Vista guest dies (64-bit processor doesn't support VT-x)

[chrison]

I'm running Fedora Linux 64-bit (kernel 2.6.31.9-174.fc12.x86_64) on a Dell Inspiron 1318 laptop with an Intel T6400 Core 2 processor. Installing Vista as a guest on VirthualBox 3.1.2 dies because VBox requires VT-x hardware support on the processor to run 64-bit OS's. So, the Vista install dies with it reporting that I'm trying to run a 64-bit OS on a 32-bit system. I have checked the Intel site and, sure enough, my processor doesn't support VT-x. I'm assuming this means I'm out of luck in running Vista under VBox, but just to cover all the bases I have these questions:

1. If I were to replace 64-bit Fedora Linux with the 32-bit version, would that make a difference?

2. If I were to go out and buy Windows 7 would I be in the same situation? (In other words, is Windows 7 a 64-bit or 32-bit OS?)

Finally, is there anyone out there in VirtualBox Land running VirtualBox under Linux (preferably Fedora) on a Dell Inspiron 1318 laptop and, if so, what version are you running as a guest (32-bit, 64bit, XP, Vista, Win7) and how did you do it.

Thanks, in advance, for any and all advice and assistance provided.

Regards, Chris

[BillG]

You need hardware virtualization to be able to run a 64-bit guest OS with VBox 3.1.2 . If you don't have it available you can always run the 32-bit version of the OS in the guest. Both Vista and Windows 7 are available in both 32 and 64 bit versions. It is only Windows Server 2008 R2 which is 64-bit only.

I have Ubuntu 9.10 running fine on a laptop with Windows 7 64-bit OS but no hardware virtualization. Other folk have it running the other way around (Windows 7 on a Linux host). The important thing is that you can't run a 64-bit OS in the guest without hardware virtualization.

[chrison]

Thank you, BillG, for that reply. This virtualization stuff is quite confusing to this newbie. The DVD that came with this laptop is obviously the 64-bit version of Vista. I guess my best option, since I haven't seen Vista in the stores since Win7 released, is to buy the 32-bit version of Win7 and try again. I was hoping to avoid that expense, but I *really* want to get this going. (Btw, I tried installing XP from the recovery disk for my very old Gateway laptop and that died in a blaze of glory. However, it was quite fun watching the recovery program come up on the Dell laptop with the Gateway splash screen!)

Thanks again for your help. I'm tied up with non-computer things this weekend, but will give this another try with store-bought Win7 32-bit next week.

Regards, Chris

[chrison]

Just a quick update... I had some free time today so I bought (at much more than I had wanted to pay) a copy of Windows 7 and gave it a try. As BillG stated, the 32-bit version of Windows 7 installed without a problem. (As a note to anyone who doesn't know, the Windows 7 package comes with two DVD's - one for 32-bit systems and one for 64-bit systems. So, if your processor doesn't support VT-x you want to use the 32-bit DVD.)

So, I'm now running Windows 7 as a guest on Virtualbox. I do have a problem with no sound, so I'll search for an answer to that, but I was able to install the programs I need to run under Windows (no Linux version available), so I'm basically a happy camper.

Thanks again, BillG, for your help!

Regards, Chris