Would anyone give a brief guide to copying my current xp installation
and then running it on a new physical pc?

Is it

1) install something like VMware Converter onto current xp machine

2) create VM file

3) copy vm file to new machine

4) run vm

or more complicated?

AJH

On 09/08/14 11:42, wrote:

Would anyone give a brief guide to copying my current xp installation
and then running it on a new physical pc?

Is it

1) install something like VMware Converter onto current xp machine

2) create VM file

Yup.

On "Select Destination" type menu: choose "VMWare Workstation or other
VMWare Virtual Machine".

On "Select VMWare product" menu: choose "VMWare Player 6.0"

Choose destination (external USB HDD) as image will be large.
Edit devices, reduce CPU count to one, and maybe also reduce size of RAM.


3) copy vm file to new machine

4) run vm

Either in VMWare Player, or Virtual Box (set up new VM, use existing
virtual HD when setting up.)

Either which can be installed on Linux OS.


or more complicated?

AJH


Nah...

--
Adrian C

On Sat, 09 Aug 2014 12:03:38 +0100, Adrian C
wrote:

Either in VMWare Player, or Virtual Box (set up new VM, use existing
virtual HD when setting up.)

Either which can be installed on Linux OS.

Cheers.
Is it still possible to dual boot Windows 8.1 and linux?

AJH

On 09/08/14 13:07, wrote:
On Sat, 09 Aug 2014 12:03:38 +0100, Adrian C
wrote:

Either in VMWare Player, or Virtual Box (set up new VM, use existing
virtual HD when setting up.)

Either which can be installed on Linux OS.

Cheers.
Is it still possible to dual boot Windows 8.1 and linux?

Yeah, but if are interested in running windows applications mainly on
this machine, then just install VMWare Player or VB straight on Win 8
for your virtual XP session. Try a linux VM there also, safer than dual
boot.

You don't have to use Linux as a base OS. Just me being an (useless)
advocate.

One little issue Windows 8 has is that their shutdown is by default (but
you can change this) a hibernate. If you install another operating
system by dual boot (I prefer grub) and that makes changes to the
windows system from outside, these are wiped out when restarting back
into Windows 8.

--
Adrian C

On Sat, 09 Aug 2014 13:23:26 +0100, Adrian C
wrote:

Is it still possible to dual boot Windows 8.1 and linux?

Yeah, but if are interested in running windows applications mainly on
this machine, then just install VMWare Player or VB straight on Win 8
for your virtual XP session. Try a linux VM there also, safer than dual
boot.

You don't have to use Linux as a base OS. Just me being an (useless)
advocate.


I currently dual boot Kubuntu or XP but have some windows only
software that apparently won't run on W8.

I was thinking of buying a zoostorm i5 and can get it with no OS, I
can always buy 8.1 later for an extra 70 quid if need be.

AJH

On 09/08/14 13:37, wrote:
On Sat, 09 Aug 2014 13:23:26 +0100, Adrian C
wrote:

Is it still possible to dual boot Windows 8.1 and linux?

Yeah, but if are interested in running windows applications mainly on
this machine, then just install VMWare Player or VB straight on Win 8
for your virtual XP session. Try a linux VM there also, safer than dual
boot.

You don't have to use Linux as a base OS. Just me being an (useless)
advocate.


I currently dual boot Kubuntu or XP but have some windows only
software that apparently won't run on W8.

I was thinking of buying a zoostorm i5 and can get it with no OS, I
can always buy 8.1 later for an extra 70 quid if need be.

AJH

I boot MINT 14 and run XP in a VM.

works perfectly OK for the few apps I use on it


--
Everything you read in newspapers is absolutely true, except for the
rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge. €“ Erwin Knoll

On Sat, 09 Aug 2014 12:03:38 +0100, Adrian C
wrote:

On 09/08/14 11:42, wrote:

Would anyone give a brief guide to copying my current xp installation
and then running it on a new physical pc?

Is it

1) install something like VMware Converter onto current xp machine

2) create VM file

Yup.

