Thug21
Just Chillin'
Premium
join:2005-08-21
4 edits | GRC.com utility says Virtualiztion locked on - not sure why
Hi,
I downloaded the Securable utility from grc.com
»www.grc.com/securable.htm
I noticed that it says "Virtualization is locked on" and mentions that it could be set that way in the BIOS or it *might* be the sign of a rootkit. I don't see any mention of it in my Bios and the closest thing I have to a "Virtual machine" is Sandboxie but I didn't run this sandboxed.
Is that causing this message? Or any other ideas on what else it might be from? I'm curious.
OS: WinXP Pro SP2. PC is a Sager notebook.
Thank you!
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Cabal
Premium
join:2007-01-21
Boston, MA
| More FUD from Steve Gibson, whooda thunk it? It does impress me he continues to make a living out of misinterpreting Slashdot articles and writing VB apps about them.
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Owlbet
Ignite the Ice
Premium,MVM
join:2002-09-24
Palmer, AK
clubs:
 ·MTA Online
| reply to Thug21
It's controlled in your BIOS. Mine is locked on as well and I suspect its a Dell "thing". I can disable virtualization in the BIOS and Securable will show it as disabled.
Knowing Steve Gibson's penchant for doom and gloom, I'm really not concerned that virtualization is locked on this computer. |
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Owlbet
Ignite the Ice
Premium,MVM
join:2002-09-24
Palmer, AK
clubs:
·MTA Online
| reply to Thug21
said by Thug21  :I don't see any mention of it in my Bios and the closest thing I have to a "Virtual machine" is Sandboxie but I didn't run this sandboxed. One would naturally think this setting would be found in a Security category in the BIOS. On my Dell XPS 410, it is found under Performance and it is indeed called Virtualization. |
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Mele20
Premium
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI
| reply to Thug21
You guys who have this and have it locked on are SO LUCKY. You have no idea how I wish that my Dell XPS 600 came with hardware virtualization and it was locked "on" in the bios.
I don't understand how my Dell XPS 600 doesn't have this and the XPS 410 does. This is Dell's introduction to Hypervisor, which will soon be offered on many Dells,...I can hardly wait for that...I'll be dying to buy one of those machines. Dell is way out ahead of other OEMs on this. Hypervisor will make all machines including the host run virtually and will enable booting directly to any machine, not just the host, and will provide a layer of security far beyond even that currently provided by hardware virtualization that I don't have. Currently though, if I just had hardware virtualization locked on for my Dell XPS 600, my virtual machines AND my host machine would ALL be running full speed. How fantastic that would be.
As for the person who said this is nuts, you have no idea what you are talking about. SecurAble is a very useful utility and has nothing to do with FUD or tinfoil.
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"The same ferocity that our founders devoted to protect the freedom and independence of the press is now appropriate for our defense of the freedom of the internet. The stakes are the same: the survival of our Republic". Al Gore, The Assault on Reason |
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Cudni
La Merma - Vigilado
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-20
Someshire
| reply to Cabal
said by Cabal : It does impress me he continues to make a living out of misinterpreting Slashdot articles and writing VB apps about them. Not that anything is wrong with writing in VB but i thought SG writes in Assembler
Cudni
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"Mercifully, he hit him with the soft end of the pistol."
Help yourself so God can help you.
Microsoft MVP, 2006 - 2008 |
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Cudni
La Merma - Vigilado
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-20
Someshire
2 edits | reply to Thug21
@ Mele20
did you check the bios on your Dell and if you can enable the hardware virtualization? It might be set to off as a factory default.
@ Thug21
check the bios and see if it is enabled as default and disable it if you have no need for it.
edit: to add, did you go trough/check all Bios options?
Cudni
--
"Mercifully, he hit him with the soft end of the pistol."
Help yourself so God can help you.
Microsoft MVP, 2006 - 2008 |
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Mele20
Premium
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI
| said by Cudni :@ Mele20 did you check the bios on your Dell and if you can enable the hardware virtualization? It might be set to off as a factory default. Cudni I think I checked some time ago when I got Gibson's utility which was about a year ago. This computer was two years old end of January. I think I remember reading it was the XPS 700 that got this. (I remembered this after I made my post). As for Owlbet's 410 I think the number for it has remained the same for years but has upgrades for the mobo and stuff (so Owlbet probably has one of the newer ones), but 600 has gone to 700 then 710 I think or 720 which is the last as Dell is discontinuing most of the XPS line.
I will look in the bios again when I reboot...I don't really want to shut down three virtual machines just to look in the bios now.  I might have looked in the wrong place...but Dell bios is plain and uncomplicated so I don't think so.
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"The same ferocity that our founders devoted to protect the freedom and independence of the press is now appropriate for our defense of the freedom of the internet. The stakes are the same: the survival of our Republic". Al Gore, The Assault on Reason |
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Thug21
Just Chillin'
Premium
join:2005-08-21
4 edits | Thanks for the replies. The BIOS in my Sager notebook is also quite plain.
I appreciate the tip of looking under performance - I'll do that. If I can't find it even then, I'll ask Sager. |
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Simon Zerafa
@plus.com
|  reply to Cabal
Hi,
This is actually a very useful tool and it's written in assembler not VB.
Perhaps you should read up on the tool and what it does and with the information is shows might mean before you make uninformed and ignorant comments.
Simon |
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