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Michel Barneveld's Blog » How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop

 

My laptop, an Acer Aspire 7720G, has an Intel T7500 Core 2 Duo Mobile CPU. This CPU has support for hardware-assisted Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT). That's the reason why I bought this laptop some years ago. It was a big disappointment when I discovered that Acer turned that option off in the BIOS and didn't offer a way to turn it on. So I couldn't use this laptop to test Hyper-V on Windows 2008 (R2) or XP mode on Windows 7, which both require hardware virtualization. But now there is a solution!!! Big Smile

I have been searching the Internet for a solution for quite some time now. But today I discovered the solution on this blog: Enabling Intel VT on the Aspire 8930G (and other InsydeH2O-based laptops)
Bigted gave the steps I needed. His steps were for the 5720G, but they also worked for my 7720G.

The steps (credits go to bigted for the original steps and marrio for updated instructions in the comments):

  1. Download the latest BIOS from Acer and flash it to make sure the laptop is running the latest version of the BIOS before proceeding. (link to 7720G bios)
  2. Extract BIOS_v1.45.exe from that zip file.
  3. Now extract the files in BIOS_v1.45.exe using winrar, 7-zip, etc. to a new directory. (right click the file -> extract to...  or something like that)
  4. Edit the extracted file platform.ini and change BackupName= to BackupName=acer7720Gdump.fd
  5. Run InsydeFlash.exe as Administrator but CANCEL the flash. We only need it to create a backup of the BIOS in the file acer7720Gdump.fd.
  6. Download the latest version of the 2.6.x version of python and install it. The next steps will not work with a 3.x version of python!!! 
  7. Copy MaxL’s vtenable.py (http://pastebin.com/f604e244a) (archived version)into same folder as dump file.
  8. Run “vtenable.py acer7720Gdump.fd acer7720GdumpVT.fd”
  9. Check with a binary comparison tool (like vbindiff) that only 1 byte changed value, in my case from 00 to 01, between the files acer7720Gdump.fd and acer7720GdumpVT.fd
  10. Open the platform.ini again and ...
  11. Change BackupName=acer7720Gdump.fd back to BackupName=
  12. And in the section [Option] change Flag=0 to Flag=1  (Flag 1-> User option mode, including option, start, exit buttons.)
  13. Save the platform.ini
  14. Run InsydeFlash.exe as Administrator.
  15. Click on the button Option
  16. In the Option tab select the new acer7720GdumpVT.fd as the filename
  17. Go to the tab ROM Protection List and select Flash all
  18. Click on OK to close the option screen.
  19. Click on Start
  20. After it's finished it will restart the computer.
  21. Congrats! VT is now enabled!

 [edit: 02-Aug-2010]
Update to instructions with improvements from Marrio.
Verified the procedure with the laptop of a friend. It's working!

Posted 11-27-2009 12:10 AM by Michel Barneveld
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Comments

Fabian wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 12-01-2009 6:11 PM

Wow! Thank you very much, I searched long time for this "fix"!!!

It works on an Acer Aspire 7720G with an Intel Core 2 Duo 9300 (2x 2.5 GHZ) Processor! Very nice,  thank you again!

Greets,

Fabi

Gustavo wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 12-07-2009 12:20 PM

Hi!

FYI: Acer Aspire 5720G, Windows 7 Professional 32bit

Thanks for the the great job! Unfortunately it didn't work for me.

I followed your instructions, as well as the steps from Bigted very carefully (marcansoft.com/.../enabling-intel-vt-on-the-aspire-8930g).

I got though all steps and achieved to flash the Bios, with the modified CL50145A.fd file (just 1 byte changed value). But as I restarted the computer, VT was still locked off.

Am I missing some step?

Any help would be very welcome!

Thank you very much

Gustavo

Michel Barneveld wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 12-07-2009 12:38 PM

Gustavo,

Do you have a CPU that supports VT? Because the 5720G comes in different flavours.

The T7xxx CPUs support VT, the T5x50 (T5250, T5450 and T5550) CPUs don't.

Also try to ask your question in that marcansoft site, far more knowledgeable people than me are visiting that site.

Wimke wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 12-28-2009 11:17 PM

Hey,

Thnx for the info, I tried it on my 7720G with a T7300 but it did not work.

I tried the Microsoft® Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool after the flash but the virtualization still is disabled according that tool.

www.microsoft.com/.../details.aspx

Can someone help me?

Martin David wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 01-07-2010 9:44 PM

I followed exactly all the instructions but It didn't work. I have 7720G laptop with Intel T7700 processor (where VT should work).

Thank you very much for your time.

Sebastian wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 01-16-2010 4:10 PM

I have the same laptops as Fabian but it didnt work.

the only thing i recognized is that charging battary takes much longer

Alex Skorin wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 02-03-2010 6:25 PM

I try to fix 7720g with Intel T7500 - it didn't work.

Could someone who enabled VT send me vtenable.py?

Thanks.

filloweb wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 03-02-2010 8:54 PM

With Acer Aspire 7720G with "Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo T7300" it doesn't work...

Sigh... Sigh... Sigh...

filloweb

Marrio wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 03-04-2010 9:49 AM

Acer 7720G with T7500

I followed all the instruction. Ive checked only 1 byte changed value from 00 to 01. But "Securable" (www.grc.com/freepopular.htm) report Hardware Virtualisation "Locked off"

Marrio wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 03-04-2010 11:34 AM

Finally done it. There is few more steps before to flash the new bios.

1. Edit the platform.ini section [Option] and modify

"Flag=0" to "Flag=1"

2. run InsideFlash.exe with as administrator

3. Now there is Option Button there. Press it!

4 In "Option" TAB choose the new bios file

5 In "ROM protection List" TAB set check "Flash All"

6 Start the overwriting

Now should work.

Good luck!

Need help wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 03-05-2010 12:28 AM

Exactly how do you execute step 8? installed phyton, and downloaded the vtenable.py file, but if i just double click it nothing happens. (a small cmd window pops up for a split second before disappearing, and no change in the directory)

Translators Tradutores Übersetzer Traducteurs Traductores wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 03-14-2010 5:37 PM

Many thanks to Michel Barneveld and also special thanks to the comment:

"Marrio  wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop

on 03-04-2010 11:34 AM"

After executing each single step described, we finally were able to activate the missing Intel VT-x mode on an Acer 7720G notebook ;-))

Baldzius wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 08-02-2010 7:37 PM

You guys rock! Thanks Marrio for your instructions, it started working only after did what you said (happy)

.NetRolller 3D wrote re: How to enable Intel VT on Acer Aspire 7720G laptop
on 08-10-2010 2:36 AM

Hi Guys! I've prepared a modded BIOS for the Acer 7720 (also works for the 5720) that allows access to the VT and related options through a menu in BIOS Setup. The only downside is that the Information menu had to be removed to make way for the new menu. You can find it @ ifile.it/.../icl50-1.45-slic21-advmenu-v2.fd - after installing this BIOS, look for Intel VT in the "Advanced" submenu of "BIOS Tweaks".

Hope this helps,

.NetRolller 3D

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