Run Windows RT within a Hyper-V VM?

Here are 2 reasons why you can't run Windows RT within a Hyper-V virtual machine. In part, it has to do with processors.

John Savill

January 30, 2013

1 Min Read
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A: A Hyper-V virtual machine (VM) can't run Windows RT. There are two reasons why: 

  1. Windows RT isn't available for download--It comes preinstalled on Windows RT-based devices from OEMs.

  2. Windows RT is an OS for ARM processors. Hyper-V supports x86/amd64 virtual processors and not ARM. Even if Windows RT was available as a download, it couldn't run on a x86/amd64 processor and thus couldn't run in a VM on Hyper-V.

To learn more about Windows RT, see "Q: Can a Windows RT device be used as a client in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) or Session Virtualization environment?" You might also look through my FAQs, as I write frequently about Hyper-V, and look at Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows, as he writes frequently about Windows RT.

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