Windows 10: Issues enabling Enhanced Session on 10 Pro VM

Hello guys!

This is my first post here, so go easy on me *Smile

I have been racking my brain, and have done search after search on how to solve my issue, but I have come to no suitable solution as of yet. I've seen that folks have been able to solve the problem, but no description as to what they did to solve it. It's almost like it just magically starts working *Smile I've had no such luck as of this writing.

Here is the problem:

I am attempting to install Windows 10 Pro x64 build 14393 on a Hyper-V Host which is running the same OS.

I have created the VM with no issues and installed with no issues. I can not for the life of me find out why I can not enable the features of enhanced session to be able to connect external drives, USB sticks, enable audio and enhanced graphics, etc.

So far the steps I have taken include:

1) VM created as Generation 2
2) Verified "Allow enhanced session mode" is checked in Hyper-V Enhanced Session Mode Policy server settings
3) Verified "Use enhanced session mode" is checked in Hyper-V Enhanced Session Mode user settings
4) Verified all integration services are checked under the VM settings
5) Verified Remote Desktop Services service is running on VM

Perhaps there is something I am missing? At this point, when I connect to the VM there is no ability to connect to local resources. Additionally, the "Enhanced session" option under the View menu on the VM is greyed out.

Any assistance in getting this resolved would be greatly appreciated!

:)

 

Hyper-V functionality

I have this exact same issue. I bought a dedicated video card for my VMs to use with RemoteFX and it works, but the Enhanced session mode is disabled once you add the remote fx adapter. Enhanced session mode greatly increases the experience with the VM
and I feel it would be counter intuitive if you had to do that trade off.

I suppose is a wait and see game from here to see if it gets resolved.

 

Win10 Hyper-V Connect... no options for audio, etc

I have setup Hyper-V and have a VM that runs. I have enabled Enhanced Session on both server and client. When I slect the VM in Hyper-V Manager, R-click, and select Connect... I am expecting a dialog to allow setting up things like passthrough of hosts audio
devices. I do not get any connect options box. It just starts the VM Connection and no box appears.

How can I get at these connect options?

 

Update:

So I was able to get an Enhanced Session to work... In a less than ideal fashion *sarc

When I was experiencing issues related to my original post, I was running the VM just after completing the install in Audit mode for the purpose of creating a reference image for machines I provide to my customers as part of a surveillance system integration. I could only get enhanced sessions to work after shifting out of audit mode and creating the initial user account.

I have a lot of software that needs to be installed which I would like to deploy as part of a system image, and I need to create several different versions based on different software packages. Performing this in a virtualized environment seemed like the ideal scenario.

All of the software I use I have on a USB thumb drive I would like to make available to the VM.

Ideally I need a way to run Audit mode in an enhanced session so I can get USB pass-through to function. Alternatively, I suppose I could create another VHD to attach to the VM with all the installation files/themes/WIM, etc. for the software I need to install.

Does anyone know of a way to make USB media available to a VM in Audit mode? Do I just need to create a bunch of VHD to simulate my thumb drive and usb drive to store the image file I plan to create once I have the reference image ready?

Again, all help is appreciated!

 

Enhanced session does not work in Windows special modes Safe Mode and Audit Mode. The most practical alternatives are to create an additional VHD, mount it on host to copy all necessary files and installers to it, unmounts it and attach it to vm, or to use a cloud service like OneDrive to copy necessary assets.

More about customizing Windows deployment image in Audit Mode using a Hyper-V vm: Windows 10 Image - Customize in Audit Mode with Sysprep - Windows 10 Forums

 

Hi Kari, the guide you linked is the one I've been using for the last year or so. I see you wrote that *Smile Thanks!

I do have other questions regarding the creation of a deployment image I'd love to run by you, but they don't really pertain to virtualization so this is likely not the right place to start asking.

Again, thanks for everything you do for the community, I've been using your material for a while now. Guess I never realized this was where it was.

Thanks for the explanation here as well... I was afraid of that... Would a different hypervisor like VirtualBox or VMware Workstation be better suited to this process since they allow you to mount an ISO to deploy the enhancement extensions? Or do they also not work in safe or audit mode?

 

Just ask, anything. No answers guaranteed but if we know the answers, we will reply *Smile

To mount a USB flash drive is not possible, but if you have a normal external USB hard disk you can copy everything you need to it on host, use host Disk Management to set the external HDD offline, then add it as hard drive to a vm. Notice that flash drives cannot be set offline, therefore they cannot be mounted on Hyper-V vm.

I use Hyper-V exclusively, can't answer your questions about VirtualBox and VMware.

 

I simply create an iso of the flash drive using imgburn and mount it as a cd which saves taking hdd offline etc.