Windows 7: Up and Running

Installing Other Operating Systems

When you install Windows Virtual PC and the XPM package, you get the Windows XP virtual machine free of charge so that you can run your legacy Windows XP applications. However, besides running the free Windows XP virtual machine, you can also install other operating systems on Windows Virtual PC. This section will show you how to install another operating system on Windows Virtual PC. For illustration purposes, I will install the Ubuntu Linux OS.

Creating a New Virtual Machine

First, launch the Virtual Machines window by going to Start→All Programs→Windows Virtual PC→Virtual Machines. The Virtual Machines window will be shown (see Figure 7-9). This window will display all the virtual machines that you have installed on your computer.

Figure 7-9. The Virtual Machines window, displaying the virtual machines you have installed on your computer

To create a new virtual machine, click the menu item “Create virtual machine.” You will be asked to name the new virtual machine as well as specify a location to store the new virtual machine file. Click Next.

In the next screen, you need to specify how much memory to allocate to this virtual machine. You will also indicate whether you want the virtual machine to make use of the current computer’s network connection for network access. Click Next to continue.

Finally, you will be asked to create or use an existing hard ...