Oracle’s VirtualBox virtualization software, which lets you run other operating systems inside Windows, generally runs smoothly, especially on PCs with a fast CPU and sufficient RAM. However, virtual Windows systems can run agonizingly slowly even on well-equipped computers.
In most cases, this is due to Microsoft’s Hyper-V virtualization feature on the host machine interfering with VirtualBox. If VirtualBox detects Hyper-V on a PC, the tool automatically utilizes certain components of this virtualization platform. Oracle describes the feature in its online help as “experimental” and notes that performance may be affected.
To resolve this issue, you must uninstall Hyper-V. To do this, close the virtual machine and exit VirtualBox. Then open the Control Panel and, in Icon View, go to “Programs and Features” → “Turn Windows features on or off.”
Uncheck the boxes next to “Hyper-V,” “Windows Hypervisor Platform,” and “Windows Sandbox,” then confirm by clicking “OK” and wait for Windows to remove the relevant components. Finally, restart your PC.
