Windows 7: Installing software on WinXP virtual machine

Hi,

Yesterday I set up a virtual machine running Windows XP service pack 3 OS as guest. The host OS is Windows 7.
It works and all but how do I let the virtual machine correspond with the hardware from the host? How do I install programs/software/utilities/games on the guest OS?

What do you recommend?
Can you please give me step by step instructions or a link on "how to's"?

Thanks ahead.

Please could you first tell which virtualization program you are using? Microsoft Virtual PC, Oracle Virtualbox, VMware Player? It is quite difficult to answer your questions without knowing which platform you are using.

Kari

Oh yeah, my bad. I am using Oracle Virtualbox. I think its the latest stale version. Host OS is Windows 7 32-bit and guest OS Windows XP sp 3 32-bit.

Please let me know if you need anymore info about the system to help me out with it. This is my first time running a virtual machine. Is Oracle Virtualbox good or do you recommend me using a different VMware platform?

OK, let's start. First you need to install VirtualBox Guest Addiditions to your XP guest. This post shows how. The Guest Additions are essential to really integrate a guest system to host; it gives you for instance easier networking, host to guest or guest to host copy & paste, and so on.

Then network: read this post to set XP guest to communicate with the host. Open the settings windows for XP guest in VirtualBox and just follow the steps.

Give me half an hour, I make you a list of other things you should do, and how to do them

Kari

Okay. Looking forward to the list of options. Note:I don't have internet access. While running virtual XP, I want to install some additional software and a driver for an USB EDGE modem to access the internet. But first I need the Host and Guest OS to correspond with each other.

Some settings you might want to edit:

First, the amount of RAM. You can assign as much as you want to. Maximum is about half a gig less than the amount of RAM on your host:



A virtual machine can not use GPU and audio card of your host; instead, it uses emulated hardware. GPU setting lets you to choose how much video RAM is used, my recommendation is to use the maximum 128 MB. Also, with Windows guest machines it is recommended you enable both 3D and 2D acceleration:



Here you have a very limited choice of audio devices you can use:



From Shared Folders you can select all host folders you want to have available in guest. Click the small folder symbol at right to add folders:



When XP guest is running, you can add any of host's CD/DVD drives or any ISO-file to be used as guest machine's D: drive:



USB menu let's you choose which host USB devices should be attached to guest:



To change the resolution of your XP guest you just need to change its window size (if Guest Additions are installed). Resolution is then adjusted automatically. You can also switch to full screen or seamless mode:



The VirtualBox menu bar disappears when full screen or seamless mode. To show VirtualBox menus, move the pointer over the lower edge of the taskbar (in the middle of taskbar):



Seamless mode is something I like and use very much. It integrates the guest completely to host desktop, making its display transparent, shared with the host. Here's an example, my desktop just moments ago. Main display on the right showing normal Seven desktop, left display running XP guest in seamless mode:



Ask if you need to know more.

Kari

It is starting to look clearer now, but have yet to try it out. Hopefully it'll work just fine. Hope you don't me bothering you for more help after this one. Thanks again

Not at all. Do not hesitate to ask if you need more information.

Kari

Dude, the instructions you provided me with are solid. Did everything except for enabling 3D graphix and 2D video accelerator. When enabled, they tend to crash winxp when I'm running it in virtualbox. I successfully created a share folder though between my host & guest os. Transferred a couple of files and voila! Wundebar!
I still am not able to install the edge modem driver though. It seems like it has to be read from Windows 7 through to winxp and the driver is not Windows 7 compatible so it can't finish installing on winxp. I tried installing the driver on Windows 7 in safe mode. I gained access to the internet but stopped shortly after. During installation on host os in virtual machine, the install process sticks right at "installation almost finished, please wait" and this seems to go on forever. I've tried several methods: installing drivers in normal Windows 7 mode, in Windows 7 safe mode, copying the install files to my guest os, but all with the same result... Installation sticks, never completing the install. Any tips?

That 3D & 2D issue sounds weird. Those settings are about the first ones I enable for every Windows vm.

Have you tried to add the modem to guest vm from USB menu? If host does not recognize it, it is one of the unknown devices listed. You could also try to add it through com ports settings.



Kari