Enable hardware virtualization on basic BIOSes

By Rail Grinder
in Hardware Hangout

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Rail Grinder

Posted
Posted (edited)

I recently got a new notebook - a Sony VGN-FZ280E ... it's a pretty decent machine sporting a T7250 800mhz C2D, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, 15.4" widescreen and best of all a Blu-ray burner all for $1100 flat Canadian.

Anyways, I decided to run a virtual machine on this sytem since it's the most powerful one in the house right now (yeah I know I'm behind the times). I prefer MS's Virtual PC 2007 because it's free. After fiddling around with the options I come by the Hardware virtualization option but it's disabled and forces me to use software virtualization. Now I thought the CPU is capable of doing hardware virtualization and thought it was a glitch in virtual PC.

Now I remember building my girlfriend's quad-core system last summer and remembered a bios setting to enable/disable it. I checked the BIOS settings for my notebook and there's nothing listed in there. All I get are options for the date/time, power management and boot options. After doing much research I came across the VMWare forums and landed on this thread.

Seems like Sony and I'm sure a few other OEMs out there disables this option for consumer based products thinking that no one would use it. I ended up following instructions on that thread and enabled VT/Vanderpool/virtualizaion by changing the value of a single register in my bios. Simply put, all you'd do is boot to dos, dump register values in a text file, changed a register in the dump then updated the registers back in the bios.

If anyone is interested here's what I did for my system:

Download symcmos.exe from http://www.filewatcher.com/b/ftp/ftp.supermicro.com/utility.0.0.html

Please remember to do this in a DOS (boot to DOS).

TO DUMP CURRENT REGISTERS:

symcmos -v2 -lcmos.sav

TO MODIFY REGISTERS:

Open cmos.sav in text a editor and change the register of your model from 0 to 1

SONY MODEL	  BIOS VERSION	REGISTER
==========	  ============	========
SZ1XP						   reg 0399
GN-SZ370		R0096N0		 reg 0399
VGN-AR21S	   R200J6		  reg 0195
VGN-AR51SU	  R1050J8		 reg 027f
vgn-FE890	   R0200J3		 reg 0195
VGN-AR670	   R1050J8		 reg 027f
VGN-FZ21M					   reg 02CD
VGN-FZ180E	  R0050J7		 reg 02D3
VGN-FZ11ZR	  R0050J7		 reg 02D3
VGN-FZ280E	  R1120J7		 reg 02CD**

TO UPDATE REGISTERS:
symcmos -v2 -ucmos.sav

Completey power down the system after updating the registers then boot back up.
HOPEFULLY the system starts and it's enabled.

** I guessed this register based on the FZ12M model on that list because it was very similar to my system and took a chance at temporarily bricking the laptop (resetting the cmos can be done by removing the cmos battery). Needless to say, I'm now happy with the hardware virtualization on my system. I hope this helps other people in a similar situation that I was in.

Keep in mind that the tool that was used is for phoenix bioses and your mileage may vary with different models and manufacturers. Good luck!

Edited by warwagon
  • 6 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...
Neowinian

Megabash

Posted
Posted

Hello there,

I don't know what you mean, You say:

change the register of your model from 0 to 1

What do i need to do? I don't understand.

I have a Vaio FZ21Z and I want to enable hardware virtualization. I found elswhere the settings for my model:

VGN-FZ21Z R1120J7 reg 02CD.

So do I change it to 12CD?

Thanks

  • 9 months later...
  • 5 weeks later...
Neowinian

jimpapi

Posted
Posted

i added my vaio laptop VGN-FE770G R0174J3 reg 0195

:D

SONY MODEL BIOS VERSION REGISTER

========== ============ ========

SZ1XP reg 0399

GN-SZ370 R0096N0 reg 0399

VGN-AR21S R200J6 reg 0195

VGN-AR51SU R1050J8 reg 027f

vgn-FE890 R0200J3 reg 0195

VGN-AR670 R1050J8 reg 027f

VGN-FZ21M reg 02CD

VGN-FZ180E R0050J7 reg 02D3

VGN-FZ11ZR R0050J7 reg 02D3

VGN-FZ280E R1120J7 reg 02CD**

VGN-FE770G R0174J3 reg 0195

  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...
Neowinian

jimpapi

Posted
Posted

it is very easy to enable Virtualization in Sony Vaio FE models really:

1)wou need a usb stick with a large capacity 3-4 Gb (small ones do not work unfortynatelly)

2) format it with hewllet packard usb disk storafe tool (select option create a dos startup disk-any dos version is good)

3) copy to usb stick symcmos.exe

4) reboot from the stick (change bios settings and REMOVE internal disk from the boot sequence by pressing X or else will never boot from the stick)

5)whe you will be on dos write: symcmos -v2 -lcmos.txt .this will create a cmos.text file with bios settings

6) restore boot sequence and start your windows. then edit line 0195 from 0 to 1 to the text file to usb stick

7) reboot from usb stick

8) when in dos write: symcmos -v2 -ucmos.txt .this updates register no 195 to 1 (virtyalization enabled)

9) when done SHUT DOWN you pc (NOT REBOOT must be shut down to restore bios settings)

10) check that VT is enabled with havtool.exe from microsoft. must be OK!

