Windows 7 Windows XP mode cannot run - it says "Require Hardware Assisted Virtualization"

After installing the 2 files for Windows 7 Windows XP mode, the Start Menu now has

Windows Virtual PC
Windows XP Mode

but clicking on the first merely brings out a folder, and clicking on the second brings out a dialog box that says: "Require Hardware Assisted Virtualization"

Does that mean the machine cannot support Windows 7 Windows XP mode? I am running Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit edition.

This is the dialog box:

alt text

Update: the computer is an HP TouchSmart, with American Megatrends BIOS v02.61. I looked into the BIOS set up but it is quite simple and dosen't have something for "hardware assisted virtualization". The CPU is Intel Core 2 Duo T5750.

nonopolarity

Posted 2009-11-02T13:02:13.457

Reputation: 7 932

Microsoft has a tool to detect if your system supports hardware virtualization: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0ee2a17f-8538-4619-8d1c-05d27e11adb2&displaylang=en

– pelms – 2009-11-02T21:56:10.380

Answers

Your machine may support it, but not have that support enabled. If your CPU supports hardware assisted virtualization, there will be a switch in the BIOS that will enable it.

What CPU does your system have? If its an AMD CPU, it will support hardware assited virtualization unless its a Sempron. If its an Intel CPU, then finding it on the following page will tell you whether or not it should support hardware assisted virtualization:

http://ark.intel.com/VTList.aspx

UPDATE: If you have it, the BIOS option may not be immediately obvious. On an AMD based machine it may be called "AMD-V", or on an Intel machine it may be called "Intel VT-x". If you don't have an option called "hardware assisted virtualization" look for some variant on the above two names.

UPDATE 2: Following your comment, it looks like you won't be able to enable the virtualization support without changing your CPU :(

BenA

Posted 2009-11-02T13:02:13.457

Reputation: 5 245

ah, please read update above... and it is an Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 (a desktop but using mobile Intel chip). According to the chart, it doesn't support hardware-assisted virtualization. – nonopolarity – 2009-11-02T13:21:22.227

FYI: The new version of Windows XP Mode has (thankfully) removed the requirement for Hardware-Assisted Virtualization. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

Sean O

Posted 2009-11-02T13:02:13.457

Reputation: 820

1i wish Microsoft would have left the requirement, forcing Intel and AMD to make the seven virtualization CPU instructions a de-facto part of the operation set - rather than making people pay extra for a feature already on the die, just disabled. – Ian Boyd – 2010-03-25T17:03:17.397

Turn it on in your BIOS. If you don't have it (some motherboards don't have this feature), you'll not be able to run XP Mode, but you can run software virtualised VMs like in the past.

user3463

Posted 2009-11-02T13:02:13.457

Reputation: