Today, an increasing number of modern computer systems are turning their attention to virtualization technology. True, not everyone is quite clear about what it is, why it is needed, and how to solve its inclusion or practical use. Now we will consider how to enable virtualization in the BIOS using the simplest method. Just note that this technique is applicable to absolutely all existing systems, in particular, to the BIOS and the UEFI system that replaced it.
What is virtualization and why is it needed?
Before proceeding with a direct solution to the problem of how to enable virtualization in BIOS, let's see what this technology is and why it is needed.
The technology itself is intended for use in any operating system of the so-called virtual machines that can emulate real computers with all their hardware and software components. In other words, in the main system, you can create a kind of virtual computer with a processor, RAM, video and sound card, network adapter, hard drive, optical media and God knows what, including installing a guest (daughter) OS, which is nothing will not be different from a real computer terminal.
Varieties of technology
If anyone does not know, virtualization technologies were created by leading processor manufacturers - Intel and AMD corporations, which even today cannot share the palm in this field. At the dawn of the era, the created hypervisor (software for managing virtual machines) from Intel did not meet all the requirements for the level of performance, that's why the development of support for virtual systems began, which should have been “wired” in the processor chips themselves.
At Intel, this technology is called Intel-VT-x, and at AMD - AMD-V. Thus, support optimized the operation of the central processor without affecting the main system.
It goes without saying that you should enable this option in the BIOS preliminary settings only if you intend to use a virtual machine on the physical machine, for example, to test programs or predict the behavior of a computer system with various “iron” components after installing an operating system . Otherwise, such support may not be involved. In addition, by default it is turned off altogether and, as already mentioned, has absolutely no effect on the performance of the main system.
BIOS entry
As for the BIOS or UEFI systems, in any computer or laptop they are, and regardless of the complexity of the installed equipment. The BIOS itself on the computer is a small chip on the motherboard, which is responsible for testing the hardware at the time the terminal is turned on. In it, despite the memory of only about 1 MB, the basic settings and characteristics of the equipment are saved.
Depending on the version of the BIOS or the manufacturer, the input can be done in several different ways. The most common is to use the Del key immediately after turning on the computer or laptop. However, there are other methods, for example, keys F2, F12, etc.
How to enable virtualization in the BIOS in the simplest way?
Now we will decide on some basic parameters and menus. Based on the fact that the entrance to the BIOS on the computer has already been made. There are several main sections, but in this case we are interested in everything related to the processor chip.
Typically, these options are in the Advanced menu or in the Security section. They can also be called in different ways, but, as a rule, this is something like a Processor or BIOS Chipset (although there may be other names).
So, now the question of how to enable virtualization in BIOS can be considered closely. In the above sections, there is a special line Virtualization Technology (in the case of Intel, the name of the corporation is added to the main name). Upon entering the corresponding menu, two available parameters will be shown: Enabled and Disabled. As already clear, the first one is the virtualization mode turned on, the second one is a complete shutdown.
The same applies to the UEFI system, in which the inclusion of this option is performed in a completely similar way.
Now, when the BIOS setting is applied to the on parameter, it remains only to save the changes (F10 or the Save & Exit Setup command), press the confirmation key Y corresponding to the English word Yes. Rebooting the system with the newly saved parameters starts automatically.
What you should know besides this?
As you can see, the procedure for enabling virtualization in the BIOS is quite simple. However, here you should take into account some subtleties associated with the possible disabling of this function. The fact is that when using virtual machines such as WMware Virtual Machine, Virtual PC, VirtualBox, or even a "native" Microsoft module called Hyper-V, this option must be enabled without fail even when Windows component support is enabled directly in the system settings.
For the most part, this applies to newer versions of Windows, starting with the "seven". In the "ekspishka" or "Vista" this is a prerequisite. Although if such "OSes" are installed on the latest hardware, the inclusion of support may also be required. However, it is unlikely that the user will install a morally obsolete “OS” on such a machine, which will not allow “squeezing” out of the computer “iron” the maximum of what it is capable of. So it is better to use the latest “iron” components in combination not only with the latest versions of operating systems, but also even with the UEFI diagnostic systems and controls, which replaced the BIOS that has been operating for so long.