On "Select Destination" type menu: choose "VMWare Workstation or other
VMWare Virtual Machine".


OK that seemed rather painless, posting this with forte agent running
as an xp vm with Mint 17.

Only problem is the full screen window is only occupying 2/3 of the
screen.

AJH

On Sat, 13 Sep 2014 20:39:46 +0100, wrote:

On Sat, 09 Aug 2014 12:03:38 +0100, Adrian C
wrote:

On 09/08/14 11:42, wrote:

Would anyone give a brief guide to copying my current xp installation
and then running it on a new physical pc?

Is it

1) install something like VMware Converter onto current xp machine

2) create VM file

Yup.

On "Select Destination" type menu: choose "VMWare Workstation or other
VMWare Virtual Machine".


OK that seemed rather painless, posting this with forte agent running
as an xp vm with Mint 17.

Only problem is the full screen window is only occupying 2/3 of the
screen.


From memory, I think that's just a case of setting the 'autosize'
option (advanced graphics properties for the VBox VGA driver - right
click desktop properties advanced...). If not there, it'll be
_somewhere_ in the coniguration options.
--
J B Good

On Sat, 09 Aug 2014 11:42:25 +0100, news wrote:

Would anyone give a brief guide to copying my current xp installation
and then running it on a new physical pc?

Is it

1) install something like VMware Converter onto current xp machine

2) create VM file

3) copy vm file to new machine

4) run vm

or more complicated?

AJH

Thanks for the pointer, very useful for migrating my Vista machine.

One thing, though....

Do you run the converter on the OS you are currently using?
i.e. copy yourself to a VM whilst you are active

Or do you run it from another OS pointing it to the disc partition where
your OS to be converted resides?

TIA

Dave R

On 09/08/14 15:27, David.WE.Roberts wrote:

Thanks for the pointer, very useful for migrating my Vista machine.

One thing, though....

Do you run the converter on the OS you are currently using?
i.e. copy yourself to a VM whilst you are active

Or do you run it from another OS pointing it to the disc partition where
your OS to be converted resides?

It's run on the powered on machine, for simple jobs like this.

You can also run VMWare Converter on another machine (and another if you
like to monitor) and have that orchestrate the entire job, pulling data
straight across the network from PC onto your visualisation server (ESXi
5.1) as a new fully configured virtual machine. But more complex user
setup particularly as the ESXi connection wanted that to be SSL.

Amazing you can do so much in a test lab with free-of-cost software from
VMware! but geeky.....

--
Adrian C

On 09/08/14 15:57, Adrian C wrote:
On 09/08/14 15:27, David.WE.Roberts wrote:

Thanks for the pointer, very useful for migrating my Vista machine.

One thing, though....

Do you run the converter on the OS you are currently using?
i.e. copy yourself to a VM whilst you are active

Or do you run it from another OS pointing it to the disc partition where
your OS to be converted resides?

It's run on the powered on machine, for simple jobs like this.

You can also run VMWare Converter on another machine (and another if you
like to monitor) and have that orchestrate the entire job, pulling data
straight across the network from PC onto your visualisation server (ESXi
5.1) as a new fully configured virtual machine. But more complex user
setup particularly as the ESXi connection wanted that to be SSL.

Amazing you can do so much in a test lab with free-of-cost software from
VMware! but geeky.....

I am not sure about virtual box.

Which is a better way to handle the screen than VMware in my opinion.

The problem is that you are expecting windows to work with different
(virtual) hardware..

So a fresh install is usually the way bit lets have a look

https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Migrate_Windows

Is a guide that MAY work for you, but isn't guaranteed.


--
Everything you read in newspapers is absolutely true, except for the
rare story of which you happen to have first-hand knowledge. €“ Erwin Knoll

On Sat, 09 Aug 2014 15:57:50 +0100, Adrian C wrote:

On 09/08/14 15:27, David.WE.Roberts wrote:

Thanks for the pointer, very useful for migrating my Vista machine.

One thing, though....

Do you run the converter on the OS you are currently using?
i.e. copy yourself to a VM whilst you are active

Or do you run it from another OS pointing it to the disc partition
where your OS to be converted resides?

