Unable to boot second Windows VM (GPU passthrough)

[remz1337]

TLDR: I have 1 working Windows 11 VM with GPU passthrough. Tried to create a new VM with same config but the new one doesn't boot.

About 2 years ago I created a Windows 11 VM with GPU passthrough (Followed every possible blog/thread out there to get it working) and I've been using it since (It's off most of the time, I start it once in a while when I want to play some games). Now, I'm working on automating the deployment of said VM, but the new VM does not start. I see this message in the noVNC console: "guest has not initialized the display (yet)".

The only way I was able to make it work was changing the machine type from q35 to i440fx, but then I lose my GPU passthrough.

Using PVE 7.4-18

Any idea why I can't recreate the same VM?

config of working VM:

agent: 1
balloon: 4096
bios: ovmf
boot: order=sata0;ide2;net0;ide0
cores: 12
cpu: host
cpuunits: 5000
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-400-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
hostpci0: 0000:07:00,pcie=1,x-vga=1
ide0: none,media=cdrom
ide2: none,media=cdrom
machine: pc-q35-7.0
memory: 16384
meta: creation-qemu=7.0.0,ctime=1665367325
name: Gamestation
net0: virtio=26:CE:B2:DF:03:55,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
ostype: win11
sata0: local-lvm:vm-400-disk-1,size=220G,ssd=1
scsihw: virtio-scsi-pci
smbios1: uuid=ba498e7d-44eb-4735-b0f5-bbf3f86c2681
sockets: 1
tpmstate0: local-lvm:vm-400-disk-2,size=4M,version=v2.0
vga: none

config of new VM:

agent: 1
balloon: 4096
bios: ovmf
boot: order=sata0;scsi0
cores: 6
cpu: host
cpuunits: 5000
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
hostpci0: 0000:07:00,pcie=1,x-vga=1
machine: pc-q35-7.0
memory: 8192
meta: creation-qemu=7.2.10,ctime=1719452367
name: win11
net0: virtio=02:15:E6:D0:1E:44,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
onboot: 0
ostype: win11
sata0: local:iso/Win11_English_x64.iso,media=cdrom,size=5434622K
sata1: local:iso/virtio-win.iso,media=cdrom,size=519030K
scsi0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-1,discard=on,size=40G,ssd=1
scsihw: virtio-scsi-pci
smbios1: uuid=d6c87c31-c099-0d06-2e28-c537b17c082d
sockets: 1
tpmstate0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-2,size=4M,version=v2.0
vga: none

 

[gfngfn256]

scsi0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-1,discard=on,size=40G,ssd=1

Not sure what your exact problem is - but things I'd start with.

1. Change this main HD (C of the Windows 11 VM to a SATA bus (like the working VM).
2. Change its size to 64GB or greater; since this is the minimum Windows 11 requirement AFAIK (your working VM one is 220GB).

 

[leesteken]

I see this message in the noVNC console: "guest has not initialized the display (yet)".

vga: none

I would fully expect such an error message because the virtual Display is set to None.

I don't understand why noVNC would work on your old VM. I would have thought you needed a physical display connected to it so see any output.

 

[remz1337]

I forgot to mention this detail. Before adding the GPU (and setting the display to none), I'm using the default display. I can install and use Windows 11 using the default display and machine type i440fx. See config and screenshot below:

working config of new VM (before adding PCIe GPU):

agent: 1
balloon: 4096
bios: ovmf
boot: order=sata0;scsi0
cores: 6
cpu: host
cpuunits: 5000
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
machine: pc-i440fx-7.0
memory: 8192
meta: creation-qemu=7.2.10,ctime=1719452367
name: win11
net0: virtio=02:15:E6:D0:1E:44,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
onboot: 0
ostype: win11
sata0: local:iso/Win11_English_x64.iso,media=cdrom,size=5434622K
sata1: local:iso/virtio-win.iso,media=cdrom,size=519030K
scsi0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-1,discard=on,size=40G,ssd=1
scsihw: virtio-scsi-pci
smbios1: uuid=d6c87c31-c099-0d06-2e28-c537b17c082d
sockets: 1
tpmstate0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-2,size=4M,version=v2.0

And as soon as I switch to q35 machine, I get no display (Guest has not initialized the display (yet). See config and screenshot below:

agent: 1
balloon: 4096
bios: ovmf
boot: order=sata0;scsi0
cores: 6
cpu: host
cpuunits: 5000
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
machine: pc-q35-7.0
memory: 8192
meta: creation-qemu=7.2.10,ctime=1719452367
name: win11
net0: virtio=02:15:E6:D0:1E:44,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
onboot: 0
ostype: win11
sata0: local:iso/Win11_English_x64.iso,media=cdrom,size=5434622K
sata1: local:iso/virtio-win.iso,media=cdrom,size=519030K
scsi0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-1,discard=on,size=40G,ssd=1
scsihw: virtio-scsi-pci
smbios1: uuid=d6c87c31-c099-0d06-2e28-c537b17c082d
sockets: 1
tpmstate0: local-lvm:vm-136-disk-2,size=4M,version=v2.0

 

[leesteken]

I forgot to mention this detail. Before adding the GPU (and setting the display to none), I'm using the default display. I can install and use Windows 11 using the default display and machine type i440fx.

