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Let me start by saying that I have been vigorously scouring the internet for a solution to my problem. I am confident that this is not a duplicate thread.

Specs:

Acer Aspire GX-281
16 GB RAM
Ryzen 5 1400 3.2 GHz
256 GB SSD
1 TB HDD GTX 1050 2GB
Windows 10 Pro
BIOS Version American Megatrends Inc. R01-A0 4/19/2017

My Story: I bought this computer for the main purpose of running virtual machine labs to teach myself Red Hat Linux in a safe environment and be able to pass the Red Hat Certified System Administrator test and maybe even the Red Hat Engineer test too. When the computer arrived I quickly installed Virtualbox and immediately encountered an issue.

My Issue - hopefully you follow my thought process: when creating a new VM, the Virtualbox dropdown menu will not display 64 bit options, upon researching this issue I found that the solution is to make sure Hyper Visor is turned off and to enable the hardware virtualization option in the BIOS. I entered BIOS and looked everywhere. I do mean everywhere. Not only is there no option in BIOS to enable hardware virtualization, there isn't even a grayed out option for it! No mention of SVM or AMDv or anything. I talked to Acer and they said that hardware virtualization is disabled by default and that they are sorry but they cannot help me, it's company policy. The guy at Acer basically told me in so many words that the only way is for me to get a modded BIOS. I have never updated BIOS, hell I've never even done an actual backup before but I do know enough to know that if you mess up while updating BIOS (not to mention trying to modify BIOS), you could end up with nothing but a thousand dollar paperweight. With a baby on the way, I can't afford to brick this machine.

So, my understanding of the issue is that the hardware itself IS capable of virtualization, but the firmware has it disabled in such a way that I cannot enable it.

help regarding this issue - or if you could point me in the right direction to find help - would obviously be greatly appreciated.

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    There should be an SVM option under cpu or advanced. Similar to this. i.imgur.com/dDI5psm.jpg Can you snap a pic of what the cpu config page or advanced bios looks like?
    – Narzard
    Commented Mar 14, 2018 at 18:50
  • I sure can, my BIOS does not look like that UEFI though. Mine looks more... traditional.
    – MarkTheRacer
    Commented Mar 14, 2018 at 19:14
  • this is the Advanced tab i.imgur.com/bNEHYU6.jpg and this is what happens when I press enter on the CPU config option i.imgur.com/ABdTlBQ.jpg this is the main tab: i.imgur.com/facYVa2.jpg seriously, there's nothing about virtualization in the BIOS :(
    – MarkTheRacer
    Commented Mar 14, 2018 at 19:56
  • bios version looks old. Maybe update the firmware with the aptio V tool: ami.com/en/download-license-agreement/…
    – Narzard
    Commented Mar 14, 2018 at 21:00
  • Please forgive my beginner state, I am a novice and I want to make sure I understand what i'm doing, especially since I could ruin this machine if I mess up. Is there a guide or something? some clear instructions? I looked in the resource library on the AMI website but I didn't find anything specifically pertaining to the Aptio V AMI Firmware Update Utility. I am running Windows 10 Pro
    – MarkTheRacer
    Commented Mar 14, 2018 at 21:42

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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Turns out the answer is to return your crappy Acer and buy something you know for sure will work for your purposes. As in call the seller and ask them. I called and asked about this Dell https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAA0S6YU1684&ignorebbr=1 and they said it will work and has hardware virtualization in BIOS as opposed to the Acer which doesn't even have the option, at least not with Acer firmware. I know it is possible to change/install different firmware but I am just not on that level and not willing to risk bricking a brand new machine.

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