It's run on the powered on machine, for simple jobs like this.

You can also run VMWare Converter on another machine (and another if you
like to monitor) and have that orchestrate the entire job, pulling data
straight across the network from PC onto your visualisation server (ESXi
5.1) as a new fully configured virtual machine. But more complex user
setup particularly as the ESXi connection wanted that to be SSL.

Amazing you can do so much in a test lab with free-of-cost software from
VMware! but geeky.....

Well, I ran it and it worked - although there were a few mis-steps on the
way.

Now running Player V6 against a Player V6 image.

I created the image on this PCSpecialist PC and I am now running the image
on the same PCSpecialist PC.

i.e. the VM is running on the native platform it used to be 'real' on.

I would have thought that there should be no hardware issues as it already
has installed all the drivers for the native hardware.

However it is going through a load of driver installation scripts for new
hardware, and claims not to be able to find any drivers for the network
card.

Should it be looking in the area where the original Windows stored all the
drivers? In which case why can't it find them?

Anyway, looking potentially promising but a bit puzzling.

Cheers

Dave R

--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

David wrote:

the VM is running on the native platform it used to be 'real' on.

I would have thought that there should be no hardware issues as it already
has installed all the drivers for the native hardware.

Irrelevant for a virtual machine, the VM won't see the native hardware,
so those drivers won't be used.

However it is going through a load of driver installation scripts for new
hardware, and claims not to be able to find any drivers for the network
card.

The hardware it's looking for drivers for is the virtual hardware,
typically for the NIC a simulated PCnet32 Lance or Intel E1000 or
alternatively a VMware VMXNET which is a paravirtual device for which no
physical equivalent exists - same for disc controllers, discs, graphics
etc, what the VM sees isn't the physical hardware.

You'll soon get your head around the fact that almost everything the
Virtual XP sees isn't real.

Do you get "VMware tools" with player?

On 10/08/14 12:24, David wrote:

i.e. the VM is running on the native platform it used to be 'real' on.

I would have thought that there should be no hardware issues as it already
has installed all the drivers for the native hardware.

Nope, the 'hardware' it is running on, is a mash of the virtual and
selected hardware interfaces offered to it by the hypervisor. You will
be prompted on starting the session to install a package of drivers for
these specifically for the Guest OS. i.e. VMWare Tools


However it is going through a load of driver installation scripts for new
hardware, and claims not to be able to find any drivers for the network
card.

Odd that.

The standard network card is normally plain vanilla Intel. Check the
hardware config but installing VMWare Tools should sort it.

--
Adrian C

On Sun, 10 Aug 2014 12:40:05 +0100, Adrian C wrote:

On 10/08/14 12:24, David wrote:

i.e. the VM is running on the native platform it used to be 'real' on.

I would have thought that there should be no hardware issues as it
already has installed all the drivers for the native hardware.

Nope, the 'hardware' it is running on, is a mash of the virtual and
selected hardware interfaces offered to it by the hypervisor. You will
be prompted on starting the session to install a package of drivers for
these specifically for the Guest OS. i.e. VMWare Tools


However it is going through a load of driver installation scripts for
new hardware, and claims not to be able to find any drivers for the
network card.

Odd that.

The standard network card is normally plain vanilla Intel. Check the
hardware config but installing VMWare Tools should sort it.

Thanks ANdy/Adrian:

Thought VMWare Tools had installed, but it is installing now.

First pass VMWare identified the OS as a Server version - I've change that
to Vista now and we shall see how it goes.

This is the first time I've seen problems with a network card - I thought
everything was virtual but when it started saying it couldn't find the
drivers I assumed that I must have bee wrong in some way.

It also bitches about the sound card, and the Base System Device it can't
sort is a VMWare VMCI bus device.

Anyway, Vista32 does seem to be almost all there.

If I can get over this networking hurdle I might finally be able to
migrate everything to Windows 8.1.1 and recover the old HDD for use in
another system.

Only about a year late.

Cheers

Dave R

--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box