PowerEdge 800

It depends entirely on your processor.  Which processor do you currently have?  The system should support a 64-bit OS with the right processor.

thanks for the input. I will certainly keep that as my option. I am just trying to use it instead of recycling this server. thank you for your assistance...

Processor is 32-bit, so Hyper-V will not be an option (Hyper-V can only be installed (for hosting VM's).  You can install the Hyper-V role on 2008x86, but it will ONLY give you the management console for connecting to and managing other Hyper-V servers (no hosting/guests).

ark.intel.com/.../27459,31732,30763,30764

I can't guarantee that these processors below will work, because they have a larger L2 cache that the PE800 specs state are supported, but they "may" work:

http://ark.intel.com/search/advanced/?s=t&FamilyText=Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor&ClockSpeedMhzMin=3200&ClockSpeedMhzMax=3800&Bus=800 MHz&InstructionSet=64-bit&VTX=true

The processors in the list above 1) are 64-bit (allowing you to install Hyper-V and host 32-bit VM's), and 2) support VT (required for 64-bit VM's).  Since they are the only two, and exceed Dell's specs on L2 cache, they may not work (but they may).  If not, your only option is to sacrifice VT (meaning only 32-bit VM's):

ark.intel.com/.../advanced® Pentium® 4 Processor&ClockSpeedMhzMin=3200&ClockSpeedMhzMax=3800&Bus=800 MHz&InstructionSet=64-bit&CacheKBMin=1024&CacheKBMax=1024

Even if the processor does support VT, the system BIOS may not have an option/way to enable it, and it may or may not be on by default.

Obviously, this system was never designed to be used for virtual machines, and even a low-end desktop might be a better choice, but if you choose to go for it, then good luck.

so bottom line...good to try but does not guarantee?

If you can find one for a good price (good enough that the potential advantages outweigh the price of purchasing it and having it not work), then it may be worth a try, if you really want to get it to work.  I wouldn't spend too much on it though, because you could buy a couple-years-old workstation for pretty cheap that would be a better choice than this server.

thanks for the reply theflash1932.

just looking on the original configuration when I pulled the info using their service tag lookup..here is what I found..

PROCESSOR..., 80547, PENTIUM 4 PRESCOTT DT..., 520, SOCKET T..., E0.

what I am aiming here is to install Hyper-V...can I install Hyper-V on x86 OS? thanks