AMD-V is a set of hardware extensions developed by AMD and is primarily used to improve resource use and virtual machine performance. Virtualization done by the software can be a slow process which is why using the processor to help in this task can greatly improve the performance. Although this is a solid technology there are instances when certain issues can occur which is what we will be addressing today. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the AMD-V is disabled in BIOS issue.
How To Fix AMD-V Is Disabled In The BIOS Issue
Before performing any of the recommended troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your computer first. This action refreshes the operating system and remove any corrupt temporary data that could be causing the problem.
There are several factors that can cause this particular problem ranging from the setting being disabled in BIOS to a software bug. Listed below are the troubleshooting steps you need to do to fix this problem.
Enable AMD-V from the BIOS settings
One of the main reasons as to why this error message will occur is if AMD-V is not enabled in the BIOS settings. To enable this you will first need to access the BIOS settings of your computer. Different motherboard brands have different ways of accessing this setting. Typically, the setup key is either one of the F keys (F2, F4, F8, F10, F12) or the Del key
You can usually access the BIOS by pressing F2, F4, F8, F10, F12, or the DEl key during startup before Windows boots up. You can check what key to press by looking at the display on initial startup. The key to access the BIOS will usually be displayed. You can also consult your motherboard manual on how to do this.
Once inside the BIOS look for an entry named Secure Virtual Machine Mode and make sure that it’s enabled. This can usually be found in Advanced > CPU Configuration. Make sure that Secure Virtual Machine Mode is Enabled, then save the configuration and exit your BIOS then restart the computer.
Check if the AMD-V is disabled in BIOS issue still occurs.
Disable Windows Hyper-V
Hyper-V is the virtualization tool of Microsoft and if this is enabled can usually cause this particular problem. You should try to disable this feature then check if the issue still occurs.
From Windows features
- Type Windows Features on the search bar then click on the first app that appears.
- Expand the Hyper-V sub-section
- Ensure that all Hyper-V options are unchecked then click/tap on OK.
- Restart the computer.
From Powershell
- Open an elevated PowerShell
- In the elevated PowerShell window, copy and paste the command then press Enter: Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-All
- Type Y and press Enter when prompted to restart the computer.
From command prompt
- Open an elevated command prompt.
- In the elevated Command Prompt, copy and paste the command below, press Enter: dism.exe /Online /Disable-Feature:Microsoft-Hyper-V-All
- Type Y and press Enter when prompted to restart the computer.
Check if the AMD-V is disabled in BIOS issue still occurs.
Change the number of CPU cores to 1
In case the above steps fails to fix the problem then you should try to change the number of CPU cores to 1.
- Open the Start menu. Click the “Search programs and files” box at the bottom, type “msconfig” and press “Enter.” A new window titled “System Configuration” appears.
- Click the “Boot” tab at the top of the window.
- Click the “Advanced Options” button. A new window titled “BOOT Advanced Options” appears.
- Click to place a check in the “Number of processors” box.
- Click the drop-down menu below the box, and select a number. Note that you cannot select a number larger than the number of processor cores present in your computer.
- Click “OK” twice, and restart the computer.
Check if the AMD-V is disabled in BIOS issue still occurs.