Running Hyper-V and Vmware Workstation on the same machine (but not in the same time)

With the new Windowses (I think this is a new kind of plural ;-) if Hyper-V is added (feature in Windows 10, or role in Windows server), the new editions of VMware Workstation will not run anymore (in some cases won't even install). 

Sadly, this was remined to me as I recently upgraded to Windows Pro 1903 and VMware dropped dead - actually it closed so quick that I was not able to see the error message box (although it was one), even if the actual error message was not the "real" one - see more details below. 

The Issue

There are two reasons(at least) against this:

1. Windows Defender Credential Guard enabled. (See below with red. However, I found that the warning about this may be a "false positive", the actual reason being Hyper-V.) In any case, see some details below.

This is not enabled by default in Windows 10 Pro, but on Enterprise editions and in corporate environments it may be enabled via Group Policy. In some situations I also found that Device Lockdown and Guarded Host prevents VMware from installing or running.

If you are working on your own computer, or if your administrators allow it, just don't check those services.

 As pointed, one can enable / disable the feature from here (it you have enough administrative rights): ( https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/credential-guard/credential-guard-manage)

• From the Group Policy Management Console, go to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Device Guard.
• Double-click Turn On Virtualization Based Security, and then click the Enabled option.
• In the Select Platform Security Level box, choose Secure Boot or Secure Boot and DMA Protection.
• In the Credential Guard Configuration box, click Enabled with UEFI lock, and then click OK. If you want to be able to turn off Windows Defender Credential Guard remotely, choose Enabled without lock.

To disable it, just do the steps in reverse - or actually better check "disabled".

2. The second motive against VMware Workstation is the installation with services running of Hyper-V.

If you don't need it, just don't install it (or uninstall it if it was already installed).

If you really need both, you can have them, but not in the same time. Nested virtualization can work (kind of), but the results may be not as expected. I managed to run Windows Server inside VMware with Hyper-V role, but a Hyper-V only or Docker may be used only for experimental purposes (if they work at all…).

Proposed solution

The solution is to have some "dual-boot", i.e. if you want Hyper-V, boot with it activated (and VMware will not work), and if you want VMware, boot without Hyper-V activated.

I kept my default without Hyper-V (see the steps below), and please be aware that for Hyper-V running, the hypervisor needs to be started before Windows kernel, so as Kari states on his forum (see link below), this always implies a restart.

 You should disable (or not install at all) Hyper-V during VMware installation process.

The solution I use is as following (thanks to Kari, here: https://www.tenforums.com/virtualization/113703-how-start-hyper-v-hypervisor-then-end.html).

Other variants exist, just google them (e.g dual or multiple boot on Windows). I think those that run already Linux alongside Windows will not have problems setting a dual-boot.

Be advised that if you reinstall windows or upgrade or something else, the configurations must be reapplied.

So, assuming that Hyper-V is installed (and working):

• Open an elevated Command Prompt and enter following command to copy current boot configuration to boot menu entry Hypervisor ON: (or whatever name you like)

bcdedit /copy {current} /d "Hypervisor ON"        

This adds a new default boot configuration with identifier {default}.

• Next, make the new default boot configuration to turn hypervisor on with following command:

bcdedit /set {default} hypervisorlaunchtype auto        

• Default OS or boot configuration will be booted if user makes no selection in given timeframe, by default 30 seconds. As you would not want your new Hypervisor ON boot configuration being default, move it to last item on boot menu:

bcdedit /displayorder {default} /addlast        

• To be sure that your original boot configuration boots to Windows without hypervisor, enter following command:

bcdedit /set {current} hypervisorlaunchtype off        

Now you will be shown a boot menu every time you boot computer. Select Windows 10 if you want to boot without hypervisor, or select Hypervisor ON when you need Hyper-V.

(Please visit Kari forum https://www.tenforums.com/members/kari.html - Thanks Kari).

Unfortunately, as both Hyper-V and VMware are powerful hypervisors, they both fight for the same resources, at a lower machine level, so the cannot run in the same time. But for experimenting and learning purposes, the dual-boot solution seems to be good enough.

What do you think? Please comment.