Virtual machine

[Ceder]

How to set Virtual PC for Windows XP? I need test programs in virtual
environment, for safe testing, as it may contain viruses, etc.

 

[Ceder]

Once you have Virtual PC installed and you go to start it...

Just try to pretend that it's an actual computer and you will soon see
how it works

In other words, you will have a (virtual) bios where you can set the
boot order...boot from the cd and be given the option to partition and
format your (virtual) harddrive

---------

There is several virtual machines. Which one is OK? Which one uses less
resources (hard drive space, etc).
Should I copy my programs into Virtual machine and run it from there?

Also, I want track what system changes program do when it launched: registry
keys added, files added/changed, all. A long time ago I used InCtrl utility
which can track that changes. But it not work on XP. Is there some tool that
can track this changes when program run on Virtual machine?

Ceder

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[[Forwarded to microsoft.public.virtualpc newsgroup via crosspost]]

---------

There is several virtual machines. Which one is OK? Which one uses less
resources (hard drive space, etc).
Should I copy my programs into Virtual machine and run it from there?

Also, I want track what system changes program do when it launched:
registry
keys added, files added/changed, all. A long time ago I used InCtrl
utility
which can track that changes. But it not work on XP. Is there some tool
that
can track this changes when program run on Virtual machine?

OT: Your posts' headers (Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1409) tell us
that you're running outdated & much less secure versions of Outlook Express,
Internet Explorer and WinXP. Check in at Windows Update ASAP!

Note: Support for WinXP (x86) SP2 ends on 13 July 2010. After that date,
computers running WinXP (x86) SP2 "will no longer receive software updates
from Windows Update" (i.e., Automatic Updates will not work and Windows
Update website will not be accessible) until SP3 has been manually
installed.

• What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported?
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/what-does-end-of-support-mean

 

[HeyBub]

Also, I want track what system changes program do when it launched:
registry keys added, files added/changed, all. A long time ago I used
InCtrl utility which can track that changes. But it not work on XP.
Is there some tool that can track this changes when program run on
Virtual machine?

Google "install+track+system+changes" yields over 10 million hits.

There are even FREE ones, for example:
http://www.epsilonsquared.com/

 

[VanguardLH]

How to set Virtual PC for Windows XP? I need test programs in virtual
environment, for safe testing, as it may contain viruses, etc.

VirtualPC newsgroup: microsoft.public.virtualpc

So do you have *separate* licenses to allow you to install another instance
of Windows on your host (inside a VM)? The instance of Windows running
inside a VM requires its own license. Every *concurrently* running VM will
require its own license for Windows (or you could use a free distro of Linux
inside the VM).

Have you yet installed VirtualPC 2007? If so, have you used their wizard to
create a new VM? That only creates the shell (the VM). Then you have to
install the OS just like you would in a real host. As I recall, I had to go
into the VM's BIOS screens to change the boot order so the CD drive got
detected before the hard drive (but it's been a long time since I last setup
my VM).

Asking "how to set up" is way too vague. When you post over in the VPC
newsgroup, you should provide more details of what you have and what you
plan to do.

 

[Ceder]

VirtualPC newsgroup: microsoft.public.virtualpc

So do you have *separate* licenses to allow you to install another instance
of Windows on your host (inside a VM)? The instance of Windows running
inside a VM requires its own license. Every *concurrently* running VM will
require its own license for Windows (or you could use a free distro of Linux
inside the VM).

Have you yet installed VirtualPC 2007? If so, have you used their wizard to
create a new VM? That only creates the shell (the VM). Then you have to
install the OS just like you would in a real host. As I recall, I had to go
into the VM's BIOS screens to change the boot order so the CD drive got
detected before the hard drive (but it's been a long time since I last setup
my VM).

Asking "how to set up" is way too vague. When you post over in the VPC
newsgroup, you should provide more details of what you have and what you
plan to do.

 

[Nil]

no, I am not going to instal ms Virtual PC 2007, it very slow,
bulky tool. Will not work anyway. I need something that use less
than 0,5% percent of system resources, very small, very fast,
coded in pure C (not Visual C++).

Then why did you specify it in your original post? Why didn't you list
these requirements in your original post? Why do you say "it won't
work", when thousands of people have found that it DOES work?

I'm sure you're not going to find many people here who are willing to
play silly tooth-pulling games with you.

You appear to be a troll.

 

[VanguardLH]

VanguardLH wrote ...


no, I am not going to instal ms Virtual PC 2007, it very slow, bulky
tool. Will not work anyway. I need something that use less than 0,5%
percent of system resources, very small, very fast, coded in pure C (not
Visual C++).

Then you lied. Just what did you think "How to set Virtual PC for Windows
XP?" was supposed to mean? Expect replies based on the question you
actually asked, not what you meant to ask. You said that you wanted to use
VPC and that means running an ENTIRE operating system as a guest on another
operating system. You thought an entire operating system would run with as
little resources as 0.5% (CPU usage presumably)? Uh huh. What does your
real OS use *now*?

I use VPC all the time as a test vehicle for unknown or untrusted software.
Yes, of course, it won't run as fast as the real host. Do you even know
what is a virtual machine? Everything in the hardware for the VM is
emulated in software except for the CPU. You thought software-emulated
hardware would run as fast as the real host that has access to the real
hardware?

