Windows 11 ships with several features that are available but not enabled by default. OSDeploy uses Hyper-V to create and manage virtual machines on the build machine, enabling local testing of WinPE boot images without physical hardware. Enabling Windows optional features requires Administrator rights and may require a system restart.
Why OSDeploy Uses Windows Components
Hyper-V enables New-OSDeployHyperVM to create test VMs that boot from a WinPE image built by OSDeploy
Local VM testing allows rapid iteration on boot images before deploying to physical devices
Hyper-V is not required for building boot images — only for running them in a local VM
In This Section
Hyper-V — Enable the Hyper-V optional feature for VM-based boot media testing
