Check If Your PC Supports Hardware Virtualization Using Intel Processor Identification Utility

Some times you may need to know if your Computer CPU supports hardware virtualization. This feature is needed in some scenarios such as running XP mode in Windows 7 smoothly or running Mac OSX on your Intel PC using VMware. Intel Processor Identification Utility is a free tool given by Intel that gives you detailed information of your CPU, including the supported features such as hyper threading or hardware virtualization.

Whener you come across an error such as “Mac OS X is not supported with software virtualization. To run Mac OS X you need a host on which VMware Workstation supports hardware virtualization”, first check if your processor supports hardware virtualization, before trying to turn the feature on in your Computer’s BIOS settings.

Download and install Intel Processor Identification Utility (download link given below). Each time you run the program, you will be asked to accept their license agreement. The utility takes a while, especially the first time you run it, to show a detailed overview of your processor.  

Go to the CPU Technologies tab. Here you will see a list of all supporting advanced Intel processor technologies. Look for Intel® Virtualization Technology. There should be a Yes, if this feature is supported on your processor.

In case you still messages saying that your computer does not support hardware virtualization, then it’s time to check your BIOS settings and turn the feature on.

Download Intel Processor Identification Utility

Turning On Hardware Virtualization In BIOS Settings

While Asus, Acer and Samsung PCs come with hardware virtualization turned on by default, you may need to change the setting if you are using a Dell, HP, Lenovo or Panasonic computer. Here are the instructions to enter BIOS and enable hardware virtualization as given in Microsoft support page.

For Dell, press F12 at startup to enter the boot menu, select BIOS setup and hit Enter. Under the Virtualization Support menu, select ‘Virtualization’.

In case of HP systems, use the ESC key to enter the BIOS setup during startup. Scroll down to System Configuration, select Virtualization Technology and then select Enabled. Use F10 to save and exit.

Lenovo users can enter their BIOS setup using F1. Then go to Config –> CPU –> Intel Virtualization Technology and select Enabled. Press F10 to save and exit.