Converting MS-VPC image to VMware

[downhiller80]

As described here, I want to get a virtual image of XP with IE6 running for my web-dev testing:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archi...-pc-image-refresh.aspx

The download from MS is:
http://www.microsoft.com/downl...413C8EF&displaylang=en


Problem I have is I'm already running VMware for my LAMP environment, and if I try to run MS VPC at the same time they clash horribly and hang my PC. So I need to import the XP image into VMware Player. However when I try this (you can just open it in VMware Player and it should convert automatically) I get a "an error occurred during conversion" error.

Any ideas? Any easy way to sort this? (I don't have a windows XP CD)

 

[downhiller80]

Downloaded VMware converter instead of using the one built into VMware player and it appears to have worked :-D

 

[downhiller80]

"Appears" being the operative term, it wants to reinstall some drivers for my network card which I can't do because I don't have an XP CD 😡

 

[bsobel]

I know this is stupid issue but those images arent licensed for running under Vmware, in fact if you get them to boot I believe they will revert to non-activated status.

Its part of Vmwares complaint about MS's practices in the VM space...

 

[downhiller80]

Cheers bsobel, duly noted! I'm not going to fret tooooo much about that though, whilst what I'm trying to do may be technically "wrong" I think I'm on perfectly safe groud ethically.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: sebfrost
Cheers bsobel, duly noted! I'm not going to fret tooooo much about that though, whilst what I'm trying to do may be technically "wrong" I think I'm on perfectly safe groud ethically.

My point was more MS enforces this via code, so if you get this working the vm may revert to unactivated status and be unusable.

Just an FYI.
Bill

 

[QuixoticOne]

I wouldn't worry about the activated status too much,
you're just (my assumption) doing some quick compatibility
tests and not continuing to run the VM'ed OS.

That's why they give you the 30 days until activation
nagging starts to give time to do your compatibility
checking with your system, etc. before you even
are encouraged to decide if that is the system you want
to activate your license on more permanently.

BTW I think there's an IE6 for LINUX since you mentioned
running LAMP; I'm sure I have links to it from Microsoft
and maybe some 3rd party pages about how to
set it up for web compatibility testing etc.
Of course that could turn up differences in other areas
like system fonts, though I suspect that'd be mostly
irrelevant since even running on XP you can't really be sure
how someone's fonts are installed / configured.

WINE option:
http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Install_Internet_Explorer_6_SP1
http://blog.i64.pl/PiosBlog/20...t-explorer-6-on-linux/
that way you don't even need an XP install / license at all,
at least if you're confident you don't rely on any
COM/DCOM/Font/whatever stuff that would be super
system-depedent on XP vs WINE/whatever.


Also you might try QEMU / KVM too if VMWARE doesn't
work for you; those should be able to do the job too, though
of course you'd need an XP image to start out with.

If you're really going crazy on compatibility testing, pick
up a TechNet or MSDN or similar subscription of
the appropriate kind and you'll get access to a slew of their
different OS licences / software / etc. for compatibility
testing purposes.

 

[Nothinman]

I wouldn't worry about the activated status too much, you're just (my assumption) doing some quick compatibility tests and not continuing to run the VM'ed OS.

Web-dev testing is usually an ongoing process.

BTW I think there's an IE6 for LINUX since you mentioned running LAMP; I'm sure I have links to it from Microsoft and maybe some 3rd party pages about how to set it up for web compatibility testing etc.

There was IE for UNIX but IIRC it stopped at 5 and was only for Solaris and HP-UX anyway.

Also you might try QEMU / KVM too if VMWARE doesn't work for you; those should be able to do the job too, though of course you'd need an XP image to start out with.

They're a bit more painful to setup, but at least he might be able to use qemu-img to convert the image.

 

[bsobel]

That's why they give you the 30 days until activation

Thats for a 'normal' install, these virtual images are different and will return to the expired activation status if not running on VirtualPC.