Next, we will show you ¿how to activate virtualization? In BIOS, so that you can simulate other operating systems on your pc.
¿How to activate virtualization? What is it and what is it for?
First of all, it is important that you know what virtualization is and what it is used for. Virtualization is a tool used mostly by programmers, which allows them to be able to emulate other operating systems on the same PC; frequently, OSs are emulated (Operating System) of Android and / or IOS, in order to interact with the apps of these mobile devices.
This tool is extremely useful if you want to work with a specific program, but whose availability is for other devices. With virtualization, you will be able to work with this program from your PC.
Before starting, we recommend that you read the entire article first, so that you are aware of what you will do and do not alter or activate any option that alters the normal operation of your pc. Your computer must have a minimum of requirements that you can find on the page of the manufacturer of your motherboard, be it Intel o AMD.
Is my PC compatible to enable virtualization?
Recent machines have this option, so it will not be difficult to activate virtualization on your PC. If by chance, you want to know if your equipment is compatible or not with this technology, there is a free and official program provided by the manufacturers of your motherboard that will let you know; But first, you will have to find out what brand your plate is, following the steps below:
- If you are on Windows 10, look for the icon called "This Computer."
- You position the mouse pointer over the icon, right click on it.
- Then in "Properties" a dialog box will open, where the available information of your computer will appear. There you will see if your card is Intel or AMD, who are the main manufacturers.
In the case of Windows 7, you must open start, then right-click on computer and "Properties", and the available information of your motherboard will also appear.
When you have already found out which manufacturer your board belongs to, you can enter the following links: if it is Intel, or the next one if it is AMD. You can download the program, run it and find out if your device is compatible with this technology or not.
Steps to activate this option through the BIOS on your PC
Once you know if your computer is compatible or not, we will tell you step by step ¿how to activate virtualization? on your pc from the BIOS. It is important to clarify that the steps given here are in a general way, since everything will depend on the configuration of your pc. We sincerely hope that this article can help you with your work.
The first and most important step of all is to enter the BIOS of your machine: For this, you will have to turn on your PC or restart it, if necessary, when the first logo appears, you will have to press a specific key, which it is what will allow you to enter the BIOS menu. This can be a headache for those who do not know which specific key it is, as it depends on each machine.
The best thing in this case, will be to try your luck, until you find the correct key, although on some computers, the instant the first power-on logo appears, they will show the keys that you must press if you are looking for a specific function.
Alternative way to enter BIOS
There is another method, to enter the BIOS directly with the PC turned on, if you cannot find the correct button:
- In the case of Windows 10, you must press the "Start" key, select it with the mouse pointer in the lower left corner. Once this step is done, click on "Settings" (in the image of the gear).
- Later, you click on "Update and security" and then select "Recovery", located in the column that appears on the left of the screen.
- Look at the option that says "Advanced Startup" in the center of the screen and click where it says "Restart now." IMPORTANT: Remember to save all your work before doing this action.
- Finally, choose the option "Troubleshoot" in the menu that appears next on your screen, next to this, you will select "Advanced Options" and finally, in "UEFI Firmware Configuration". As soon as your pc restarts again, it will enter the BIOS, without the need to press any button.
Steps to enable this option through the BIOS on your PC (continued)
Once inside the BIOS of your machine, we will see ¿how to activate virtualization? This step is usually another headache for the person as well; since once again, the option to activate it will be located in a different place and everything will depend on the pc you have.
We recommend that you have on hand the necessary documents for your motherboard, which is what will provide you with the detailed information about your software; this way you can easily access the BIOS and in turn, activate the virtualization of your pc.
In the same way, we will take the general steps necessary for this point, which will be to find the option and activate it for use:
- While in the BIOS menu, we will look for the option “Advanced” or “Advanced BIOS features”; As we said before, it is going to be different for each team you are working on. You will move with the keyboard this time and select the option mentioned above.
- Finally, select "Virtualization Technology" and make sure it says "Enabled" instead of "Disabled". Once this last step is done, you exit the BIOS menu, but it is very important and you must bear in mind that, when exiting, you must select "Exit and know settings", since it will make your computer save the changes you made in the BIOS setup; otherwise, you will have to do it all over again.
More information on How to activate virtualization?
For other devices this option is available in sections called "VT-x" or "Virtualization"; You will have to search a bit to find these options that we name you and so on. enable virtualization of your team.
It is important that you know that if at the time of investigating and searching, you activate or deactivate any option accidentally, do not worry about it; you can exit the BIOS, WITHOUT SAVING and go back to the configuration to continue searching, without problems. The options will not be activated right when you activate or deactivate the configuration, but when you save and exit.
When you have already activated the configuration and have saved the changes and exited the BIOS, your pc will restart again, simply let it turn on normally and voila, you will already have the virtualization of your computer activated to be able to interact with other devices in a virtual. You must have the files and programs that are needed to carry out this work.
Some of these programs are:
- vmware.
- VirtualBox.
- Microsoft Virtual PC and Hyper-V.
- KVM.
- Xen.
- Parallels
If you are interested in these types of computer articles, you may want to visit: How to configure Windows 10 correctly?
We hope this article has been helpful to you. Next, we will leave you a video where you can observe in a detailed and easier way, all this procedure; We recommend that you take it patiently and carefully to avoid mistakes and accidentally damage your pc.