How To Check If Your PC Supports Windows 8 Hyper-V

As we’ve told you before, Windows 8 client OS includes the latest Hyper-V technology as well. If you are new to Hyper-V, it’s Microsoft’s virtualization system for Windows. It was originally developed for Windows Server 2008 and it’s now present in the latest Windows 8 client as well.

Those who have installed Windows 8 on their PCs may want to know the requirements to enable and use Hyper-V. To be able to enable and run Hyper-V in Windows 8, your PC must meet certain requirements:

# Windows 8 64-bit version (x64)

# At least 4GB of RAM

# A 64-bit system with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)

Tech savvy users probably know the version of Windows 8 they are currently running and installed physical memory (RAM) in a second. But even those living and breathing Windows may find it difficult to check if the processor includes Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) technology, a must have feature to run Hyper-V in Windows 8.

So, how to check if your PC meets all these requirements? To check whether your PC supports Hyper-V, you can follow the step-by-step instructions given below.

Check the installed memory and version of Windows

Step 1: Use Windows + Pause/Break keys to open System Properties.

Step 2: In the System Properties window, you can see the Installed Memory and what type of operating system you are currently running under System Type. If your computer is running x64 version of Windows 8, then you will see 64-bit Operating System.

If the Installed Memory is 4GB or more, and System Type is 64-bit Operating System then your PC meets the first two requirements of Hyper-V.

NOTE: You can also get system type and total installed memory information by entering SystemInfo command in Command Prompt.

Check if your processor has Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)

Step 1: Open Run dialog box (use Windows + R keys), type CMD and press Enter key to launch to Command Prompt.

Step 2: In the Command Prompt, type SystemInfo and hit Enter key to load system information.

Step 3: Browse down the information to see Hyper-V Requirements entry. Here check result for Second Level Address Translation, VM Monitor Mode Extension, Virtualization Enabled In Firmware, Data Execution Prevention Available.

If the result is “Yes” then your PC supports SLAT and other necessary requirements to run Windows 8 Hyper-V. Do note that if you have a “No” for one or more Hyper-V requirements, it means that your PC may not support Windows 8 Hyper-V.

Once you are sure that your PC supports Hyper-V, you can then enable Hyper-V feature by following our how to enable Hyper-V in Windows 8 guide.