23 May 2020 Client does not work with AMD SVM enabled

Description of the bug: (optional screenshot/video):

When running the new client (23 May 2020) on Windows 10 Home (Version 2004. OS Build 19041.264) with AMD SVM (Secure Virtual Machine) enabled in the bios, the client fails to open with the an ijl15.dll error "Sorry, this application cannot run under a Virtual Machine.". This is followed by another dialog "The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000142)."




Disabling SVM in the bios allows the client to enter to login screen.
Enabling SVM in the bios reproduces the above issue.

What is supposed to happen?:

The client should enter the login screen, regardless of the virtualization settings in the bios.

Where did you find and/or notice this bug?:

I found this while updating to the new version of the client (23 May 2020).

A step-by-step guide to re-producing this bug (optional)
Extra information (optional):

I am running on a pre-release version of Windows 10 so I can run WSL 2 and use Docker for Windows. Disabling virtualization is inconvenient (but okay, because I can't get enough MapleLegends recently).

Another player shared the same issue (AMD, Windows 10 Pro, OS Build 18362), where disabling virtualization fixed the problem. A separate player (Intel, Windows 10 Pro) had/has the same issue, but disabling Hyper-V did not solve the problem.

UPDATE:
With the server coming online, there have been new reports of this issue. There are also several players who do not see the virtual machine error with virtualization enabled on AMD (e.g. Windows 10, Version 1909, OS Build 18363).

UPDATE 2:
In case you aren't able to view further into this thread, here some handy information for resolving the immediate issue so you can enjoy the ongoing event.

Here's a visual guide for enabling virtualization on your computer, either Intel VT-x or AMD SVM. Make sure to disable instead of enabling.

1. Confirm your error and settings. Check whether virtualization is enabled under "Task Manager > Performance".

2. Restart your computer and mash the button to take you to the BIOS or UEFI options. On my PC it's DEL, but it varies between manufacturers.
3. Find the option for virtualization and disable it. If you have an AMD CPU, this might be known as SVM or AMD-V. If you have an Intel CPU, this may be known as VT-x. A search engine is your friend if you can't seem to find it.
4. Save your settings and verify that virtualization is disabled in the Task Manager on login.

If you are having issues running outside of a VM, and are not running Windows 10 Pro or an AMD chipset, please leave a comment. I'd be curious to hear about other weird edge-cases.

 

The BIOS (or UEFI) does work behind the scenes to load your operating system (OS) like Windows 10. One of its jobs is to configure settings related to your CPU. One of these settings is virtualization, which allows you to safely run an OS in an OS. In order to enable/disable this, you will have to go to the BIOS settings. Note that this requires rebooting your computer in order for any changes to take effect.

Here's a visual guide for enabling virtualization on your computer, either Intel VT-x or AMD SVM. You should be able to follow all the steps to ensure that you have the setting disabled.

1. Confirm your error and settings. Check whether virtualization is enabled under "Task Manager > Performance".



2. Restart your computer and mash the button to take you to the BIOS or UEFI options. On my PC it's DEL, but it varies between manufacturers.
3. Find the option for virtualization and disable it. If you have an AMD CPU, this might be known as SVM or AMD-V. If you have an Intel CPU, this may be known as VT-x. A search engine is your friend if you can't seem to find it.
4. Save your settings and verify that virtualization is disabled in the Task Manager on login.

If everything goes well, you should be able to get past the error dialog into the login screen. You will need to re-enable virtualization to continue to work with software like VMWare, Docker, or Android Studio.

You may also find luck disabling Hyper-V on Windows, as reported in #support on Discord. This is a piece of software known as a hypervisor, which manages virtual machines. Disabling it should have the same effect as disabling virtualization it in the BIOS. This SuperUser Q/A describes a method for dual booting between a profile with and without the hypervisor enabled. I can't personally attest to its efficacy, but it may be a convenient option for those who need to switch between modes for work or school. In either case, a full system restart is required.

Best of luck!

 

This is to be expected, the client-checks for running in a VM affects a small subset of players with a specific setup. Thank you for verifying that there's more to this than just virtualization settings on an AMD chipset.

I think the common factors is Windows 10 Pro. I'm likely an outlier, running Windows 10 Home edition on a Release Candidate (version 2004) to run Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2). WSL 2 is neat because it runs Linux along-side the Windows kernel through virtualization. Windows 10 version 2004 and Windows 10 Pro share the ability to run WSL 2, which relies on changes introduced in newer versions of Windows 10. I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few more cases of this error when Windows 10 version 2004 is released later this month.

 

You are running Docker for Windows though, which means you are on Windows 10 Professional or equivalent. I tried installing Docker less than a week ago on the Home edition, but it told me I needed support for WSL 2.

If you're curious what version of Windows you are running, you can open the run prompt (Win + R) and type "winver". You should get a screen like the one attached.

 

I'm sorry about your situation. Surface books look to only come in Intel flavors, so the problem with misidentifying the hardware as running in a VM must be related to a particular version of Windows. If you don't mind sharing details about your system, the information may help with the eventual resolution of this client bug. Your CPU manufacturer (Task Manager > Performance e.g. Intel Core i5) and your Windows version (Win+R, open "winver" e.g. Windows 10, Home Version 2004, OS Build 19041.264) are relevant.

There's a third workaround that involves disabling Virtualization Based Security, also known as Windows Defender Credential Guard. This uses virtualization to protect credentials when logging into a network (like a work-place), designed for Enterprise and Server editions of Windows 10. Presumably, these protections are now available in new editions of Windows. The original comment by armedwaffles (thanks!) in the #support channel can be found [here]. This guide to disable Credential Guard in Windows 10 may be useful, as well as the official documentation from which the comment is based on. Your mileage may vary, I haven't tried either disabling Hyper-V or Credential Guard myself. Please let us know how it goes.

There's still hope that VM detection to deter multi-client during boss runs can be improved in the future. Until then we'll have to make do with workarounds. It's a good long-term policy, even if there are implementation kinks to work out in the short-term.

 

Thanks for the detailed additional info. You're running into a separate, but related issue ("cannot run inside of a VM" vs "cannot run outside of VM because it looks too much like a VM"). It seems like this intentional based on the error message.

It's unfortunate that 32-bit applications are no longer supported in MacOS, and that virtualization is currently not an option. If you own your hardware, I suggest Boot Camp to install Windows 10 or dual-booting Catalina with Mojave. If you try it out, I'm sure others would be interested in your results.