Virtualization--help me make sense of this statement from Sony

I'm thinking of purchasing an FW series laption. I called Sony technical support to ask if Win 7 can run XP compatibility mode, which as I understand it requires hardware virtualization to be enabled. The support technician said: "Recently we attended a brief training session about this. We were told that XP virtualization would run on Win 7, but you have to download a virtualization program from Microsoft." Does that statement make sense? Regarding this program you download, is this idea consistent with running XP compatibility mode as you guys understand that?

Thanks,
Mike

 

You do have to download a piece of software to run XP Mode - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

But it also requires hardware VT enabled. Worse case you can run VMWare with XP under Unity mode and it's almost like XP Mode.

 

Sony disabled hardware virtualization on their machines for the past generation of Vaios. I'm not sure if your FW falls in that generation, but you need to make sure that your processor supports virtualization.

 

I'm aware that Sony has disabled hardware VT on past Vaios. However, I haven't purchased the FW machine yet---this would be purchased after Win 7 comes out. So I called Sony technical support and said, "Will hardware VT be enabled on the FW series after Win 7 comes out?" But they didn't directly answer. The sentence I typed in the first post is what they said. So I am trying to *guess* from that answer whether they are answering in the affirmative or negative. I know that no one can read their minds, but I was hoping someone with a bit deeper understanding than me could interpret that sentence.

From eli2k's answer, it sounds like the answer we can infer is "Yes, hardware VT will be enabled." That's because the Sony tech said, "You can run it if you download a free program from Microsoft." He didn't say "You can run it if you purchase VMWare."

But if anyone else wants to guess, be my guest.

Thanks,
Mike

 

You can run Microsoft's Virtual PC 2007 (for free) on any Vaio and then install Windows XP as a virtual machine. (I think that may be what the obtuse answer Sony gave you is referring to.) But that is not EXACTLY the same thing as the XP mode under Win7. First with Virtual PC 2007 you need a license for Win XP, with XP mode under Win7 you do not. Without VT enabled Virtual PC 2007 works but my understanding is it is not as fast nor does it support all hardware functions like USB.

I use Virtual PC 2007 to run WinXP every day under Vista on my FZ190 (I am a MCSP so I have the requisite licenses). It runs very well, BUT I cannot access USB drives from the guest OS.

There are threads on this forum for the procedure to enable the VT option your self on both the Phoenix BIOS machines like my FZ and the AMI BIOS machines like the FW. The process is a bit scary at first but sauces is documented by lots of folks!

Gary

 

Thanks, sounds like you have a more definitive answer. I suspected the Sony tech wasn't really answering my question. Well, I definitely need XP mode under Win 7, not Virtual PC, because I'm not going to purchase a separate license for XP (how ridiculous!).

I did search around to try to figure out if the BIOS hack was available for all current FW models but I couldn't determine if so. Sounds like you are saying it is. Is that correct? Can I be fairly confident that if I purchase an FW in a couple months, I'll be able to hack the BIOS?

Thanks,
Mike

 

Wait until the Win7 release date, when Sony should announce how they plan to support older Vaio laptops with driver updates and such. They might release a BIOS update to enable VT in these laptops, too. People will find ways to modify the BIOS, but it's always risky since a failed flash can result in an unusable laptop.

 

Not a definitive answer, only a definitive guess as to what the Sony folks were referring to. If I were you I'd get clarification from Sony as to what they EXACTLY meant.

Re: the BIOS, I have an FZ model with the Phoenix BIOS and know it can be "hacked". I have been following the thread about hacking the AMI BIOS (like in the FW) and there is a tool there which can hack just about ANY of those. I would ask for specific info in that thread. But from what I have seen, I am pretty confident you will be able to hack it, if Sony does not provide a BIOS update. (BTW I do expect them to do that for the FW models. That's just a hunch.)


Gary

 

And monkeys might fly out of my butt.

Seriously, you wouldn't believe the runaround they gave me just to find the person I did, who was a genius compared to the other techs, but was still basically an idiot. They are trained only to answer certain questions. You go out of their comfort zone and they are useless.

In fact just to get the statement I posted at the beginning of this thread I posed my question in four or five different ways to the tech, hoping to dislodge some nugget of information if I struck the vein right. That one cryptic sentence is the best I got.

 

Then you need to get this escalated to Tier Two support. The Sony folks at tier two are MUCH better, I have dealt with them in the past and they actually have the technical knowledge not reading from scripts.

Call back state the question, be OVERLY happy and nice, then ask the person to escalate you to tier two after they finish reading the script. I have done this a half dozen times over the many years I have owned Sony laptops. Every time I was able to get through. You have to be firm but nice at the same time.

Gary

 

I'm not sure if this is relevant, but I don't own any Sony product. I'm trying to find the answer before I waste my money purchasing something, only to return it and get hit with the restocking fee. I don't know if they would "escalate" me in this case. I suppose I just have to try.

 

XP mode in Windows 7 uses Microsoft Virtual PC. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/get-started.aspx

 

I would not indicate that you haven't bought the machine yet.

Gary

 

Yes, it does as the VM runtime engine. However, the virtual machine instance of WinXP provided with Win7 requires VT to be enabled at the hardware level.

What I was stating was that if you separately install Virtual PC and create your own XP virtual machine (which would require an XP license) you can run WinXP as a guest OS on Win7 WITHOUT having VT enabled at the hardware.

Gary

 

If we take the Sony tech's comment at face value, then, he's saying "Yes you can run Win XP under Win 7... just download this free program." Now, this only works if hardware VT is enabled. And let's assume he knows that! (How refreshing!) Then he's actually answering my question!

On the other hand, he might not know that. He might be mindlessly repeating some story about running virtual pcs for os's that you buy a separate license for. However, the way he phrased it, especially saying that they recently attended a training meeting about it in anticipation of the release of Win 7, is a good sign.

I might try to get escalated to Tier 2 support.

Thanks everyone,
Mike