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Enabling Virtualization in BIOS

Let's say You've got your PC all set up and running—now.

it's time to enable virtualization in the BIOS so you can get your virtual machines up and running smoothly. Here’s a straightforward guide to help you unlock the power of virtualization.

Step 1: Enter the BIOS​

First, you need to access the BIOS settings. To do this, restart or start your computer and press the designated key during the boot process. This key can vary depending on your motherboard’s manufacturer, but common keys include F2, Del, Esc, or F12. For Gigabyte motherboards, it’s often F12.

Step 2: Locate Virtualization Settings​

Once you're in the BIOS, navigate to the settings related to virtualization. The exact location and naming of these settings can differ based on your BIOS version and manufacturer, but they typically fall under the CPU or Advanced tab.

Look for options like:

Intel CPUs​

  • Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
  • VT-d (Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O)

AMD CPUs​

  • SVM Mode (Secure Virtual Machine)
  • IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit)
  • NX Mode (No Execute bit for added security)

Enable these settings by selecting them and changing their status to Enabled. This will ensure that your CPU is ready to handle virtual machines.

Step 3: Save and Exit​

After adjusting the virtualization settings, you need to save your changes. Look for a button or option labeled Save and Exit or similar. Confirm your selection to apply the new settings and reboot your computer.

And that’s it! With virtualization enabled.

Install Arch linux First​

In the next step, we’ll cover modifying the bootloader configuration, which includes Systemd-boot or GRUB. For this example, we’ll use Arch Linux as our GNU/Linux distribution. This step is essential for setting up virtualization on Arch Linux. Please note that the previous step only addressed BIOS settings. Now, we need to configure the operating system's bootloader as well.