Step 1: Enable Virtualization in BIOS
You need to enable Virtualization Technology (VTx)
under the System Security
option in the Security
tab of your BIOS management menu.
The option may not be called Virtualization Technology
or have the term VTx
or VT-x
in it. It may be called Hardware Virtualization
or Virtualization
, etc. Also, the option may not be under the Security tab. Since virtualization is hardware-dependent and BIOS interfaces can differ wildly, you may have to do some digging.
Step 2: Enable Hyper-V
You will also need to turn the Hyper-V feature on (it's not enabled in Windows 8 by default).
From Programs and Features Menu:
- Go to: Control Panel >> Programs and Features >> click “Turn Windows features on or off” (should be on the left panel).
- Check the “Hyper-V” checkbox in that list, then click OK.
- Wait for the installation to finish, then reboot.
OR
In Powershell
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature –FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All
You should then be able to use Hyper-V.
See this step by step guide for screenshots.
Notes
- You must be running Windows 8 Pro or Windows 8 Enterprise. Hyper-V is not available in basic Windows 8. Same applies to Windows 8.1.
- Your CPU may not support VTx. Use CPU-Z to find out. Run CPU-Z, then click the 'CPU' tab at the top. There should be a label called
Instructions
on the left, about halfway down the window. If you do not see VT-x
listed there, your CPU doesn't support it, and you're out of luck, I'm afraid.