Vista - Mini newsgroup FAQ for the week of 7/19/2009

Mini newsgroup FAQ for the week of 7/19/2009

HTML version available here: http://vpc.visualwin.com/ngfaq.aspx

Table of Contents

1.. Where can I find more information on Virtual PC?
2.. I have a question about Virtual Server.
3.. When will the next Virtual PC be released? - Updated 02/23/2007
4.. Are there "VPC Additions" for Linux (and other operating systems)? - Updated - 06/02/2007
5.. Does Virtual PC run Mac OS? Why not? - Updated 11/12/2006
6.. How do I install < insert name of OS >?
7.. Where can I ask Virtual PC for Mac questions?
8.. Why doesn't Virtual PC see my video card, NIC, or other device in my virtual machine? My host sees it fine.
9.. Please include details.
10.. Can I add more space to my virtual hard drive? I created a disk as 5 GB but now I need more. - Updated 02/23/2007
11.. I have a lot of RAM in my computer, but Virtual PC is only allowing me to allocate a very small amount. Task manager says I'm not using most of it. Why can't I use more memory?
12.. How can I install Windows Vista into a virtual machine? Virtual PC says the ISO size is limited to 2.2 GB. - Updated 02/23/2007
13.. I have a Gigabit NIC but my virtual machines only show a 10/100 NIC. Can I upgrade the emulated NIC to a 10/100/1000 NIC?
14.. I am experiencing problems with Virtual PC running on my laptop and have seen references to a fix, KB 889677. How can I obtain this fix?
15.. I have one copy of Windows and/or < program name >. Can I install it in multiple virtual machines?
16.. What is the difference between Virtual PC and Virtual Server? - Updated 02/23/2007
17.. Will the anti-virus on my host computer protect my guest virtual machines?
18.. I have installed the 64-bit version of Virtual PC on Windows 64-bit, but it doesn't seem to be a 64-bit application. Have I installed the correct version?
19.. Can I convert a physical machine to a virtual machine?
20.. Where did the Virtual PC console go? The program appears to be running but I do not see the console.
21.. What operating systems are officially supported by Virtual PC?
22.. About this post.

======================================

1. Where can I find more information on Virtual PC? - Added 8/3/2004

There are several websites with information about Virtual PC. These include:
Robert Moir's VPC 2004 FAQ (http://www.robertmoir.co.uk/win/VirtualPC2004FAQ.html)
Virtual PC Compatibility List (http://vpc.visualwin.com/)
Microsoft's Virtual PC Website (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/)
The blog of Ben Armstrong, the Virtual Machine team's Program Manager (http://blogs.msdn.com/Virtual_PC_Guy/)
And for VPC 5.2 (and some VPC 2004):
Steve Jain's Virtual Machine Download Site (http://vpc.essjae.com/)

Also, never underestimate the Virtual PC help file. You can check it at anytime by clicking "Help" and then selecting "Virtual PC Help" on the Virtual PC Console window.

======================================

2. I have a question about Virtual Server. - Added 8/3/2004

The Virtual Server newsgroup is microsoft.public.virtualserver. All Virtual Server questions should be posted there for the best response.
The web-based newsreader is available at http://www.microsoft.com/communities....virtualserver

======================================

3. When will the next Virtual PC be released? - Updated 02/23/2007 - Added 8/3/2004

Virtual PC 2007 was released in February 2007. Information about this version (including the download, free of charge) is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pro...c/default.mspx.

======================================

4. Are there "VPC Additions" for Linux (and other operating systems)? - Updated - 06/02/2007 - Added 8/3/2004

No, there are only VPC Additions for some versions of Windows. Linux VM Additions have been released for Virtual Server 2005 and users have reported success with several Linux distributions and Virtual PC 2004/2007, though this is currently unsupported. In addition, Steve Jain's website (listed above) contains the Virtual PC 2004 Service Pack 1 Additions, which should work, but are unsupported, in some additional guest OSes running under Virtual PC 2007 (and later).

