Hyper-V virtualization - Setup and Use in Windows 10  

Hi,

I have Windows 10 Pro 1709 with virtualization activated in BIOS.

The virtualization process runs fine until restarting after "completing the requested changes" under the Windows Features. During the restart it finalizes 95% of the changes but then it says it "can't complete the changes" or something alike, and says it's reversing the changes back. After that it reboots again 2-3 times to complete the reversing.

So I approached again the Windows Features and re-enabled the Hyper-V. But now I noticed that the Hyper-V doesn't get fully enabled as it's shown in the tutorial. It gets only partially enabled (I don't know how it was at my first trial which failed as mentioned above). Please see the attached photo below. I don't know why it gets just partially enabled and not fully. Any ideas ?? Perhaps that's why it didn't complete the changes.

johngalt said:

Hi there,

As a quick first check to verify that your BIOS is, in fact, working correctly and enabling Virtualization in the BIOS actually enabled it, can you get the Securable utility from GRC and run it as admin and verify that it shows the architecture and then Yes twice? Use the link below.

GRC

The reason I ask is that certain boards / chipsets combinations led to a bug that was never really quite fixed (mostly much older boards) so that enabling VTx was actually disabling it. This will help eliminate a mis-reporting BIOS from the troubleshooting steps.

Hi,

Thanks for replying. I will do your advise. But meanwhile just 1 comment and 2 questions:

Comment: My desktop is fresh new from Dell. So I guess its motherboard is not old.

Questions:
1. Is there a log file which got created during my virtualization which failed ??
2. After I run the GRC, do you need a screenshot or log, etc., to see ??

johngalt said:

Re: Log file: Not sure about that, will have to research. I'm sure that people who make use of Hyper-V on WinX will have more of an idea (I used to use it but my ancient system is simply too overtaxed to continue to make use of it, so since my last clean install I have not enabled it).

Re: Securable - no, unless you really want to include the screenshot, just a verification that you have 64 / Yes / Yes showing will be fine.

As for your system being new - Since my own system is, as I referred to above, ancient, I know all about its idiosyncrasies, but I have very little clue about newer systems, as I don't have direct physical access to them to play around with :)

That being said, I cannot confirm nor deny that such a bug as exists in my system also exists in yours.

Finally, it might also be a good idea to edit your system specs under your profile - go to the top of the page, hit the Settings link / button (depending upon which board skin you're using), and then select the Edit System Spec from the navigation menu on the left to edit your specs. That will probably go a long way to help troubleshooting as well. It includes not only information about the system itself, including peripherals, but also OS (and please be specific where you can - e.g. for OS, Windows 10 (Home / Pro) and build version, instead of just saying Windows 10).

Here is a tutorial to help you with that task: System Specs - Fill in at Ten Forums | Tutorials

I ran the Securable from GRC and it gave positives to all, BUT with comments regarding the virtualization.

Parts of the comment rise doubts for me. I give full quote of the comments:

"This processor does offer advanced hardware support for virtualization. However, while running under a 64-bit version of Windows this program cannot execute its 32-bit kernel code to determine whether Intel's VMX virtual machine extensions are being locked on, locked off, or neither. Since there's a chance that your system's BIOS may be deliberately disabling support for hardware virtualization (some do) you should re-run this program, if possible, with administrative privileges under a 32-bit version of NT, XP, or Vista. That will allow SecurAble to run a bit of kernel-mode code in order to determine exactly what's going on. (Note that you can also poke around in your system's BIOS to see whether you're able to find any references to "hardware virtualization" or "VMX", etc."

johngalt said:

I get the same when I click on the second Yes (Hardware Virtualization).

Interestingly enough, though, you listed Windows 10 Pro version 1709 - which, at this point in time, is actually over a year old.

What model Dell is this?

Dell Vostro 3668

I have reversed 1 step back with the Windows 10 version. Originally I had 1803.
Meanwhile just now I found on other forum some suggestion. I shall try it. It's on:
Virtual machine could not started because the hypervisor is not running

There's a suggestion to run the command:
BCDEDIT /Set {current} hypervisorlaunchtype auto
By David Johnson, CD, MVP

johngalt said:

In looking up your system, yes, it is pretty new (the owners' manual is dated Dec 2016), so we need to make sure that the BIOS settings are, in fact, correct. Did you alter anything in the BIOS when you were in there at all, or just verify that the *2* settings related to VTx were both enabled?

Here is the Owner's manual for your machine: https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/vost...nual_en-us.pdf

According to this, by default both of those settings should be enabled (See page 53)

Thanks for tips & care. Before I proceed with them, few answers:

Yes, I found that my system was OFF for the <hypervisorlaunchtype>. So I shall give it a try for the command although I too saw it didn't help that person. It's interesting he has HP (mine Dell). So it means perhaps the problem is not a Vendor-specific.

I downgraded my PC through Windows 10 settings -- just chose there the "reverse version" or something alike and then Windows did all the work.

At the last time I haven't done anything to BIOS. I just checked the Virtualization is enabled. But at first weeks I tried there various things, mostly tried the various boot options -- safe boot, Legacy boot, etc. Once I restored there the default settings. Later I have upgraded the BIOS as Dell have recommended on their site for my desktop model. I also upgraded the Chipset driver as they recommended with that. I don't remember seeing any VTx in BIOS. I need to read the manual.

Right now I have to delay all the tests and checking. I shall go through all of them later today.