Mini newsgroup FAQ for the week of 3/18/2007
VPC_FAQ_POSTER
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 2005.
3.. When will the next Virtual PC be released? - Updated 02/23/2007
4.. Are there "VPC Additions" for Linux?
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.. About this post.
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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 VPC 2004 Site (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 VPC 5.2 Download Site (http://www.essjae.com/VPC/virtual_pc_downloads.htm)
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.
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2. I have a question about Virtual Server 2005. - 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/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx?dg=microsoft.public.virtualserver
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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/products/winfamily/virtualpc/default.mspx.
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4. Are there "VPC Additions" for Linux? - Added 8/3/2004
No, there are only VPC Additions for some versions of MS-DOS, Windows, and OS/2. 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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/vpcfaq/VPCFAQ6-InstallingGuestOS.html#6.a.10.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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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/products/winfamily/virtualpc/default.mspx.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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18. 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.
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Regards,
The Microsoft.Public.VirtualPC FAQ Poster