Vista - How to use the Virtual PC after it is installed

This is a very basic question, but somehow I am missing an important
instruction or don't understand.

Have installed the operating system and read all the help notes, but cannot
seem to find how to install the program for which I downloaded the Virtual PC
in the first place.

Thinking maybe and "addition" is supposed to be a program I looked at that
instruction, but no that seems to be something to do with the operating
system.

I have a program that is written in 16 bit and won't run on Vista 64 bit.

So I was told by a Microsoft employee friend to download Virtual PC and use
it to run the 64 bit program.

Now I have the Virtual PC Console on my desktop, and when I click on Start I
get an MSDOS black secreen.

I can't do anything on the MSDOS screen and no other button seems to work.

If I click on the CD icon and click on "capture ISO etc " it takes me to my
documents.

Am I supposed to go to My computer, CD, and then load the program ?

Maybe it is this simple ?

Sorry to be so verbose, but this is quite frustrating.

Thanks for your help.

Steven

The general way to act is:
1. Install Virtual PC as a normal application in your Windows environment
(you have probably done this)
2. Run Virtual PC and create a virtual machine (and a virtual hard disk);
this you have done also, I think.
3. Start the virtual machine and install a Windiows OS on this machine.
4. Install and run the 16 bit program.

My guess is that you did not perform steps 3 and 4.

HTH,
Jos

"stevemalee" wrote:

"stevemalee" <stevemalee@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news741568D-1417-48A3-BE67-907F0EA7D5ED@xxxxxxYou have to install an operating system on the virtual machine, it doesn't
come with one. What you install depends on what you're trying to do.

"Capture an ISO" is for using a image file of a CD, made with the
appropriate program, instead of an actual CD. The virtual machine will see
it as a CD and use it accordingly. The file would have a name that ends in
"ISO".

It is all explained in the "Help" menu in the Virtual PC Console, which is
way more helpful than the installation notes. Click on the Help menu item,
choose "Virtual PC Help". Click on the plus signs to open down to Virtual
PC->How To Help for Virtual PC->Set Up Virtual Machines->Install Operating
System. You will need a CD with the operating system you want to install,
and it really should be a legal copy, but that's up to you. All of the
legalities that apply to physical PCs apply to Virtual PCs as well.

Once you have the operating system installed, you can install whatever
program you want to run on it. It's easiest to install from a CD, but it
can be done from the hard drive. It's a little trickier because the virtual
machine doesn't have access to the host machine's hard drive without
creating a shared folder, the process for which is explained in the help as
well, under "Virtual Machine Additions".

With all due respect, your Microsoft employee friend really should have
explained all of this instead of just saying, "here use this".

John

"stevemalee" <stevemalee@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news741568D-1417-48A3-BE67-907F0EA7D5ED@xxxxxx
Microsoft Virtual PC is a piece of software for creating and running virtual
machines. A virtual machine is, as it's name suggests, a computer made from
software which behaves exactly like a physical computer. Just like a
physical computer, a virtual machine's hard disk is completely blank when
it's first created.

So, when you first create a virtual machine and start it up, it tells you
that it needs an operating system to boot from, just like a physical
computer. FWIW, the screen you're looking at isn't MSDOS - it's the virtual
machine's BIOS...
No - you're supposed to insert the CD of the operating system that you want
to install on the new virtual machine... Then reboot the virtual machine to
start the installation process.


--
Mark Rae
ASP.NET MVP
http://www.markrae.net

Thanks, I stupidly thought that the XP would be automatic install when I
checked the box that said what OS do you want.

Now, do have old XP CD, but since is not in original sleeve, and I cannot
find where I put the information, again very stupid.

So, have to find out how to solve this problem.

And, when "help" tells you to "reboot" -- does that mean close down the
Virtual PC and then open again ?

"JosR" wrote:

Thanks for your detailed instructions for the Virtual PC Help.

My MS friend did say he would help me. I was just trying to save him the
time.
Obviously, I cannot do this on my own.


"John D. Sheridan" wrote:

"stevemalee" <stevemalee@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5FAD29F7-2B4A-48E9-95A2-8FEE45F42828@xxxxxx
It means use the Action menu on the virtual machine window and choose Reset
(or sometimes Ctrl-Alt-Del). There is also an Action menu on the VPC
console, but don't use that one.

"stevemalee" <stevemalee@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:778A5B68-724E-42DE-BA8E-3587D3678170@xxxxxxIf you just think of the virtual machine as another computer and not some
special program in Windows you should get the hang of it OK.

On Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:10:01 -0700, in microsoft.public.virtualpc,
stevemalee <stevemalee@xxxxxx>, wrote
I would differ with you here -- obviously you can do this. Lose fear of
it. It really is straightforward.

Quite understandable that you thought that the MS Virtual PC 2007 (VPC)
would "create" an OS when it asked you which OS you wanted. Think of that
in the way it is meant -- for which OS should VPC create parameters to
receive.

You say that you did not have the original CD sleeve for XP, and I will
guess that means that you don't have the registration code that came with
it. Consider that the registration code belongs to the OS and not that
particular CD. You will find numerous XP keys on the net.

FACE

Thanks, Face, for your explanations.

I did find a product ID on the bottom of my XP laptop, but it was XP Pro,
and the CD Retail Home Version was for an earlier XP for an earlier computer
I no longer have.

Anyway, the Virtual PC said the product ID was not valid

I did look on the MS XP help page re: what to do when you lose the product
ID and did not find to what you are referring: "You will find numerous XP
keys on the net."

Will you point me in the correct direction to find the product ID numbers?

Thanks so much.


"FACE" wrote: