Windows 8 Qcow2 ((link))

Always use the -enable-kvm flag on Linux hosts. This allows the guest OS to run at near-native speeds by using the host CPU's virtualization extensions (VT-x or AMD-V). Deployment Scenarios

On the host, add discard=unmap to the drive option: -drive file=win8.qcow2,format=qcow2,if=virtio,discard=unmap windows 8 qcow2

: While QCOW2 offers more features, the RAW disk format generally provides better I/O performance. QCOW2 is preferred when snapshots and space efficiency are more important than raw speed. Always use the -enable-kvm flag on Linux hosts

Here’s why Windows 8 and QCOW2 are a "power couple" for your homelab or dev environment. 1. Why QCOW2 for Windows 8? windows 8 qcow2

: If you use the VirtIO drivers (standard for KVM/QEMU), Windows 8 is remarkably stable as a guest OS.