Windows 10: Use Local Devices and Resources on Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows

How to: Use Local Devices and Resources on Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows

How to Use Local Devices and Resources on Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10


Information Hyper-V enables running virtualized computer systems on top of a physical host. These virtualized systems (aka: guests) can be used and managed just as if they were physical computer systems, however they exist in a virtualized and isolated environment.

You can give a virtual machine access to a computer's local resources, like a removable USB flash drive, when you use Virtual Connection Manager (VMConnect). To make this happen, turn on enhanced session mode on the Hyper-V host, use VMConnect to connect to the virtual machine, and before you connect, choose the local resource that you want to use.

Enhanced session mode provides the following new capabilities for Virtual Machine Connection sessions:

• Display Configuration
• Audio redirection
• Printer redirection
• Full clipboard support (improved over limited prior-generation clipboard support)
• Smart Card support
• USB Device redirection
• Drive redirection
• Redirection for supported Plug and Play devices

You might want use a computer's local resources to:

• Troubleshoot a virtual machine without a network connection to the virtual machine.
• Copy and paste files to and from the virtual machine in the same way you copy and paste using a Remote Desktop Connection (RDP).
• Sign in to the virtual machine by using a smart card.
• Print from a virtual machine to a local printer.
• Test and troubleshoot developer applications that require USB and sound redirection without using RDP.

This tutorial will show you how to use local drives, devices, and resources on a Hyper-V virtual machine with enhanced session mode in Windows 10.



Note To be able to use a computer's local resources on a virtual machine:

• The Hyper-V host (ex: your PC) must have Enhanced session mode policy and Enhanced session mode settings turned on.
• The Hyper-V virtual machine (guest) must have Remote Desktop Services enabled and run Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 as the guest operating system.

EXAMPLE: Local devices and resources on Hyper-V VM from host PC








Here's How:

1. Open Hyper-V Manager.

2. Select the Hyper-V host (ex: "BRINK-DESKTOP") in the left pane, double click/tap on the virtual machine (ex: "Non Insider W10") that you want to connect and use enhanced session mode to use local devices and resources on. (see screenshot below)



3. Click/tap on the Start button to start the virtual machine (ex: "Non Insider W10"). (see screenshot below)



4. Click/tap on Show Options in the VMConnect dialog when it automatically opens. (see screenshot below)






Note If you don't see the VMConnect dialog and the virtual machine is currently running without enhanced session, then click/tap on View on the menu bar of the virtual machine, and click/tap on the unchecked Enhanced session to open the VMConnect dialog.



If you don't see the VMConnect dialog and the virtual machine is currently running with enhanced session (checked), then open an elevated command prompt, type the command below, and press Enter to open a new connection for the virtual machine with the VMConnect dialog. Close the command prompt and the other virtual machine connection without the VMConnect dialog.
*Arrow vmconnect localhost "VM name" /edit

NOTE: Substitute VM name in the command above with the actual name (ex: "Non Insider W10") of the virtual machine.

For example: vmconnect localhost "Non Insider W10" /edit





5. Check or uncheck the Save my settings for future connections to this virtual machine box for what you want. (see screenshot below)


Note If you check this box, this virtual machine will always automatically start in enhanced session mode using the VMConnect settings you set in the steps below.

If you want to uncheck this box later, you can use the second part with the command in the note box under step 4 above to edit the VMConnect settings of this virtual machine.





6. Click/tap on the Local Resources tab, and check or uncheck if you want to use the local PC's Printers and/or Clipboard in the virtual machine. (see screenshot below)



7. Click/tap on the More button. (see screenshot below)



8. Check or uncheck the boxes of the local PC's devices and resources for what you want to use in the virtual machine, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)



9. Click/tap on Connect to start the virtual machine in enhanced session mode using the local PC's devices and resources that you checked. (see screenshot below)




That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Setup and Use Hyper-V in Windows 10 for OS Virtualization
• How to Turn On or Off Hyper-V Enhanced Session Mode in Windows 10
• How to Add or Remove a Physical Hard Disk to Hyper-V Virtual Machine
• How to Remove Floppy Disk Drive in Windows Hyper-V Virtual Machine
• How to Rename Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10
• How to Delete Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10
• How to Move Hyper-V Virtual Machine in Windows 10

:)

 

Hyper-V Virtual Machine not recognised

The folder where your VM is do you see a .vhd file?

Here is a great article step by step on how to import VM into hyper-v.

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/conte...

 

Access USB port in virtual machine - Hyper -v

Hi Gigy

My name is Andre Da Costa; an Independent Consultant, Windows Insider MVP and Windows & Devices for IT MVP. I'm here to help you with your problem.

You need to first shutdown the VM before you can enable the Enhanced Mode Session.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server...

 

Hyper V not connecting to virtual machine

Hi.

Regarding Hyper V firstly check all steps and requirements from here:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization...

And here

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization...

For more details about how to set up it better to use another community:

https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-...

 

Hyper-V, VM, Virtual Machine

You will have to ensure the Virtual Machine is running and connected to the Internet.

This means the physical host, the machine itself must be connected.

Review:

Configure Remote Desktop connection to Hyper-V Virtual Machine ...

 

Where is the Hyper V Manager, How to I start it ?

I am trying to setup an XP virtual Machine on Windows 10 Pro.

I followed the steps in Neil Peterson article of 5/9/2016.

System Requirements - done - ok

Install Hyper-V - done - ok

Create a Virtual Switch - skip

Create a Virtual Machine

Create a Virtual Machine with Hyper-V Manager

These steps walk through how to manually create a virtual machine and deploy an operating system to this virtual machine.

• 
  In Hyper-V Manager, click Action > New >
  Virtual Machine to bring up the New
  

Uhhhhhhhhh - this step obviously implies one knows

1) Where the Hyper-V Manager is

2) How to start the Hyper-V Manager

Isn't that odd ?