Virtualize current XP setup for Windows 7?

[RawData]

Anybody yet successfully used Disk2vhd (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/ee656415.aspx) (by Mark "Sysinternals" Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell) to boot their working XP setup as virtual PC running on Windows 7?

Basically that utility could save some troubles from reinstalling and reconfiguring all the previous softwares at the same time, as your previous setup could be used virtually even after wiping the disk and installing Seven. Those previous softwares could be "moved" to Windows 7 later when time allows...

[sebus]

Thanks, did not yet use this one (as it is only 3 days "old"), but sure moved my old PC to VirtualPC 2007 via Ghost image
Not a problem at all

sebus

[RawData]

Thanks, did not yet use this one (as it is only 3 days "old"), but sure moved my old PC to VirtualPC 2007 via Ghost image
Not a problem at all

sebus

Disk2vhd seems to be updated pretty short intervals, so apparently their forum feedback is working. Latest I saw was v1.21.

So... ghost works and you can boot the image, too?

[stme68]

Hi,
I just try to create the VHD of my XP partition... VHD has been created, but when I try to create a Virtual Machine in W7, i see the the image is about 35GB but the total disk size allocated is too big (my HD is 750GB and divided in 5 partitions... the total size of the HD is written in the image as max dimension).
M$ virtual PC is managing up to 127GB disk size and I do not find any way to change this value... also used VHDResizer... no chance!!

RESULT: W7 do not load the VHD!!

Any suggestion on how to solve is apreciated.

Thanks

[sebus]

Yes, Ghost image works fine, as the image came from IDE & VPC emulates IDE, so no 07E BSoD error
Finds all hardware & installs it, then, only additions & you are done

stme68, use Ghost & only image/copy sys partition for the start

sebus

[RawData]

M$ virtual PC is managing up to 127GB disk size and I do not find any way to change this value... also used VHDResizer... no chance!!

RESULT: W7 do not load the VHD!!

Any suggestion on how to solve is apreciated.

Thanks
I saw the same problem, so I tried several versions of Disk2vhd. Version 1.30 even have intelide's in it, but I still was unable to get VHD working correctly with it.

Finally I installed Acronis True Image and cloned the system to smaller HD and made backup image of it. Converted that to VHD with ATI. Took out original system disk and put empty in, installed Win7... only have computer freezing with black screen at near the end of installation. Had to install again from the scracth, but Win7 worked.

The VHD I made earlier was bootable, but virtualized system did not load completely and crashed without error, so it may take some work.

I've been lately been busy and I need a working system, so who knows when I find free time to play with EyeCandy7 again...

[sebus]

Why all this messing about?

Just clone the system directly to VPV (boot VPC VM with WinPE). Job done

sebus

[RawData]

Why all this messing about?

Just clone the system directly to VPV (boot VPC VM with WinPE). Job done

sebus
Why? To let us use the previous nicely configured and tweaked XP system... with all those installed and configured softwares on it.

For example, I use some software which has no native 64bit (compatible with previous versions) available or they flat out don't work in 64bit Seven. While some of those can be replaced with other softwares, I don't have too much spare time. That is, being without non-working system while installing and configuring hordes of software and still manage to find replacements for some of them.

Virtualizing the previous system saves time and effort. If I only could get it to work well enough. Currently I still mainly use XP and only when I have a little spare time, swap HD's to boot up Win7.

[sebus]

Exactly, do not mess with disk conversions etc

Create VM in VPC, boot it off WinPE image, do the same with real machine you want to convert, use Ghost (or whatever else, Ghost is just easy) for 1 to one copy

Job dane, you keep the same "NICE" setup of yours

It works (I done it few times)
Do you think I would advice you on something otherwise?

If you never done it before then test it (your real "NICE" setup does not get damaged this way)

And try to understand what you are reading before replying...

sebus