Refreshing XP Mode

[GRoston]

What is the fast/easy way to wipe a virtual XP Mode machine and start afresh?

 

[Kari]

Open Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, uninstall Windows XP Mode. When done, click View installed updates (left pane). Choose Windows Virtual PC, click Uninstall.

Go to C:\Users\Your_Username\Virtual Machines, delete everything. Go to C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC, delete everything, except if you want to use your existing virtual machines after re-installing VPC. In that case, delete only folder VCMXBackup and file Options.xml, go to Virtual Machines folder and delete the virtual machines you don't want to keep. When deleting, remember every virtual machine has three files (hard drive image, settings, backup) if shut down, plus a saved state file if hibernated after last time used.

If you want to keep an old virtual machine and mount it later after re-installing VPC you just need to keep the vhd-file (Virtual Machine Hard Drive Image). You can delete all other files related to that vhd.

Kari

 

[GRoston]

Kari,

Thanks for the prompt reply. Based on your response, I may not have been clear. If all I want to do is remove an instance of a virtual machine (for example, the machine caught a virus), but do not want to uninstall XP mode, will simply deleting the .vhd file do the trick?

 

[Kari]

Sorry, misunderstanding.

Delete Your_Virtual_Machine.vmcx in C:\Users\Your_Username\Virtual Machines and corresponding .vhd, .vmc, .vmc.backup and .vsv files (.vsv exists only if virtual machine is hibernated) in C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines.

Kari

 

[GRoston]

Thx!

 

[GRoston]

Kari,

One more question (hopefully you'll see this). Based on your comments above, if I were to copy the files you mentioned, could I 'restore' a VM by simply replacing the existing files with the copies?

 

[Kari]

Basically, yes. I've made a tutorial about copying the XP Mode virtual machine. Following this tutorial, you can copy any existing virtual machine.

Kari

My virtual machines:

 

[GRoston]

You da man!

 

[xpmore]

You can use XP-More for the VM management

FWIW at this time, a tool called XP-More could easily solve your problem:

1. Keep a clean and untouched VM with the base installations you need
2. Use XP-More to create a copy of the VM, which you'll use from that point
3. When the active VM goes sour, use XP-More to delete it
4. And then create a new copy of the clean VM to work with.