Seems like what you want is to use multi-booting (to have multiple operating
systems in different partitions and select which one to load at boot time)
or to use swappable hard drives where each one has it own instance of an OS
(you pull out one hard drive and insert another to switch between the
operating systems but that requires powering down).

If you plan on using virtual machines then you should really do *some*
research beforehand. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_machine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualpc
http://www.goodells.net/virtualpc/index.htm

Sandboxing is a whole other story. Maybe that's what you want to use.
However, until you make up your mind there's no point in wasting time in
further replies.

Sandboxing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_(computer_security)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_(software_development)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandboxie (30-day trial, becomes nagware)

Virtualizing file I/O in the OS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Returnil
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_SteadyState
other similar products: Deepfreeze, Shadow Defender

You said that you wanted a safe environment to test your programs. Swapping
hard drives to change the OS is the safest. Using multiple partitions where
each loads a different instance of an OS is next. Virtual machines come
next. Sandboxing and virtualizing your OS are last but still quite usable.

I use both VirtualPC 2007 and Returnil to test new software or tweaks.
Alas, Returnil will wipe all changes when you reboot (they are working to
retain changes across Windows sessions and later let you discard all changes
in their next version but who knows when that'll show up). For unknown
software that could contain malware, I use a VM. For software that I might
not want to keep and simply want to check out (and which doesn't require a
reboot to complete their install), I use Returnil. VMs will be slow because
all the hardware is emulated in software. Returnil has little impact
because you are using your real host to allow the changes and hoping that
Returnil will catch them all and also hope that Returnil will undo all those
changes (by discarding the virtual disk to which all the caught changes were
applied).

Nothing makes up for doing backups, preferrably image backups (full or
incremental) to ensure that you can revert your hard disks back to a prior
state. If you don't backup then you deem your data as worthless or
reproducible. So despite using VPC2007 and Returnil, I still rely on my
daily scheduled image backups to let me revert my host back to a prior
state.

 

[SlickRCBD]

I just saw this thread and it caught my attention. I just installed a
fresh copy of Windows XP Pro and used automatic updates to bring it up
to SP3. I didn't pay much attention, but I don't think my cd has any
service packs, or if it does it's only SP1.
What's the best thing to do to prepare for the next time I invariably
need to pull out the install cd and do a clean install if I can't
simply sic automatic updates on it to have the least amount of trouble
getting a fully patched system set up from scratch?

 

[Paul]

I just saw this thread and it caught my attention. I just installed a
fresh copy of Windows XP Pro and used automatic updates to bring it up
to SP3. I didn't pay much attention, but I don't think my cd has any
service packs, or if it does it's only SP1.
What's the best thing to do to prepare for the next time I invariably
need to pull out the install cd and do a clean install if I can't
simply sic automatic updates on it to have the least amount of trouble
getting a fully patched system set up from scratch?

Download SP3 separately.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...A8-5E76-401F-BE08-1E1555D4F3D4&displaylang=en

Use a tool like NLite, to prepare a new installer CD, with SP3
slipstreamed into the install.

http://www.nliteos.com/guide/part1.html

After NLite is finished, you'll be able to take the resulting
output, and burn a new installer CD.

That will then allow you to install to SP3 level.

You'll still need a couple hundred other updates from
Windows Update. If there was a "rollup", things might
be different.

Another alternative, is to just back up your entire C:
drive, as it now stands. Assuming it is not infected,
you can restore the backup you make, at any future time,
and avoid all the downloads again. The disadvantage of that
approach, is it is only going to work for your current
hardware configuration. If your computer died, and you
bought an entirely new one, the backup image might not be
very easy to use. An installer CD is the most "portable"
solution, even if it doesn't happen to be very complete
(i.e. needs lots of Windows Updates).

Paul

 

[SlickRCBD]

Download SP3 separately.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5B33B5A8-5E7...

Use a tool like NLite, to prepare a new installer CD, with SP3
slipstreamed into the install.

http://www.nliteos.com/guide/part1.html

After NLite is finished, you'll be able to take the resulting
output, and burn a new installer CD.

That will then allow you to install to SP3 level.

On an unrelated note, is there anything similar that I can use to make
a Windows 98SE install cd from the setup files in the c:\windows
\options\cabs on my old Dell optiplex gx110? I don't have a working
restore cd for it and need one. I've made a backup of the hard drive
onto a virtual pc setup as I don't have any imaging software at home,
but would feel better if I could make a clean install from a cd if
necessary.

It seems nlite is only for NT based Windows.

 

[Paul]

On an unrelated note, is there anything similar that I can use to make
a Windows 98SE install cd from the setup files in the c:\windows
\options\cabs on my old Dell optiplex gx110? I don't have a working
restore cd for it and need one. I've made a backup of the hard drive
onto a virtual pc setup as I don't have any imaging software at home,
but would feel better if I could make a clean install from a cd if
necessary.

It seems nlite is only for NT based Windows.

All I can say, is I see sites on the web selling CDs,
but they don't seem to be proper recovery CDs. As long
as you have some idea what a legitimate one looks like,
perhaps you can buy one.

Did the Optiplex have a utility, to burn a CD using the
files stored on the hard drive ? Perhaps you were
supposed to make your recovery CD that way. Generally,
that mechanism is limited to burning one CD, and you'd make
copies after that on your own.

Paul