Software that displays Windows on a 4K screen in full resolution
Software that displays Windows on a 4K screen in full resolution
I'm working with Debian 13 KDE on a 4K display. I prefer using W11 in a virtual machine for those times when I need to watch paid streaming content that doesn't run smoothly on Linux. My system runs an i7-7700k with 16GB RAM and no dedicated GPU. All decoding is handled through software because the integrated graphics lack modern codecs. Initially, I used "Gnome Boxes" which allowed me to install W11 and stream content successfully. However, the virtual machine doesn't fill the screen completely—even after adjusting the resolution in W11 to 4K, the display shows around 80% of the window. When I click the "Boxes" option, it reports a resolution of 1536x864, not 4K, which suggests the full-screen mode isn't activated properly. My only hint is that "Boxes" displays the resolution it uses as 4K when I enable full screen, but this doesn’t match the actual size. I’ve read that installing "Spice" in both the VM and Linux might help, but there was no installation file available. The "Boxes" app lacks clear instructions or documentation, so I’m cautious about making changes. I tried VirtualBox but it crashed when starting the VM, citing issues with VMX Root and KVM kernel. A tutorial mentioned VirtualBox is outdated, has bugs, and requires additional software. Then I learned about QEMU and installed a flatpack, though nothing appears to load. My goal is simple: I want Linux for most tasks (like YouTube) but need W11 in full screen 4K for streaming services that don’t support it natively. This should be as straightforward as using W11 directly. I need guidance on whether this setup is feasible at 4K and what tools to use.
I don't understand why you're so focused on making something so complicated. I noticed you tried to mimic W11, but I just set up W10 in a VM to check its DRM support—it only works with Widevine L3 (480P). There are many better ways to approach this, especially when non-technical people are involved. QEMU is used to virtualize OSes; SPICE lets you connect the VM from other devices without installing it inside.
Gnome boxes relies on QEMU internally. Your screen scaling seems adjusted—resolution displays might be scaled accordingly, though pixels remain visible. The spice driver is available via Guest -> Windows binaries (link hidden as "spice-guest-tools"). It may help to copy-paste between Linux and Windows if possible. If the VM display settings use real resolution, fullscreen functionality should function properly.
There are simple methods to display DRM-protected streaming on Linux. I mentioned a workaround using W11 initially. My aim is to have one Linux PC in the house, even if it's just for occasional use. My main concern is still accessing DRM content occasionally. Another approach is to temporarily run a W11 PC when needed. If VM support exists, that would be ideal. You're correct—it's a good idea. My system was set to 225% scaling for a 4K TV, while W11 ran at 100%. I adjusted Linux to full scale and still saw the "Boxes" bar at the top. Even with full-screen playback, it remained visible. Changing both to 200% caused scaling issues, reducing resolution and cutting parts of the screen. Running Linux or any app at 100% doesn't seem ideal for my setup. It seems scaling might be affecting performance. I hope we can find a way to maintain at least 200% scaling on both systems.
Isn't that a remote desktop? One of my crazy ideas was to use remote desktop and remote into another W11 PC while watching DRM content. But this also is not convenient except in very rare occasions. More effort, and requires to turn on another PC. Maybe doable if only done 0.1% of the time. I myself may be int he 0.1% category. My family are more in the 99% DRM zone. Edit: i installed Remmina and tried to remote into a W11 PC with the IP address. Apaprently it needs an RDP server. there is a Wiki: https://gitlab.com/Remmina/Remmina/-/wik...PI-scaling And it says fractional scaling won't work.... while trying to find a distro to use, i came across fractional scaling a lot and apparently Linux (outside Wayland) isn't good at it at all. Is this one of those cases, where it will just not work if i need scaling? Does anyone using Linux on a desktop (and using a VM) just live with 100% scaling?
This setup seems unusual—applications built for Gnome might not behave well in KDE. Could there be visibility settings accessible via right-clicking the top menu bar? Perhaps using F11 to toggle scaling helps. The scaling adjustments can be managed through environment variables. I’ve checked with X11’s cinnamon and gnome-boxes’ scales (GDK_SCALE and GDK_DPI_SCALE). Running a terminal with those values might let boxes display at full size. It’s unclear if this changes the default behavior, possibly as an override. A shortcut could simplify access if it functions. For remote desktop, QEMU supports VNC, which also displays boot information unlike RDP. I’m unsure if Boxes can modify this setting. VNC viewers are available separately and should work in fullscreen mode. A GUI like virt-manager can help manage virtual machines, making it a possible alternative if Gnome boxes aren’t suitable.
The command launched a fresh version of boxes without the earlier W11 VM. I haven’t configured a new VM yet... but I’m curious—would I need to run that command each time I want to use the VM? Another wild idea would be to restart Win Boat, though it’s known to have many issues. It’s unclear if it supports fractional scaling. Edit: For Remmina, I realized I must turn on "Remote Desktop" on the W11 PC. I did, but it still didn’t connect. So I’m still unsure if this works with fractional scaling—nothing in Linux seems to support that feature...
I'm not sure about this. I just gave up and used timeshift to avoid all the VM stuff. Right now I stick with this Debian PC as it is. If I ever need to stream something like Peacock, I'll switch to a spare W11 PC. Even if I fix the scaling problem, that bar at the top will remain. Who knows what comes next? If you really need Windows on a regular basis, it's better to stick with it. But I've set up Linux on my desk in dual boot. It probably won't make much difference since my work software doesn't run well there. More just for fun.