Bob said:
Hello, I want to use my Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS using
windows XP mode. The onboard sound wont let me do 5.1 analog speakers
(just 7.1 which I don't have) But windows reps say my CPU must support
hardware virtualization before I can use XP mode.
Here is my CPU: AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 255 Processor
Motherboard Name Gigabyte GA-880GM-UD2H
Using AIDA 64/CPUID/ features, I found "Virtual Mode Extension
Supported". Is this hardware virtualization?
TIA!
Microsoft was supposed to have changed that requirement.
Originally, "WinXP mode" was supposed to require hardware virtualization.
Since Intel processors were split into two groups, and some of the ones
like E4700 didn't have that enabled, Microsoft relented, and promised
to set up "WinXP mode" so that was no longer a requirement. The thing is,
VPC2007, the predecessor to WinXP Mode, made that optional, so you
could either enable it or disable it. To me, it didn't seem to be a
stretch for them to make it optional on the Windows 7 thing too.
You can check an AMD page, and see if it declares support. Generally,
AMD is better at having feature parity across their entire families.
They're not quite as bad as Intel, who likes to arbitrarily split their
products into groups, and screw the consumer on the cheaper stuff.
AMD Athlon II X2 255 Processor
http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=627
"Virtualization Yes"
*******
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Mode#Windows_XP_Mode
"Windows XP Mode (XPM) is a virtual machine package for Windows Virtual
PC containing a pre-installed, licensed copy of Windows XP Professional
with Service Pack 3 as its guest OS.
Previously, both the CPU and motherboard had to support hardware
virtualization, [7] but an update in early 2010 eliminated this
requirement.[24]
[24]
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/support/faq.aspx "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86_virtualization
AMD-V "Pacifica" \___ Support for virtual machines
VT-x "Vanderpool" /
AMD-Vi \___ IOMMU, helps keep hardware DMA below 4GB
VT-d / (Might also function in a similar way to AGP GART table)
AMD tended to have both features, whereas only the recent Intel stuff
has IOMMU (Core2 doesn't, Core i3/i5/i7 do ???). I'm not sure, right
off hand, what software would care about IOMMU.
In testing VT-x enabled or disabled, with VPC2007, I couldn't see
a difference happening. A virtual machine would get about 90% of the
performance the same program might see running native. And that
setting didn't seem to matter.
*******
I hope your "master plan" works out for you. If I were
to try that here, on my laptop, I'd have to purchase
an "Anytime Upgrade", to bump up my Windows 7 so it
could run WinXP mode. Which to me, isn't worth it. There
is a minimum version of Windows 7, that supports WinXP Mode.
HTH,
Paul
