Virtualization and the XPS M1530

I just received my XPS M1530 (which I just love) and I installed Microsoft Virtual PC on it. When I go to check if Hardware Virtualization is supported, it shows that it isn't. That strikes me as odd because I thought that the Core 2 Duo processors did support Hardware Virtualization. I checked the BIOS and there doesn't seem to be anything mentioned.

Am I just SOL until Dell decides to turn this on? Was I mistaken about the Core Duo chips?

This isn't a make or break deal for me, but it would have been nice if it was turned on.

 

only the 7000 series processors. if you have a 5000 series you are out of luck.

 

I've got the 2.2 GHz T7500 processor. If I understand you then, my processor supports Hardware Virtualization but the BIOS or motherboard doesn't?

 

hmm, i would think it should.

 

You should be using VMware instead.

 

Check your bios again. If I am not mistaken, virtualization is enable by default. I have MS Virtual PC run on my Vista too, and I use it a lot.

 

QTF.

<darn, this has to be 10 chars in length>

 

Choice of application is irrelevant to my problem. Can we please keep this from devolving into an application superiority contest? I brought up Virtual PC because last I heard it had support for the Intel virtualization features. I have not seen those settings on the free VMWare Player that I downloaded as well.

Does anyone else have any experience with other Dell laptops and seeing if the BIOS had a location for enabling virtualization features?

 

I use VMware on my m1530........I have a 7250 cpu

no problems here

Tex

 

My current XPS M1210 does support VT guys ...

My VPC screenshot





You can download the Securable App from here bro

http://www.grc.com/securable.htm

 

I work as a contract / independent software developer, and will be using my soon-to-come M1530 for doing on-the-road development. Currently I use VM Workstation 6 and various VMs for all of my development work - so the VMWare product doesn't support hardware-based virtualisation, but the MS Virtual PC software does? I've done some looking, but can't find a definitive answer on this.

Will there then actually be a big performance difference? I thought that the VMWare product did some CPU-call optimisation or something anyway, making the need for hardware-based virtualisation calls not so critical for good performance.

 

Vmware Workstation does not normally use Intel VT or AMD Pacifica. The only time it is used if you are running a 64bit guest on a 32bit host. Workstation has not given message saying it has been disabled. You will be fine. My VMs work perfectly.

 

Your proc certainly supports it. Check your BIOS and update if necessary.

From Intel:
Intel® Virtualization Technology requires a computer system with an enabled Intel® processor, BIOS, virtual machine monitor (VMM) and, for some uses, certain platform software enabled for it. Functionality,
performance or other benefits will vary depending on hardware and software configurations and may require a BIOS update. Software applications may not be compatible with all operating systems. Please
check with your application vendor.

Supporting linkage: http://www.intel.com/design/intarch/core2duo/316663.pdf

 

There's another post on this topic as well. Seems it's not just me but the M1530 as a whole. The M1330 does have a BIOS option to turn on hardware virtualization and people have been using it successfully. How odd that the larger cousin to the M1330 doesn't though. Here's to hoping they release a BIOS update that enables this functionality.

 

Have any of you guys got USB support on VPC2007? Last time I tried it didn't work in Vista.

VMWare doesn;t support USBs in Vista as well, but works well in XP.

 

USB is not supported in VPC2007; USB 2.0 is supported in VMWare (I use Workstation 6 on my desktop and the latest version of the Player on my laptop).

 

the securable application posted on page one says that my XPS M1530 does support hardware virtualization. ill install VMware workstation tommorow and test it out though.

 

From what I can tell, that utility just checks what sort of processor you have and makes choices about what to display from there. I tried it as well and it said that I had support for hardware virtualization, however I have no indication from any programs I tried that it's actually enabled from a user perspective.

 

I know you dont want to hear it but microsoft virtual PC is a steaming pile of crap and will crash on you over and over if you can even get it to work. we looked at it for our small business and could not get it stable one bit. stick with vmware. your laptop is not the problem. your software is. If you don't want to hear the truth then don't ask.

 

+1 I also use VMware.........works great with my m1530

 

I have just ordered an M1530 and presumed it did support the VT stuff, I will need it for VMWare 64 bit machines too. Can someone look in the bios to see if there is a switch there to enable it?

 

I have a T7100 on a 1420 and it supports hardware virtualizations.

All these ignorant posts. You most likely have it turned off in BIOS. I'm gonna grab my carmera and get a picture for ya.

 

Here is the bios setting screen.



I hope that helps. Your computer definitely supports hardware supported virtualization (don't confuse it with hardware virtualization. TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS). And you definitely DON'T need VMware to take advantage of your hardware.

I personally do suggest you give VMware server a try. It's pretty much the same thing as Workstation, just uglier

 

I don't have the option the you show in your Inspiron 1420 I have latest bios, which A05 on my M1530. My T7700 definitely supports Intel Virtualization technology, but it has to be enable on bios level too otherwise you can't take advantage of the processor capability. I talked to Dell XPS tech, and they admitted that Dell didn't it enable on the current bios version. Well, perhap they will add the function on the next bios version.

 

dang man. But you can still run VMachines just fine though.

I virtualize Vista on my AMD 64 3700.

 

That is bad news, I want to run 64 bit VMs. I really hope they update the BIOS for this

 

Is it really that big of a deal? I have Vista Ultimate 64-bit on my m1330, running VMware 6, with a virtual XP 32-bit pro...works amazingly...virtualization is turned on in my BIOS, but apparently it's not being used by VMware and it's just fine...

BTW: VMware in VISTA DOES support USB devices....everything works perfectly in my virtual XP under vista 64...

 

merlin_72032, thank you for the cogent response. I am saddened that the current BIOS revision for the --> Dell XPS M1530 <-- does not support the hardware virtualization features of my Intel T7500.

To everyone else talking about their laptops, I am very glad that yours has the virtualization features of the processor, but this thread was specifically about the Dell XPS M1530.

To everyone talking about VMWare vs. Virtual PC, I never made any claims about the fitness of one application or the other. I was simply using one as a diagnostic tool to determine if my laptop had hardware support for virtualization turned on. Additionally I am aware that this laptop, even without virtualization turned on, will run VMWare or Virtual PC just fine.

Now then, can we get back to the business of discussing how and when Dell will enable this feature for those of us who have this laptop? Then we can see to insulting each other about something as trivial as software preference.

Thanks,
Jack

 

To JackFrost

Because of your questions in the thread, I finally find out that Dell M1530 doesn't support hardware virtualization on its bios. It is a shame that Dell left out this feature. I did some checking on HP laptops at my work. All of them have this feature enable but not by default. Well, at least HP has the option. I assume that Dell will add the feature in the next bios revision. Right now, I have to live without it. Personally, I think the machine that has hardware virtualization enable is a little faster than the one without the feature.

I am not going to comment on VMWare because I use Virtual PC. Personally, I think VMWare has richer features than Virtual PC; however, MS claims thay Virtual PC is opimized for VISTA, and I am MS person anyway. This is why I pick Virtual PC.