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colemanlee
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How to run Vmware Workstation 16 host in Windows7 without Intel VT-x?

Hi,

I have a Vmware Workstation 16 host and copy it to a Windows 7 without Intel VT-x hardware support PC, and try to run it with Vmware player 12.0.

But it shows "This host does not support Intel VT-x." and can't run.

So I have two questions:

  1. How to run a Vmware Workstation 16 host in Windows 7 without Intel VT-x hardware support PC?
  2. How to build a Windows 7 system in Vmware Workstation 16 and the Windows 7 system doesn't depend any Virtualization like VT-x etc. (just like VirtualBox 5.0 doesn't support Virtualization so it can build a host doesn't depend on Virtualization, and get a better portability)
Vmware, best for all.
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bluefirestorm
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You can check the CPU model from the Windows 7/8 from the Control Panel - System or run msinfo32. Once you have the processor model, you can check the Intel ARK site https://ark.intel.com

I just recalled that some 2008 Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs don't have VT-x and possibly some older Atom CPUs. But pretty much anything from 2010 onwards would have VT-x.

This is a link to the E7200 CPU and you can see that the Intel VT-x is indicated as "No".

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/35348/intel-core2-duo-processor-e7200-3m-cache-...

As to enabling VT-x in the BIOS of the computer, it depends on the manufacturer. If I am not mistaken, Dell uses F12 to enter the BIOS. Others use F2. The menu will also vary. So it is best to consult a manufacturer manual.

 

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bluefirestorm
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Version 16 does not support Windows 7 OS for the host machine.
To run without VT-x, binary translation is required. Binary translation was removed in version 14.
With binary translation, the guest OS could only be 32-bit.
VT-x has been around for almost 20 years, don't see why one would want to go back to using very slow binary translation.

 

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colemanlee
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Hi @bluefirestorm ,

My Vmware guest OS is : Windows 7 32-bit.

My Vmware Host OS is : Windows 10 64-bit, Vmware Workstation 16.0. I don't want to install and run old version Vmware Workstation on my current PC.

My destination Host OS is: Windows 7 or 8.1 without VT-x (old machines), it shows "this host doesn't support Intel VT-x" when I run it.

How to run guest OS on old machines without VT-x?

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bluefirestorm
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What you are asking for running version 16.x in a PC without VT-x is simply impossible. Plus the other thing that Windows 7 is officially not supported as a host for version 16.

As per my earlier reply, binary translation was removed in version 14. To have binary translation to run VMs without VT-x you would need version 12 or earlier. There was no version 13 release. You would also have to check which version started support for Windows 7/8/8.1 hosts. 

How old are the CPU? What is the CPU model? For a CPU to be without VT-x, it would be something from before 2005. These would even pre-date Windows 7 which was launched in 2010. Are you sure it isn’t just the case the VT-x is not enabled in the BIOS?

 

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colemanlee
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Thank you, it's not easy to activate VT-x for people unfamiliar with computers skills.

Up to now, I think Virtual box 5.2 version without virtualization codes is best choice.

Vmware, best for all.
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bluefirestorm
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You can check the CPU model from the Windows 7/8 from the Control Panel - System or run msinfo32. Once you have the processor model, you can check the Intel ARK site https://ark.intel.com

I just recalled that some 2008 Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs don't have VT-x and possibly some older Atom CPUs. But pretty much anything from 2010 onwards would have VT-x.

This is a link to the E7200 CPU and you can see that the Intel VT-x is indicated as "No".

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/35348/intel-core2-duo-processor-e7200-3m-cache-...

As to enabling VT-x in the BIOS of the computer, it depends on the manufacturer. If I am not mistaken, Dell uses F12 to enter the BIOS. Others use F2. The menu will also vary. So it is best to consult a manufacturer manual.

 

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