Virtualization is a technique to separate a service from the underlying physical delivery of that service. It is the process of creating a virtual version of something like computer hardware. Sharing the underlying physical hardware with other virtualized resources, this virtualized resource functions independently like a real thing. Enhancing flexibility, managing and deploying IT infrastructure more easily, and optimizing resource usage are the main objectives of virtualization.
What is VirtualBox?
Oracle Corporation created VirtualBox, a pass-platform virtualization software program program that is available at no cost and open supply. On their computer systems, users may additionally use it to assemble and control digital machines, or VMs. Virtual machines (VMs) are separate running systems that perform on an unattached physical PC.
Because of its versatility and ease of use, VirtualBox is a famous preference for virtualization. Numerous running structures, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and FreeBSD, may be run on it. Numerous working systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD, also are compatible with VirtualBox.
Advantages of VirtualBox
The following are a few blessings of using VirtualBox:
- Flexibility: You may also run one-of-a-kind running systems at an identical physical computer by way of the usage of VirtualBox. This may be beneficial for constructing software on many platforms, testing new software programs, or simply having numerous working structures available for positive sports.
- Isolation: Since digital machines (VMs) aren’t connected, they can not disrupt one another. This may be useful for incompatible software programs to run or for protection purposes.
- Performance: VirtualBox can perform nicely for the majority of workloads considering it is relatively light and efficient.
Reasons: Virtualization may be enabled but not operating in VirtualBox
1. Disable Hyper-V Manager in Windows 10:
In Windows 10, you have to disable Hyper-V Manager. To accomplish this, start CMD as administrator and enter bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off. After that, restart your running gadget.
Follow these steps to turn off the Hypervisor in Windows:
Step 1: Open CMD as administrator.
Opening Command Prompt
Step 2: Execute the following command:
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off
Disabling Hypervisor
2. In Windows Defender Security Centre, disable the core isolation security:
While your Intel Virtualization era is activated in BIOS, permitting middle isolation protection can also disable it. To disable it, visit Windows Defender Security Centre, search for Device Security within the left Panel, and click on it. Next, click on center isolation, and disable memory integrity security.
Step 1: To launch Windows Defender with administrator access, open the Run dialog box, type windowsdefender: within, then hit the Ctrl + Shift + Enter key.
Core Isolation
Step 2: After the window appears, kindly select the Device Security tab and click on Core isolation information under Core isolation on the ensuing screen.
Step 3: After that, a toggle under Core isolation will appear, which you may set on to activate Memory integrity.
Setting Off Memory Integrity
3. Enable Virtualization in Your BIOS:
In most circumstances, even if your CPU supports virtualization, the problem is that the capability is disabled in your computer’s BIOS or UEFI. As a result, you should check to ensure that the appropriate toggle is turned on on your system.
Follow these steps to enable virtualization in the BIOS menu of your system.
Step 1: Press the BIOS key after your computer has rebooted. BIOS key may differ from brand to brand.
Step 2: Find the CPU setup section.
Step 3: Locate the Virtualization Settings.
Step 4: Choose the Virtualization Enabling Option.
BIOS menu
Step 5: Keep the modifications you made.
Step 6: Reboot your computer after exiting the BIOS.
4. Nested Hardware Virtualization:
If you want to run one virtual machine within another (nested virtualization), you may need to activate nested hardware virtualization.
Step 1: Shutting down the VM and VirtualBox, and then running the below command:
VBoxManage modifyvm vm-name --nested-hw-virt on
Step 2: We can also enable the Nested Virtualization through VirtualBox. Navigate to the System Tab on the VirtualBox application and enable the option Enable Nested VT-x/AMD-V as shown in the below screenshot.
Enabling Nested Virtualization
5. Start the virtual machine from full regular shutdown:
On the Windows host level, start the virtual machine from full normal shutdown, not save-state4. Run until you observe the problem, then shut down the VM from within the VM’s operating system if feasible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sometimes, virtualization may be enabled but not working correctly in VirtualBox. This can be due to several reasons, such as conflicts with Windows features like Hyper-V or core isolation security, disabled virtualization in the computer’s BIOS, or the need to activate nested hardware virtualization for specific use cases. To address these issues, you can follow the provided steps to ensure that VirtualBox functions as intended, offering flexibility, isolation, and efficient performance for your virtualization needs.