Help ! Toshiba Laptops don't work with VMX !

[Technologov]

Hi All,

I just bought a new High-End Toshiba Laptop: Qosmio X300 -- and according to paper it supports VMX. I have enabled VMX in BIOS, and the CPU is Core 2 Duo P8600, so it supports VMX too.

Host: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600, Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit, VBox 2.2.2. (also tried 2.1.2)

Despite good paper specifications, VMX cannot be enabled on my brand-new laptop. I'm thinking about a BIOS upgrade but was unable to find BIOS changelog either.

This brings me to a sad conclusion: There is no way to buy a VMX enabled Laptop. DANGER: That's a minefield !

Does anyone has any idea what's going on ? (It looks like buggy BIOS, but I'd like to see more debugging)

A similar problem was found here on a different laptop: (Toshiba Satellite P100 laptop)
http://forums.computers.toshiba-europe. ... 97&#162597

I have opened a support request on Toshiba forums:
http://forums.computers.toshiba-europe. ... 52&#164952

-Technologov

[sandervl]

VBox.log will tell you exactly what the BIOS has messed up.

[sej7278]

i've got a feeling someone had the same issue with a sony vaio laptop, they sell them with vtx chips, but the bios won't allow you to enable it, or allows you to but doesn't actually work.

my hp nc6400 with a t5600 core2duo, after a bios update, enabled vtx just fine, but then its a "business class" laptop, not consumer grade, i expect sony/hp/toshiba want to force you to spend more on a laptop by disabling vtx in consumer hardware.

i know hp classed vtx support as unstable, which is why the default nc6400 bios doesn't support it. maybe it kills battery life or something so their marketing department can't spout rubbish like 8 hours battery life (2 in reality).

[fixedwheel]

i've got a feeling someone had the same issue with a sony vaio laptop,

some day, searching for other stuff i accidently found this article and posted it in some thread here ...
http://www.linuxformat.gr/?q=content/ho ... laptop-and

[Technologov]

Here is my VBox log:
http://www.yousendit.com/download/cmczZ ... UkYzZUE9PQ

Main point is this:
00:00:01.072 HWACCM: No VT-x or AMD-V CPU extension found. Reason VERR_VMX_MSR_LOCKED_OR_DISABLED

Is this BIOS-related ?

[sandervl]

Here is my VBox log:
http://www.yousendit.com/download/cmczZ ... UkYzZUE9PQ

Main point is this:
00:00:01.072 HWACCM: No VT-x or AMD-V CPU extension found. Reason VERR_VMX_MSR_LOCKED_OR_DISABLED

Is this BIOS-related ?

Yes, the BIOS hasn't turned it on and locked the method to change the setting.

[Technologov]

I wrote a draft letter to Toshiba with demand to improve situation -- do you have any comments before I send ?

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

Hello Toshiba support staff !

I have just purchased a brand-new computer: Toshiba Qosmio X300-130,
and I found a problem: Hardware Virtualization (VT aka VMX) doesn't works !

Technology actually is there, but is non-functional. I have enabled
"Virtualization Technology" (VMX) in BIOS, and the CPU is Core 2 Duo
P8600, so it supports VMX too. [1]
Both CPU & BIOS _do_ support VMX on paper specifications, but it fails
to activate, presumably due to a bug in BIOS.
It seems that VMX is disabled in the feature control MSR.

This problem unfortunately is not limited to "Qosmio X300" model, and
exists also in "Satellite P100" laptops. [2]

My BIOS version: Phoenix v2.10
Host Platform: Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 + WinVista Home Premium 32-bit

Virtualizers tried:
a. VirtualBox 2.2.2 on WinVista 32-bit
VirtualBox fails with VERR_VMX_MSR_LOCKED_OR_DISABLED
b. KVM on Ubuntu Linux 8.04 LTS 32-bit
KVM fails with: cannot load module, disabled by BIOS
NOTE: Both virtualizers work fine on my desktop Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU.

Related Links:
http://forums.computers.toshiba-europe. ... 52&#164952
http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18824

[1] Evidence that P8600 CPU supports VMX:
http://processorfinder.intel.com/List.a ... SearchKey=

[2] Evidence of similar problem in "Satellite P100" laptop models:
http://forums.computers.toshiba-europe. ... 97&#162597

Questions:
1. Is this known issue ?
2. Where is the changelog of BIOS updates ? (website allows me to update my BIOS, but there is no changelog, and no ability to download older BIOS releases)

Please look into it.

I like the X300 model, and willing to work with Toshiba on resolving this issue, and I'd prefer you to fix this model.
Otherwise I will consider returning it to the shop.

--
-Alexey Eromenko "Technologov"

[Technologov]

I have re-enabled "Virtualization Technology" several times in BIOS, and now it works ! I feel quite stupid now for sending this email to Toshiba.

[Technologov]

OK, now I have analyzed further and now I fully understand the BIOS bug.

Basically enabling/disabling Hardware Virtualization is changing some secret register on the CPU, that can only be setup once, when booting the CPU.
So changing this setting ultimately requires cold-boot PC. (full shut down then power-on)

My desktop has Award BIOS, and once I change this setting it shuts down PC immediately.
My laptop has phoenix BIOS, which just soft-restart the PC, just like minor BIOS settings changes, so it has no effect on virtualization setting, until I cold-reboot it myself. That's it !

To Toshiba/Phoenix I recommend modifying BIOS to shut down the PC once this setting is changed, like Award does.
To users I recommend powering down the PC and doing cold-boot once they change this setting.

-Technologov