[FIX] Windows 8 operating system does not boot or install on ESXi or ESX

  10:41 AM    Santosh

As many of you know Windows 8 Developer preview & Customer Preview is not working on VMware ESX 5. Now VMware has come with new Patch for VMware ESX 5 server to run Windows 8 on it. 


  1. Download and install ESXi500-201112001 (Patch 02)
  2. Create a new virtual machine configured for either Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2.
  3. Enable 3d graphics or do not install VMware's WDDM video driver.
  4. Install Windows 8 from Media.
  5. Install Tools. 

Note: VMware does not recommend installing VMware's WDDM video driver. Use the default VESA driver. 

  • If you experience a black screen after installing VMware's WDDM video driver in a virtual machine with Windows 8, enable 3d graphics or reinstall the operating system and Tools without VMware's WDDM video driver.
  • USB xHCI is currently not recommended for use with Windows 8. To work around this issue, remove the USB xHCI controller or use the USB EHCI+UHCI controller.

    Note: Any changes to the virtual hardware should be preceded by a full shutdown on the command line (shutdown /s /t 0 /full). Otherwise, the Windows 8 hibernate-shutdown may not fully detect hardware changes and you may experience a blue diagnostic screen or triple fault at boot.
  • vmxnet3 virtual NIC does not work in a Windows 8 virtual machine with ESXi 5.0. To work around this issue, use e1000e or e1000 NICs