And as soon as I switch to q35 machine, I get no display (Guest has not initialized the display (yet). See config and screenshot below:

Windows typically does not like you changing the (virtual) motherboard (or BIOS/UEFI) after installation. Try install Windows again with q35 from the start.

 

[remz1337]

You got me thinking. I did a few more tests. I created a VM through the web UI with the same config and this one boots properly in the noVNC console, while the one I create using the qm create command does not...

Here's the config of the VM created through the web UI (works):

agent: 1
balloon: 4096
bios: ovmf
boot: order=sata0;scsi0
cores: 6
cpu: host
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-137-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
machine: pc-q35-7.2
memory: 8192
meta: creation-qemu=7.2.10,ctime=1719778133
name: test
net0: virtio=72:CB:AC:B5:20:CD,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
ostype: win11
sata0: local:iso/Win11_English_x64.iso,media=cdrom,size=5434622K
sata1: local:iso/virtio-win.iso,media=cdrom,size=519030K
scsi0: local-lvm:vm-137-disk-1,discard=on,size=40G,ssd=1
scsihw: virtio-scsi-pci
smbios1: uuid=80b37c54-b349-4763-86ad-d2c03f258bc1
sockets: 1
tpmstate0: local-lvm:vm-137-disk-2,size=4M,version=v2.0
vmgenid: eb694a77-dd46-4856-965b-a277d9662036

Here's the qm create command that I used with the resulting config (doesn't work):

pvesm alloc local-lvm 139 vm-139-disk-0 4M
pvesm alloc local-lvm 139 vm-139-disk-1 40G
pvesm alloc local-lvm 139 vm-139-disk-2 4M
qm create 139 -agent 1 -machine q35 -onboot 0 -bios ovmf -cpu host -cores 6 -balloon 4096 -memory 8192 -name win11 -net0 virtio,bridge=vmbr0,macaddr=02:7C:82:64:D1:DE,firewall=1 -ostype win11 -scsihw virtio-scsi-pci -efidisk0 local-lvm:vm-139-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1   -scsi0 local-lvm:vm-139-disk-1,discard=on,ssd=1,size=40G   -tpmstate0 local-lvm:vm-139-disk-2,size=4M,version=v2.0   -sata0 /var/lib/vz/template/iso/Win11_English_x64.iso,media=cdrom   -sata1 /var/lib/vz/template/iso/virtio-win.iso,media=cdrom   -smbios1 uuid=447cbfda-2713-52f9-fb6e-3107d0db3126   -boot order=sata0;scsi0

agent: 1
balloon: 4096
bios: ovmf
boot: order=sata0;scsi0
cores: 6
cpu: host
efidisk0: local-lvm:vm-139-disk-0,efitype=4m,pre-enrolled-keys=1,size=4M
machine: pc-q35-7.2
memory: 8192
meta: creation-qemu=7.2.10,ctime=1719779014
name: win11
net0: virtio=02:7C:82:64:D1:DE,bridge=vmbr0,firewall=1
numa: 0
ostype: win11
sata0: local:iso/Win11_English_x64.iso,media=cdrom,size=5434622K
sata1: local:iso/virtio-win.iso,media=cdrom,size=519030K
scsi0: local-lvm:vm-139-disk-1,discard=on,size=40G,ssd=1
scsihw: virtio-scsi-pci
smbios1: uuid=447cbfda-2713-52f9-fb6e-3107d0db3126
sockets: 1
tpmstate0: local-lvm:vm-139-disk-2,size=4M,version=v2.0
vmgenid: 1eca56d9-11b4-4506-b70f-d148e882efab

 

[gfngfn256]

Here's the qm create command that I used with the resulting config (doesn't work):

Now you've got me stumped! The 2 VM's appear identical (bar the smbios1 uuid you created yourself - but I would imagine shouldn't affect anything).

Maybe try setting-up a new VM without pre-allocating disks with pvesm alloc , but with the inline option in qm create using the special syntax STORAGE_ID:SIZE_IN_GiB as described in the docs. (My thinking: the pvesm alloc somehow misconfigures the correct format for local-lvm).