virtualbox.org

I need to build a test machine like my host. I'm running Ubuntu 10.04 64 bit as the host. I've downloaded the Ubuntu 10.04 ISO image to hard disk and built my virtual machine pointing to the iso image. When I try to start the machine it finds the image but tells me "The kernel requires an x86-64 CPU, but only detected an i686 CPU. Unable to boot - please use a kernel appropriate for your CPU"

When I execute uname -a on my host system I get:
scimit104-ubuntu-> uname -a
Linux scimit104-ubuntu 2.6.32-24-generic #39-Ubuntu SMP Wed Jul 28 05:14:15 UTC 2010 x86_64 GNU/Linux
scimit104-ubuntu->

My host is 64bit but is not recognized? the only thing I can see specifically is the error message from VirtualBox says "The kernel requires an x86-64 CPU, ..." and the uname says "x86_64" (uname responds using an underscore while VirtualBox uses a dash). If VirtualBox is looking at the results of a uname -m and is expecting a dash instead of an underscore then it would not recognize the machine.

Has anyone run into this before and if so is there a work-a-round?

TIA
Brian

Could be a couple of things.

What version of virtualbox are you using? Is the the 64bit edition?
When you set up the new virtual machine, did you select "Ubuntu (64 bit)" for the version, or just "Ubuntu"

Rob

Make sure that hardware-v is turned on in your PC's bios.

Thanks for the response. I am running the 64 bit version of VirtualBox "virtualbox-3.2_3.2.12-68302~Ubuntu~lucid_amd64(2).deb" andI'm using the 64 bit ubuntu "ubuntu-10.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso".

Regarding the choosing ubuntu 64 versus just ubuntu; I checked this out and I only have one choice "ubuntu".

Thanks,
Brian

Read my post carefully!
VirtualBox requires that you have hardware virtualization and that it is enabled in your bios to be able to run 64-bit OSes.

Perry,

I forgot to incude in my last post that I checked the bios and the setting:

64 Bit Technology = Yes(Intel EM64T) is there.

If you have a forum post regarding this please direct me to it and I'll check it out.

TIA,
Brian

EMT-64 is not hardware virtualization. Look for hardware virtualization, or post the model of you PC and the model of the CPU

I am using a Dell Optiplex 760, under setup > Virtual Support the item "Enable Intel VT for Direct I/O" is checked.

The Processor for this machine is an E7400 Intel Core 2 Duo CPU 2.8GHz

See http://ark.intel.com/VTList.aspx . It appears your bios has VT support, maybe from a recent flash, but the cpu may not have VT support. The E7400 shows one spec with VT support but all others without.

Actually it depends on the version that Dell used. http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=36500#ordering
But you may have one that was locked by Dell. They have been unlocking them and a bios update might help.

All,

I've downloaded the latest BIOS (a09) and installed it but find no difference.

While on the Dell support site I checked and this machine is supported for both vista and win7 64 bit.

What I don't understand is that I'm running the 64 bit version of ubuntu as my native O/S and it works fine - doesn't that say that my environment is 64bit?

Thanks for your assstance.
Brian

Native support for 64 bit only requires that you have a 64-bit enabled processor. VirtualBox requires that you have hardware virtualization as do some others to be able to run 64-bit guests. If everything is as you say then I would contact Del and ask them to provide you a way to turn on hardware virtualization in the BIOS and that your processor does in fact support hardware virtualization. As I said it depends on the actual version of the E7400 processor they actually installed. AT80571PH0723M SLB9Y does not have it.