======================================

5. Does Virtual PC run Mac OS? Why not? - Updated 11/12/2006 - Added 8/3/2004

Prior to the switch to Intel processors, Mac OS ran computers that used PowerPC processors - a processor not supported by Windows, which generally use x86 or x86-64 processors, and therefore one that VPC cannot utilize. There is an effort to run these PowerPC versions of Mac OS on an x86 processor called PearPC. Info about PearPC can be found at their website (http://pearpc.sourceforge.net/).


The newer versions of Mac OS now run on Intel x86 processors. These versions still will not run in Virtual PC, however, because Apple restricts the installation of their operating system to only their computers both by means of software and licensing limitations.

======================================

6. How do I install < insert name of OS >? - Added 8/3/2004

The same way you would on a real PC. Most modern OSes can boot off of their CD (or ISO image), but older OSes like Windows 95 and 98 usually require a boot floppy. A good collection of boot floppies is available at www.bootdisk.com.

======================================

7. Where can I ask Virtual PC for Mac questions? - Added 8/3/2004

In the newsgroup microsoft.public.mac.virtualpc. The microsoft.public.virtualpc newsgroup is only for Virtual PC for Windows.

======================================

8. Why doesn't Virtual PC see my video card, NIC, or other device in my virtual machine? My host sees it fine. - Added 8/3/2004

Virtual PC emulates a specific set of hardware regardless of your host. Your host's CPU is not emulated, and your virtual hardware is listed under "6.a.10" on http://www.robertmoir.co.uk/win/vpcf...OS.html#6.a.10.

======================================

9. Please include details. - Added 8/13/2004

Please remember to post your Virtual PC version number, host operating system & memory, CPU type, and guest operating system & memory (along with anything else that may be important to answering your question). Without information like this, it may be difficult (or impossible) to answer your question.

======================================

10. Can I add more space to my virtual hard drive? I created a disk as 5 GB but now I need more. - Updated 02/23/2007 - Added 8/30/2004

When you create a virtual hard drive, from that time forward it acts like a real hard drive. The same way you can't add space to a real hard drive, you can't add space to a virtual drive. You can image one virtual drive to another one that is bigger though.



There is, however, at least one third-party tool that allow for this. Information about it can be found at http://www.xtralogic.com/products_vhd_utility.shtml.

======================================

11. I have a lot of RAM in my computer, but Virtual PC is only allowing me to allocate a very small amount. Task manager says I'm not using most of it. Why can't I use more memory? - Added 10/5/2004

This problem is generally caused by an old version of the InCD packet CD-writing application. You can get the updated version here. (http://www.nero.com/en/nero-up.php)

======================================

12. How can I install Windows Vista into a virtual machine? Virtual PC says the ISO size is limited to 2.2 GB. - Updated 02/23/2007 - Added 8/25/2005

Virtual PC 2007 supports Windows Vista and should have no issues installing it. For more information on Virtual PC 2007, visit http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pro...c/default.mspx.

======================================

13. I have a Gigabit NIC but my virtual machines only show a 10/100 NIC. Can I upgrade the emulated NIC to a 10/100/1000 NIC? - Added 11/24/2005

Although the emulated NIC is a 10/100 NIC, the actual speed it goes is only limited by your host hardware. Therefore, if you have a 10 mbps NIC in your host, the guest will only go up to 10mbps, and the same is true for 100 mbps and 1000 mbps host NICs.

======================================

14. I am experiencing problems with Virtual PC running on my laptop and have seen references to a fix, KB 889677. How can I obtain this fix? - Added 7/14/2006

This hotfix is included with the free download of Virtual PC 2004, available at the Microsoft Virtual PC website (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/), in the "Laptop Hotfix" folder of the ZIP file. Information about the update can be found in the text file within that directory. Note: This update is only intended for laptop and notebook computers.

