Configure BIOS Before Installing Windows Server 2012 and Hyper-V

 tagged Video / Windows Server 2012 / Windows Server 8

Bios Requirements for Enabling Hyper-V. Short video to show exactly where you might find these settings.

*X64 Server with Hardware Assisted Virtualization (Likely found under Configuration then “Virtualization” or “Processor”

  • Intel: Intel VT

  • AMD: AMD-V

*Hardware enables Data Execution Prevention (Likely found under Configuration then “Security”)

  • Intel: XD bit (Execute Disable)

  • AMD: NX bit (no Execute bit)

*Hyper-V does not support Itanium (IA-64 processors)

*You CAN install windows without these settings, they are only important when you Enable the Hyper-V Role.

* “Hyper-V cannot be installed error” if not set when trying to enable role

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Boot computer into bios (Enable or Verify BIOS settings (i.e. DEP & VT) For Hyper-V)

a.       Enable Virtualization  (Processor) *X64 Server with Hardware Assisted Virtualization (Likely found under Configuration then “Virtualization” or “Processor”)

·   Intel: Intel VT or AMD: AMD-V

b.      Enable Data Execute Protection  (Security)  *Hardware enabled Data Execution Prevention (Likely found under Configuration then “Security”)

·   Intel: XD bit (Execute Disable) or AMD: NX bit (no Execute bit)

c.       Enable Boot from CD/DVD – Usually found under Startup – Boot – Boot Priority Order

·   Make sure the DVD is a higher priority than the HDD (not required if installing on a clean/empty drive)

You will want to make sure yu have “Second Level Address Translation [SLAT]” and it is enabled which is required for Hyper-V on Windows 8.   If you have this feature in BIOS you should Enable it for Windows Server 2012 as well!  If SLAT does not appear in BIOS, it does not me

Hyper-V on Client (Windows 8) MUST have SLAT ****

** Intel: EPT  Intel processors whose names start with ‘i‘, e.g. i3, i5, i7, i9

*** AMD: RVI/NPT

**** SLAT is a feature of the CPU  = Second Level Address Translation

Samples:

  • Lenovo T410, T510, W510, W520, T420s, T520, X201 
  • Samsung 900x 
  • Dell Precision M4600
  • Bios Requirements for Enabling Hyper-V. Short video to show exactly where you might find these settings. http://aka.ms/BiosHyper-V

** Intel: There may be exceptions Any Intel CPUs based on Nehalem, Westmere, or Sandybridge micro-architectures (there may be exceptions)

*** AMD Support http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/GPU120AMDRVICPUsHyperVWin8.aspx

**** SLAT AKA Extended Page Tables (EPT) AKA Nested Page Tables (NPT) AKA Rapid Virtualization Indexing (RVI) More on TechNet regarding SLAT: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/1401.hyper-v-list-of-slat-capable-cpus-for-hosts.aspx

an you do not have it.  It is more likely, that you simply cannot turn it off.