Moving XP Mode to another Laptop

[bww]

Hello there,
I am running XP Mode on my Windows 7 Pro Laptop and want to copy my exact xp mode setup to another Windows 7 Pro Laptop (my wife's) that has not downloaded and installed either VirtualPc nor XP Mode.

I am not sure if I do the installation first or copy the needed files (what files from my system do I need?). I looked in the install tutorial and it has a part that points to a vhd but I was not clear when I install xp mode etc.

Thanks

 

[brady]

Installation of virtualPC should come first. Your Virtual XP mode is a .vmcx file that can be copied out of your local profile: C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines\***.vhd

Config file is a .vhc
executable is a .vmcx

 

[Kari]

First, install Virtual PC and XP Mode to your wife's computer. Also the XP Mode, installing it is needed for Windows to register the base vhd correctly (C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode\Windows XP Mode base.vhd).

Copy then the XP Mode vhd file (default location %Userprofile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines\Windows XP Mode.vhd) from your computer to your wife's computer. Remember to rename it if you copy it to XP Mode's default location, to differ it from the original XP Mode vhd.

Follow now the steps described in this tutorial to create a new virtual machine, using the vhd file you copied as described in step 9 in the tutorial.

This might also give you some ideas. Come back to tell how it went

Kari


EDIT:

Config file is a .vhc
executable is a .vmcx

.vhc file extension does not belong to Virtual PC. All different VPC file types can be seen in the beginning of this tutorial.

 

[bww]

Thanks Kari for the detailed instructions, I will be trying it out next week and will report back.

 

[bww]

Thanks Kari for the detailed instructions, I will be trying it out next week and will report back.

Well I did all of the transfer and it didn't work, it said "Cannot attach the virtual hd to the virtual machine.

I think the problem is my base vhd is on my y: drive and my wife's base is on the x: drive in a folder. I tried to do another at my work and it worked fine NOT using my file and with a system that has the base in the default position, so I think I am familiar now with creating from a vhd file.

I also tried just copying my file over another xpmode vhd that was created with the base in the same place and when I started it came back and said a key file or something is missing (it sounded like it was referring to the base).

Anyway is there some problem with having the base file in a strange place and the other vhds in non standard places? I did that to keep them off my c: drive but it may have messed things up here.

Any suggestions?

 

[Kari]

The XP mode base vhd should not be moved from it's default location, it should stay where installation puts it, in Program Files\Windows XP Mode. XP Mode itself can be located wherever you want to as long as the .vmcx and .vmc files are actualized.

If you have some patience, you could try the "old fashioned" way to copy XP Mode as told in here, making a copy of the vhd and then modifying the .vmcx and .vmc files. Move them .vhd, .vmcx and .vmc files to their correct locations on your wife's computer i.e. in folders with the same path and name as on your computer.

Kari

 

[bww]

Kari,
Thanks for the advice. After fooling around alot with this I think I have found out that someplace in the actual xpmode vhd file the base file location is used and hence if the locations are different it just won't work.
I just reinstalled xpmode and put the base where it defaults to and everything works perfectly. I was able to copy my xpmode vhd file to my wife's computer and everything works great.

Vhd files other than xpmode (which uses a base file) don't have this problem since everything is in the actual vhd file and doesn't need anything else.

Thanks again for your help.