No success in installing XP in guest system

[GGBJR]

I am using VMware Workstation (v. 6.5.4) on a Dell desktop, which uses a Vista 64-bit platform. I am trying to set up a guest system that will use XP (SP3). I have done this successfully on another similarly-configured desktop. I already have Vista 32-bit set up in a guest system.

On the Summary page, I click on File\New to start the process for installing Windows XP (SP3). When Windows Setup is starting the install of XP (it's an Upgrade version), I receive the following message: "Setup cannot find a previous version of Windows installed on your computer. Insert a Windows CD ."

Obviously, the XP software is attempting to ensure that a valid Windows system pre-existed. When I insert any one of a number of original Windows CDs (e.g., Windows 95, Windows 2000, etc.), I nevertheless receive an error message, which states, "Setup could not read the CD, or the CD is not a valid Windows CD."

These are all valid CDs, and I have gone through this process, as mentioned earlier, on another desktop. Why is XP not recognizing the CDs installed this time around?

Note: I recently upgraded to Workstation 6.5.4 from v. 6.5.2, but I "think" that this is a Windows XP setup problem.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

Gordon Biggar

Houston, Texas

[GGBJR]

Someone on an XP Users forum suggested that I load the original version of Windows XP Home Edition that I have, and that I then install the XP Professional Upgrade version that I have over it. This installation of the Home Edition went successfully, but when I went to install the XP Professional Upgrade version, it turns out that the Home Edition version is "newer" than the Professional version, and Windows won't let me install it. However, Windows tells me that I can get around this by booting up to the XP Professional CD directly, doing a new install, and overriding the Home Edition install. But, I don't seem to be able to get the F12 function key to work at boot time to alter the boot process. Hence, the boot process bypasses the CD-drive, and goes directly to the hard drive.

What am I doing wrong?

GB

[uy]

I suspect yr MS OS installation CD is contributing to this issue.

It had been a while already that I upgraded from workstation v.6.5.x to 7.x. Previously, when I was using what you are using, it worked for me to install XP using an ISO of MS disc.

I can suggest a way for you to by-pass your issue:

download 30 days evaluation for workstation 7.x to install this XP guest then use it with your v 6.5.x :smileysilly: the v 7.x have rather automated installation by a floppy disk image provided by vmware that has OS auto installation scripts- they worked nicely for me all these whiles. Saved me time too.

If you adopted this approach, your trouble is to uninstall v 6.5.x and install v 7.x and then after doing the XP guest uninstall v 7.x & reinstall v 6.5.x

That will be very time consuming. :smileyshocked:

u.y.

[GGBJR]

Dr. u.y. --

I think that I will hold the v.7 routine in abeyance, since I don't have the hours to devote at the moment to this approach (although I may be forced into this route eventually!). I have installed the XP Pro Upgrade successfully at least three times in the last six months, and each time the install asks for a Windows CD for verfication, and each time this has worked.

In the XP Home Edition guest system I created, I have used the "NAT" setting to connect to the host and to the Internet, but so far this hasn't worked (I know very little about XP). On the systems where I installed the XP Pro, the Internet connection from the guest was a piece of cake. Maybe it's the difference in the two versions of XP. Since the XP guest is not frequently used, I just may try to get the Home Edition version to work until I have more time.

My thanks for your inputs, regardless!

GGB

[louyo]

>>What am I doing wrong?

F12 is for your host system during boot cycle, not a VM. VMware BIOS uses the Esc key for that.

You can add: bios.bootDelay = "5000"

to your .vmx file to allow more time to hit the Esc key (click in the VM first). That should bring up the menu to boot from CD.

Lou

[GGBJR]

Lou --

What is the procedure for editing the .vmx file? When I click on the file, it brings up the Summary page. As you noted, the boot into the guest is so rapid that I can't make the Esc key work.

I located the VMware manual, and found that from the Summary view I could also click on VM\Power\Power on to Bios, which did the trick.

GB

[louyo]

>>I located the VMware manual,

Don't let anyone know you did that, you will be ostra... er, ostri... er thrown out of here .

>>and found that from the Summary view I could also click on VM\Power\Power on to Bios, which did the trick.

That works.

I use vim to edit the .vmx file but notepad does just as well. Avoid using any word processors that put tags and such in there.

Lou

[GGBJR]

The boot delay works, as advertised. Does the "5000" refer to 5.000 seconds (of delay)? So, if I wanted a ten-second delay, I could enter "10000" instead?

Since I would still like to be able to use my XP Pro Upgrade CD, could I still boot to XP Home Edition (i.e., the guest), and then run the XP Pro install from within the Home Edition environment, instead of booting directly to the XP Pro CD, and then having it overwrite the Home Edition? Or, is this not your bag?

GB