Ms virtual pc only does 32 bit os?

I was playing around with my new toy ms virtual pc.

But when i tried to put on a 64 bit os it didnt accept it.

Well i was wondering if there will be a new version of ms vpc that can run 64 bit or if i need to try a different program.

Is vm ware able to do it? and is vm ware free or do i need to pay money for it.

thanks :)

hey guys somthing else u should know is that i also want to have new operating systems such as the win 8 beta when it comes out :) and old stuf like win 98 on the virtual gest operating systems so the program needs to support both new and old OS'es thanks

Hi there
to run 64 bit Guest OS'es you will normally need to enable the VT (Intel) or equivalent AMD feature in the BIOS.

Once this is done --assuming you have a 64 bit CPU you can even run a 64 bit guest OS on a 32 bit HOST OS for example there is nothing to stop you running W7 X-64 Guest VM on an XP HOST -- although max mem both HOST and GUEST together can use on a 32 bit Host is 4GB. (Some versions of W2K3 server get round this restriction but normally 4GB is the limit for HOST 32 bit OS'es).

Vmplayer / vmworkstation and I think VBOX all support running 64 bit Guest OS'es on a 32 bit host provided the VT feature is enabled in the BIOS (most modern mobos have this enabled by default so you probably won't even see the option in the BIOS anymore).


Cheers
jimbo

Kari said:

Jimbo, what you say is of course true, provided the virtualization software used supports 64-bit guest. Microsoft Virtual PC does not, it only allows 32-bit guests.

Kari

Hi Kari

Another reason to use another system than Virtual PC --- vmplayer is free and IMO is far far superior to Virtual PC which is a bit of a cludge anyway.

It's also fairly simple for people with limited experience of Virtual Machines to get up and running with vmware player and there are a load of "ready made" Virtual appliances out there you can download and start using straight away.

I'd recommend anybody just starting with Virtualisation to use vmware's vmplayer to start with -- most things like USB pass through and sound card support are enabled which is what home users want.

Running servers is another matter of course. Most corporate servers aren't interested in attaching USB devices or getting Sound / video to work but at home people tend to want this type of stuff and why not.

VBOX also is good but it does seem a little bit more tricky to get it up and running. Vmware's vmplayer works "straight out of the box" in 99% of cases I've seen.

Cheers
jimbo