======================================

15. I have one copy of Windows and/or < program name >. Can I install it in multiple virtual machines? - Added 10/6/2006

No. To install a copy of Windows (or most other licensed programs) onto a computer you will need one license per each computer that you wish to install it on. Virtual machines are considered separate machines for this purpose, therefore you will need a separate license for the host computer (that is, the computer on which you installed Virtual PC), and each of the virtual machines you are running. There are certain exceptions to this rule - which would be clearly marked in that product's end-user licensing agreement.

======================================

16. What is the difference between Virtual PC and Virtual Server? - Updated 02/23/2007 - Added 10/6/2006

The main difference between Virtual PC and Virtual Server is their target markets: Virtual PC is generally aimed towards developers, while Virtual Server is designed more for businesses doing server consolidation. Several other differences stem out from this key difference:



Virtual PC:

Supports sound in guest OSes

Runs in a window on the host

Only officially supports running a handful of consumer-level operating systems (though many unsupported OSes work as well, see <a href=""http://vpc.visualwin.com"">http://vpc.visualwin.com)

Only officially supports running on a handful of consumer operating systems, though it can run on the business-level OSes Virtual Server supports



Virtual Server:

Does not have sound in guest OSes

Runs as a service on the host, enabling the guest machines to run without a window on the host

Has a web-based configuration which allows the remote modification of settings

Has a web-based remote control, allowing users to remotely connect to their machines

Supports the limiting of CPU resources to specific machines

Only officially supports running many business-level operating systems, including several Linux varieties. Generally, the same OSes as above work in Virtual Server

Only officially supports running on several business-level operating systems, though it can run on most of the same OSes as Virtual PC

======================================

17. Will the anti-virus on my host computer protect my guest virtual machines? - Added 10/6/2006

No. Each virtual machine is like a separate computer. The same way having a standard anti-virus program on one computer wouldn't protect another computer sitting near the first computer, each guest virtual machine requires its own anti-virus installation to be protected.

======================================

18. I have installed the 64-bit version of Virtual PC on Windows 64-bit, but it doesn't seem to be a 64-bit application. Have I installed the correct version? - Added 5/13/2007

The main difference in the 64-bit version of Virtual PC is that it uses a 64-bit virtualization driver. The Virtual PC application is still 32-bit, so it will show as 32-bit in Task Manager. This is normal, and you have the correct version.

======================================

19. Can I convert a physical machine to a virtual machine? - Added 10/6/2007

In general this "may" be possible, though the same issues that can occur when migrating from one physical machine to another may be encountered. There is a series of tips, posted by Ben Armstrong of Microsoft's virtualization team, which help ease the transition: http://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy...=migrating&p=1.

======================================

20. Where did the Virtual PC console go? The program appears to be running but I do not see the console. - Added 10/6/2007

There are several ways to resolve this issue. Among them:
Browse to %appdata%\Microsoft\Virtual PC\
Backup the "Options.xml" file and load the original in a text-editing application
Under the "console" section, remove the entries for "left_position" and "top_position"
After saving the changes, load Virtual PC

Several other options are posted here: http://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy...c-console.aspx.

======================================

21. What operating systems are officially supported by Virtual PC? - Added 2/16/2008

As per the help file, Virtual PC 2007 supports the following guest operating systems:

Windows Vista Ultimate

Windows Vista Enterprise

Windows Vista Business

Windows XP Professional

Windows XP Home Edition

Windows 2000 Professional

Windows 98 Second Edition

OS/2 Warp 4 OS/2 Fixpack 15, OS/2 Warp Convenience Pack 1, and OS/2 Warp
Convenience Pack 2



Note, however, that Virtual PC can run many more operating systems, though they are not officially supported by Microsoft. To see some examples of this, visit the Virtual PC Compatibility List mentioned in question #1.

======================================

22. About this post. - Added 8/18/2004

This message was automatically posted in order to help newcomers to microsoft.public.virtualpc by answering some of the most frequently asked questions from the group.

======================================

Regards,

The Microsoft.Public.VirtualPC FAQ Poster