other: 0.741 device: 0.647 semantic: 0.541 performance: 0.507 graphic: 0.453 socket: 0.369 network: 0.332 PID: 0.325 permissions: 0.316 debug: 0.301 vnc: 0.255 boot: 0.235 files: 0.128 KVM: 0.116 qemu-ga won't start on Windows 8.1 guest System: Arch Linux, kernel 4.6.2 VM created with virt-manager 1.3.2 qemu version 2.6.0 Windows guest: 8.1, with latest updates (as of now) Drivers installed from virtio-win iso image (arch package version 0.1.118.2-1) in particular: vioserial driver version 62.73.104.11800 I can start the Guest Agent VSS Provider manually, but the Guest Agent itself doesn't come up. When launched from Console, I get the following: : critical: error opening path : critical: error opening channel : critical: failed to create guest agent channel : critical: failed to initialize guest agent channel (As possible side effects I have experienced that suspend / resume of the VM only works when I resume, suspend again and resume again. After first resume the VM's screen is frozen and doesn't accept any input. After second resume, all seems to be well.) Oh, qemu-ga worked before (not sure whether before upgrade to kernel 4.6.x or before upgrade to qemu 2.6.0 though). Re-installed a clean windows into a new VM to verify issue. It turned out that this is not a bug but instead I overlooked to add a channel for qemu-ga via virt-manager. Don't know how it got lost on the working machine, but nvm, it works now. Anyone feel free to close this (didn't find an option to do so).