Beginner: How To Create a Virtual Machine in Windows 7 Using Virtual PC [1A]

[madeinheaven]

Microsoft Virtual PC is a free application that helps you create your own virtual machines inside your current operating system, so you can test software, or learn a new environment easily. Here’s how to get started.

Using Windows Virtual PC

First, you need to download Virtual PC from Microsoft’s web site. You’ll want to make sure to select the right Windows 7 edition from the drop-down menu and then select Windows Virtual PC.

It will ask you to install Virtual PC as a Windows software update.

You will need to restart after the installation is done.

After rebooting, you can find Windows Virtual PC in your start menu and select it to open the program.

Click on Create virtual machine in the new window that opened.

Now, you can write the name for your new Virtual Machine and the location to store the virtual machine file.

In the next window, you can select the amount of RAM memory to assign to your virtual machine.

In the next window, you will create a virtual hard disk where you will install your virtual operating system. You can select between a dynamically expanding virtual hard disk (it will grow according to your virtual machine space requirements), use an existing virtual hard disk or use advanced options.

In the advanced options window, you can select to create a dynamically expanding hard disk (the hard drive will grow as your virtual machine needs), a fixed sized hard drive (you assign the amount of storage for it) and a differencing hard drive (the changes will be stored in a different hard drive so the original hard drive can be intact)

We will use a dynamically virtual hard drive for this example.

You can now select the location for your virtual hard drive in your computer and the name for it.

As we selected the dynamically expanding virtual hard drive, we will specify the maximum storage space for it to grow in the next window.

And that’s pretty much it!

You have created a virtual machine and only need to install the operating system.

You can go to Virtual PC again, and will find your new Virtual Machine. Right click on it to select the settings or click on the Settings menu.

In the settings windows, you can specify where the installation disk for your new operating system is located to install it in your new virtual machine.

Go to DVD Drive and select Access a physical drive if you loaded the installation CD / DVD in the computer’s Rom.

Or select Open an ISO image to select an image with the installation files to install an operating system on your new virtual machine.

Once you’ve started up the virtual machine, just follow through the normal installation prompts to create your virtual operating system.

Source : howtogeek

[toyo]

Thanks for this (+1), I just tried it. It eats lots of my CPU (expected that). It's a E7200 without hardware virtualization features/instructions. At one time, this Virtual PC didn't even work without hardware support.

I have one question for the guys that are experimented in virtualization... what app should I use so it would have minimal impact on my poor CPU? Any Win7x64 very small images quick to install floating around? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

[majithia23]

you can check , whether your hardware supports virtualization or not and whether its switched on or not with this tool --- Hardware Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool from Microsoft ...

and regarding Virtualization , how about Virtualbox ?

read its quite light and good , and even suggests hardware settings after checking your installed hware specs ...

just know it does , m not sure ....

and never tried it though , (but planning to , shortly .. trying out a virtual system . )

[toyo]

Already installed VirtualBox. Seems nice. I'll install Ubuntu to see what's going on, but not now.

About the CPU: Is it really THAT bad, so people do not even recognize it? That old?

Nah, I'm just dealing with amazingly young guys :lol: already mentioned it doesn't have VT-x, I knew it years ago when I bought it, I'm a pretty tech guy :P Wanted a quad Q9450, or even a Q6600, but didn't have enough money. Nehalem was just a plan back then ;)

I read though that Sun are saying that their tech behind VirtualBox works faster than VT-x; could be. I'd still like an accelerated CPU :(

[majithia23]

hehe .... amazingly young guys ...! lol ...:P

the cpu is not that bad ,

i knew that make ...and it ,

should be better than mine atleast ...

Turion 64 x2 RM 72 .

this one sucks at multi tasking and is a hot furnace !

bad cpu ... :mellow:

i just posted the link for any one who wants to check his specs ,

and i was surprised to find that my stupid cpu supported HAV , after running the tool and then turned it on ... ( coz i never did dig deep into my BIOS settings before ,,, )!

and now plan to run a Virtual OS on it ..

A New Win 7 or Linux Maybe .... :)

(p.s. - let your tech skills cherish the performance of the new sandy bridge .. get one ... ;) )

[DKT27]

Thanks. I always had a hard time understanding the Virtual PC of M$ but not anymore. :)

VB is good. Just remember that if you are going to install Ubuntu, the latest Unity interface wont be enabled until you install virtualbox guest additions. Just go in one of the menu on top and select install guest additions while the VM is running. Whether Windows or Linux, once you've installed guest additions, using Virtualbox will make you feel like you are just using another software (not performance wise), but instead, it's a full OS. :)

[BKAMO]

Thanks for this.

[toyo]

Can't get Sandy Bridge - with how the things are going here, this could well be my last PC, lol. I'm not going to get a new PC then pay interest to the banks. I'm not giving them one penny.

AMD were nice enough to put hardware virtualization on almost all their CPUs.