VMware operates at full CPU capacity.
VMware operates at full CPU capacity.
I have a Thinkpad T480 with an I5-8350U processor. I’m trying to run a virtual machine on it, but it’s running slowly and struggling to start. After installing Windows, the VM slows down significantly. It took about an hour to check Task Manager and notice the CPU was at 100%. I’ve tried using Windows 11, 10, and even Windows 7, but the problem persists. I also used two cores in the VM and all four cores, but it didn’t improve performance. The software is free, so I’m not getting help from the support site. Any advice would be appreciated.
I suggest starting with one or two cores initially. It’s usually best to keep at least one core reserved for the host, meaning don’t assign all cores to the VM. Also, ensure the VM uses less memory than your actual host machine has available. If you check Task Manager, look into which processes are using the CPU the most—it can point out why it’s running at full capacity.
Usually it's because you're using an HDD, maybe? If you're running on an HDD, try not to have the same drive for the host computer. Using it as storage for the VM makes it really slow, even with Windows. I'd prefer Linux, but for Windows VMs this is still a problem overall. You might want to switch to a USB stick and check if that improves things.
Check the drivers inside the VM by accessing its system settings or monitoring tools.
Verify if virtualization is active on the CPU within the host operating system.
It looks like you were right initially. After a long wait, I accessed Windows Update and noticed an optional driver update that needed installation. Once completed, the system ran much better. Now that I can view Task Manager, I see the VM is using only one virtual core despite being configured for more. I’ll likely check for a fix in another thread, but appreciate your assistance.
I’d be happy to assist, though I’m not familiar with running full virtual machines. It’s common to set aside half of your real processor cores for the VM—so around two in your case. Verify your settings again; it’s possible you might have adjusted a slider by mistake.