Problems with Oracle Virtualbox

[pete1229]

This is a curious problem. I am trying to install an old copy of windows XP Pro 64bit on my laptop as a virtual machine using virtualbox. The laptop (a lenovo g570) has an intel pentium B960 dual core 64bit processor. I am running Windows 7 home premium 64bit OS on the laptop without any issues. When I try to install XP on the virtualbox, it tells me I cannot install it because it is a 64bit program and I am attempting to install it on a computer with a 32bit processor, which the lenovo clearly is not. The funny thing about this is, when I tried to install windows 8 enterprise 64bit on the virtualbox i ran into the same problem. When I run CPUID-Z it reads the processor correctly as being a 64bit. I checked for the latest drivers for the B960 and everything is up to date! Any thoughts?

 

[KeithP]

Only rarely used VirtualBox myself, but if I had to guess, I would say it might have something to do with that processor not having Intel's hardware virtualization (VT-x) technology.

-KeithP

 

[pete1229]

Only rarely used VirtualBox myself, but if I had to guess, I would say it might have something to do with that processor not having Intel's hardware virtualization (VT-x) technology.

-KeithP

The processor does have intel vt and it is enabled in the bios, but still, getting the same message. very frustrating!

 

[KeithP]

This isn't your processor?
http://ark.intel.com/products/59836/Intel-Pentium-Processor-B960--2M-Cache-2_20-GHz

Or am I just misreading their table? It seems to indicate it lacks Intel's hardware VT.

-KeithP

 

[VirtualLarry]

are you using the 64-bit version of virtualbox too?

 

[pete1229]

@ Kieth, I saw that table also but rest assured there is a setting in Bios for the Intel Virtualization and I enabled it. I tried to figure out a way to copy and paste the bios page here but could not.

@ Larry, the really starnge thing about all this is I have vVirtualbox (the same version installed on my Desktop which I built, it too is a 64bit O/S and I was able to install the trial version of Windows 8 enterprise (64bit} with no problem. The only difference between the two PC's is the desktop has an AMD processor and the laptop is the Intel.

FYI I have all but given up on the XP virtual install on both computers.

 

[Steltek]

@ Kieth, I saw that table also but rest assured there is a setting in Bios for the Intel Virtualization and I enabled it. I tried to figure out a way to copy and paste the bios page here but could not.

@ Larry, the really starnge thing about all this is I have vVirtualbox (the same version installed on my Desktop which I built, it too is a 64bit O/S and I was able to install the trial version of Windows 8 enterprise (64bit} with no problem. The only difference between the two PC's is the desktop has an AMD processor and the laptop is the Intel.

FYI I have all but given up on the XP virtual install on both computers.

The B960 processor was designed with virtualization hardware onboard, but it is disabled at the CPU die level and cannot be activated on that particular CPU via the BIOS.

Also, there are two different versions of 64 bit Windows XP Professional, Professional x64 Version 2003 (i.e. the original version of XP-64) and a second revision of Professional x64 released in 2005. The 2003 version just doesn't seem to play well with virtualization software -- in fact, I don't think I ever managed to get it running in a VM. The 2005 revision, however, works just fine under both Virtualbox and VMware.

I'd suspect that you may have the 2003 version given it wouldn't install on your AMD desktop (i.e. all 64-bit AMD processors beginning at K8 stepping F and later have hardware support for AMD-V virtualization).

 

[pete1229]

Thanks for the info Steltek, that certainly explains my problem. I can now stop pulling the little hair I have left out if my head trying to figure this all out.