Use the Create New PC Assistant to create an empty virtual machine and then install an operating system of your choice.
To create a virtual machine
The Assistant displays possible formats for the virtual hard disk image based on the operating system you selected. Some file formats are not compatible with certain operating systems. Incompatible formats for the selected operating system appear dimmed and cannot be selected.
You can either accept the name that is provided, or you can create your own name. For best results, use the name of the operating system you are installing (for example, Windows XP Professional).
By default, the Assistant installs configuration information and operating system files for your virtual machine in the User/Documents/Virtual PC List folder on your Macintosh hard disk.
To continue, follow the steps to install an operating system.
To install an operating system:
A black screen with the message "OS not found. Install an OS on this hard drive." appears.
The CD is now captured for use by Virtual PC. If the CD is not automatically captured, in Virtual PC, on the Drives menu, click Capture Disc.
If you have an operating system that requires installing from a floppy disk, you need either a floppy disk drive on your Macintosh computer or a floppy disk image that contains the installation information. For more information about using floppy disk images, see Create a floppy disk image.
Note You must press a key on your keyboard quickly, without pausing. Otherwise, the black screen with the message "OS not found. Install an OS on this hard drive." appears again, and you will need to click Reset on the PC menu in Virtual PC.
If you are installing an unsupported operating system, refer to the instructions that came with your software.
Installing Microsoft Windows
If you are installing a version of Microsoft Windows that is not included with Virtual PC 7, wait while the Windows setup program installs the necessary files. This process might take some time.
After the files are installed, the Welcome to Setup screen appears for Windows. Use your keyboard instead of your mouse device to complete each task in the Windows installation wizard that follows.
To continue the installation of Windows
Accept the partition that is selected by default, which you selected when you created the virtual hard disk image, unless you are certain you want to do otherwise.
The file system that is selected by default reflects the partition option you selected in the Create New PC Assistant. Use the file system that is selected by default unless you are sure that you need to select a different file system. To select a different file system, use the arrow keys on your keyboard to select the file system, and then press RETURN.
Caution Do not convert your file system to the NTFS file system unless you are certain that you want to use the NTFS file system. You cannot convert back to a FAT file system once you have an NTFS file system. FAT32 provides the best compatibility with Virtual PC.
The Windows operating system files continue copying to your virtual hard disk image. There might be numerous progress screens, and this process might take some time.
The next steps are to configure the Windows operating system that you just finished installing and install Virtual Machine Additions.
See also