

Nothing worked at all. Windows 7 successfully identifies driver files as being signed by Red Hat Inc., however it refuses to load drivers because it is unable to verify digital signature until any trusted root certificates.

I might be able to sacrifice some disk IO performance, I might not need to run virtual machine at absolute maximum IO speeds, but exactly the same situation is observed with 3 other devices, exported from hypervisor: graphics, ACPI, memory manager and something else...

I might be missing something, since even this post on this site suggest to install drivers for Windows 10 from the same location and Windows 7 and Windows 10 are no different in regard with driver signatures.

How to properly configure Virt-Manager (QEMU/KVM) with Windows guest

Please, help.

Solution 1

There are signed and unsigned drivers available on fedorapeople.org. It is possible to install signed drivers only. However, there is a small issue. Several root certificates, included in Windows installer expired recently. Because of this Windows 7 installer is not able to verify latest releases of drivers, since corresponding root certificate is only available after update.

This way the easiest solution is to install a copy of Windows 7 SP1 using virtualized SATA HDD and later change it to virtio after series of necessary updates.

Solution 2

You need to use a different version of virtio drivers, for example, 173-9 (https://fedorapeople.org/groups/virt/virtio-win/direct-downloads/archive-virtio/virtio-win-0.1.173-9/virtio-win-0.1.173.iso).

At this moment, the latest version of virtio drivers (204-1) isn't recognized by Windows 7 as signed during installation, and therefore can't be used. (The answer by Paul Vetrov has an explanation for it, although I'm not qualified to say if it's correct.) However, earlier versions are recognized and do work! For example, I was able to use versions 160-1 and 173-9. Version 185-1 (the next one after 173-9) didn't work, and I assume that all versions between 185-1 and 204-1 don't work, too.

Comments

[David]

Is this not a windows question?

[karel]

@David QEMU-KVM is the best VM software that I have ever used, but it hasn't reached many users yet do partly to its incomplete documentation. I don't regard this question as a Windows question.

[EkriirkE]

173-9 Says I need Windows 8 or newer, 173-1 worked but I didn't try newer

[pvgoran]

@EkriirkE Where does it say Windows 8 or newer? Regardless, all virtio-win ISOs that I looked at do contain directories for Windows 7 (called w7 or WIN7 or maybe something other) with appropriate drivers in it. And I'm currently running the 173-9 drivers under Windows 7.

[lrd]

It does indeed say windows 8 or later Windows version required when run installer. Although there are win7 and xp driver folders. XP somhow install those drivers more successfully compared to win7, using device manager.

[pvgoran]

I see. I wasn't even aware there was an installer to begin with, I just used the device manager.

[don Rumata]

@EkriirkE, @pvgoran, latest supported for win7: 0.1.173-4. I tested.

[don Rumata]

UPD: don't install spice agent. github.com/virtio-win/virtio-win-guest-tools-installer/issue‌​s/…

[don Rumata]

/qn ADDLOCAL=FE_balloon_driver,FE_network_driver,FE_pvpanic_driv‌​er,FE_qemufwcfg_driv‌​er,FE_qemupciserial_‌​driver,FE_qxl_driver‌​,FE_spice_driver,FE_‌​viorng_driver,FE_vio‌​scsi_driver,FE_viose‌​rial_driver,FE_viost‌​or_driver ovirt.org/documentation/virtual_machine_management_guide/…

[don Rumata]

spice-guest-tools-latest.exe from spice-space.org works fine too.