Getting Started on Virtualization with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Part IV: Install Guest OS

Introduction

Now you have a virtual machine which hasn’t installed any operating system yet. It like you have a new another PC but it is in the virtual machine. So this part I show how install Windows XP on the virtual machine. But I won’t include full detail of how to install Windows XP.
Note: The operating system which is on virtual machine called Guest Operating System (Guest OS). The operating system on the physical PC is called Host Operating System (Host OS).

The series are divided into 7 parts:

Getting Started on Virtualization with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Part I: Introduction
Getting Started on Virtualization with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Part II: Installation
Getting Started on Virtualization with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Part III: New Virtual Machine
Getting Started on Virtualization with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Part IV: Install Guest OS
Getting Started on Virtualization with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Part V: Install Virtual Machine Additions
Getting Started on Virtualization with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Part VI: Configure Virtual Machine Settings
Getting Started on Virtualization with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, Part VII: Duplicate Virtual Machine

Step-by-step

Start the virtual machine. On Virtual PC Console, double-click on the virtual machine to start it or you can select the virtual machine and click Start button.
The virtual machine will be started. You’ll see the screen as similar as when you boot the physical PC (loading BIOS, detecting HDD, etc).
At this time, there is no operating system was installed on the virtual machine yet. So it keep finding a bootable system.
Start install an Operating System. Insert your Windows XP CD-ROM. But in this example, I use an ISO (image file) of Windows XP instead of a Windows XP CD. So I select CD -> Capture ISO Image.
Note: If you want to use Windows XP CD, you have to select CD -> Use Physical Drive after inserting a Windows XP CD.
In case you’re using Windows XP ISO Image. Browse to the ISO Image file. Click Open.
Reboot the virtual machine to boot into Windows XP installation CD or ISO Image file. Select Action -> CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
Now it will boot from CD (or ISO Image file).
Note: If the virtual machine isn’t loading Windows XP installation. You may need to configure boot sequence in BIOS on the virtual machine.
The Windows Setup is loading.
Select drive to install Windows XP.
Continue installing Windows XP.
When you working in the virtual machine, you notice that you can’t move your mouse outside the virtual machine. It is a different system. To release mouse from the virtual machine, press Right ALT.
Note: You can install Virtual Machine Additions on virtual machine to solve this annoyance issue which I’ll show in the next part.
After the installation finishes, now you have a guest operating system on your first virtual machine. You can work in the virtual machine as it is an another PC.