Methods to install windows as virtual machines...

I am almost embarrassed to ask this, but does anyone have a good tutorial on getting a windows VM machine up and running?

I am creating a VM pretty much the standard way I always do it, using the 120 trial windows images I have downloaded. But my VM is not reading my cdrom very well.

Now in the past I usually create linux and unix vritual machines. I could just point the cdrom to the iso on my hard drive and boom I was in business. But when I try to do the same process with the files i have gotten from microsoft it doesn't work.

Any suggestions?

The VM is just hanging when I try to start it after I create the machine. As if the virtual cdrom is not working.

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Comments

Sie

My first thought would be a faulty ISO file could be causing your problems, have you attempted to burn the ISO to CD and see if it works??

If they also provided the checksum you could validate the ISO is complete and correct.

You just do the same as you would with your Unix machines, create HD, choose ISO as CD image and boot the machine.

I would check the media first.

liven

Thanks I agree with your method but the image I got from windows doesn't seem to be an ISO. Do I need to convert it an ISO?

hypnotoad

MS likes to distribute software in VHD files -- which don't need to be burned, they are already Virtual Hard Drive "images" complete with OS. They also like to distribute files in .IMG format -- you should use a program called imgburn, which is free.

liven

Is it possible to combine two image files into one iso with this tool?

dynamik

Liven, what virtualization software are you using and what type of file did you get from MS?

VMWare Workstation (and possibly other VMWare products) will open MS VMs, such as what is included in the VHD. I just tested this the other day with the Exchange 2007 VHD.

If you just want to start them up, VHDs come ready to go. There is no installation or anything like that.

Turgon

liven wrote:

I am almost embarrassed to ask this, but does anyone have a good tutorial on getting a windows VM machine up and running?

I am creating a VM pretty much the standard way I always do it, using the 120 trial windows images I have downloaded. But my VM is not reading my cdrom very well.

Now in the past I usually create linux and unix vritual machines. I could just point the cdrom to the iso on my hard drive and boom I was in business. But when I try to do the same process with the files i have gotten from microsoft it doesn't work.

Any suggestions?

The VM is just hanging when I try to start it after I create the machine. As if the virtual cdrom is not working.

This is an excellent question. I would be interested in a cookbook to help someone mostly unfamilar with VMWare to quickly set up the Windows labs at home. I know a number of you are doing this. I had quite a bit of fun getting Netware 5 working in a VM on my Windows PC last year. I did post on the VMWare forum to get some insight into doing the networking so I could have a NW client and such running but nobody could be arsed to answer. I guess I didn't know enough about VMWare to justify a reply on the forum. I did see it in anger in 2002 but never had the time to play.

dynamik

I typically recommend this episode of IT Idiots for people wanting to break into VMWare: http://www.itidiots.com/content/view/65/67/

These types of questions come up repeatedly, so I think I'm going to create a guide for everyone. I'll cover the general information as well as the networking options. Feel free to PM me with any other questions. I'm pretty busy atm, but I will try to have this done by the end of the weekend. I honestly have no clue how long it will take.

liven

Oh I got it all working. But thanks for your answers, and comments.

I have used VMware bunches of times. I think originally I had a bad image file, I downloaded them again and VMWare sees them from the hard drive (if I point the VM cdrom to a local file, or reads from a disk).

My last question was just to see if I could paste the two images from microsoft together to make one ISO. I don't know why they broke the image into 2 pieces, cuz they will both fit on one disk.

I have used VMware countless times and usually have had no issues... Well I take that back, I have some intermittant networking issues when creating a solaris VM on a windows box. I was trying to FTP a flar from the windows box to the solaris VM, but the nic would just cut in and out for no reason...

Other than that all other Unix/Linux/Freebsd vm machines, and windows for that matter have usually worked well.

I guess I just jumped the gun... Working on to many things at the same time...

Thanks again