  • 4 months later...
Neowinian

XxsoccermanxX

Posted
Posted

I recently got a new notebook - a Sony VGN-FZ280E ... it's a pretty decent machine sporting a T7250 800mhz C2D, 2GB RAM, 250GB HD, 15.4" widescreen and best of all a Blu-ray burner all for $1100 flat Canadian.

Anyways, I decided to run a virtual machine on this sytem since it's the most powerful one in the house right now (yeah I know I'm behind the times). I prefer MS's Virtual PC 2007 because it's free. After fiddling around with the options I come by the Hardware virtualization option but it's disabled and forces me to use software virtualization. Now I thought the CPU is capable of doing hardware virtualization and thought it was a glitch in virtual PC.

Now I remember building my girlfriend's quad-core system last summer and remembered a bios setting to enable/disable it. I checked the BIOS settings for my notebook and there's nothing listed in there. All I get are options for the date/time, power management and boot options. After doing much research I came across the VMWare forums and landed on this thread.

Seems like Sony and I'm sure a few other OEMs out there disables this option for consumer based products thinking that no one would use it. I ended up following instructions on that thread and enabled VT/Vanderpool/virtualizaion by changing the value of a single register in my bios. Simply put, all you'd do is boot to dos, dump register values in a text file, changed a register in the dump then updated the registers back in the bios.

If anyone is interested here's what I did for my system:

Download symcmos.exe from http://www.filewatcher.com/b/ftp/ftp.supermicro.com/utility.0.0.html

Please remember to do this in a DOS (boot to DOS).

TO DUMP CURRENT REGISTERS:

symcmos -v2 -lcmos.sav

TO MODIFY REGISTERS:

Open cmos.sav in text a editor and change the register of your model from 0 to 1

SONY MODEL	  BIOS VERSION	REGISTER
==========	  ============	========
SZ1XP						   reg 0399
GN-SZ370		R0096N0		 reg 0399
VGN-AR21S	   R200J6		  reg 0195
VGN-AR51SU	  R1050J8		 reg 027f
vgn-FE890	   R0200J3		 reg 0195
VGN-AR670	   R1050J8		 reg 027f
VGN-FZ21M					   reg 02CD
VGN-FZ180E	  R0050J7		 reg 02D3
VGN-FZ11ZR	  R0050J7		 reg 02D3
VGN-FZ280E	  R1120J7		 reg 02CD**

TO UPDATE REGISTERS:
symcmos -v2 -ucmos.sav

Completey power down the system after updating the registers then boot back up.
HOPEFULLY the system starts and it's enabled.

** I guessed this register based on the FZ12M model on that list because it was very similar to my system and took a chance at temporarily bricking the laptop (resetting the cmos can be done by removing the cmos battery). Needless to say, I'm now happy with the hardware virtualization on my system. I hope this helps other people in a similar situation that I was in.

Keep in mind that the tool that was used is for phoenix bioses and your mileage may vary with different models and manufacturers. Good luck!

hey,,,....i don't get all those codes..

where do itype them> i really want to run mac os. plz help!

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
Neowinian

insanitor

Posted
Posted

i added my vaio laptop VGN-FE770G R0174J3 reg 0195

:D

SONY MODEL BIOS VERSION REGISTER

========== ============ ========

SZ1XP reg 0399

GN-SZ370 R0096N0 reg 0399

VGN-AR21S R200J6 reg 0195

VGN-AR51SU R1050J8 reg 027f

vgn-FE890 R0200J3 reg 0195

VGN-AR670 R1050J8 reg 027f

VGN-FZ21M reg 02CD

VGN-FZ180E R0050J7 reg 02D3

VGN-FZ11ZR R0050J7 reg 02D3

VGN-FZ280E R1120J7 reg 02CD**

VGN-FE770G R0174J3 reg 0195

I also have the same laptop. the vgn-fe770g.

Does anyone know the register to enable AHCI?

Grand Master

Raa

Posted
Posted

Holy continuous thread resurrection, Batman!

Unfortunately you can't just set a register to turn on AHCI - it's a complete set of instructions and usually a 3rd party controller (such as Intel AHCI BIOS - independent of the main BIOS). You won't be able to turn it on that easily if it's non existent.

Neowinian

insanitor

Posted
Posted

Holy continuous thread resurrection, Batman!

Unfortunately you can't just set a register to turn on AHCI - it's a complete set of instructions and usually a 3rd party controller (such as Intel AHCI BIOS - independent of the main BIOS). You won't be able to turn it on that easily if it's non existent.

Oh, I see.

Then I would like to know why at this place... ---> http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/189228-how-enable-intel-vt-ahci-napa-santa-rosa-platform-phoenix-bios-vaio-laptop.html

They seem to have enabled it with only one register. Am I wrong?

I am guessing that those computers have the 3rd party controller you're talking about and my laptop doesn't?

I'm confused...

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