How to update XP in a Virtual Machine?

[Grandpa]

After PCLos 2010.10 is ready I want to install it on a test machine.  I want to use XP in a Virtual Machine on that install.  The copy of XP I have only has SP1.  How do I get SP 2, and SP3 along with all the other updates installed?  Will XP find them just like it does if I was making an straight install of XP?  Thanks for any replies.

[Old-Polack]

After PCLos 2010.10 is ready I want to install it on a test machine.  I want to use XP in a Virtual Machine on that install.  The copy of XP I have only has SP1.  How do I get SP 2, and SP3 along with all the other updates installed?  Will XP find them just like it does if I was making an straight install of XP?  Thanks for any replies.

Sp3 is all you need to install as it contains all of sp1 and sp2 as well as it's own updates. Install it like you'd install it on any other machine, click the sp3.exe file.

[Grandpa]

Thanks O-P for the reply.  I don't have a copy of SP3.  XP always found it and installed it from Windows Update site.  So I guess I need to find it some place and d/l it.  Right?

[Old-Polack]

Thanks O-P for the reply.  I don't have a copy of SP3.  XP always found it and installed it from Windows Update site.  So I guess I need to find it some place and d/l it.  Right?

Google it. MS has a corporate installer, that you can download to put on many machines, rather than have each go to the MS site. If you d/l that one you will have a permanent copy, in case you reinstall later, or want to upgrade another machine.

Better yet, here's the link.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=5b33b5a8-5e76-401f-be08-1e1555d4f3d4&displaylang=en

[Grandpa]

Thanks again O-P!  I have it now.

[T6]

"The copy of XP I have only has SP1.  How do I get SP 2, and SP3 along with all the other updates installed?"

as old pollack said all you have to do is get the sp3 executable from microsoft site(there is sime cumulative updates in a iso to run and install, each month released)  or just get form internet a iso of the version you have and use the unique serial number you have for it, license will be activated as usually

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=2fcde6ce-b5fb-4488-8c50-fe22559d164e&displaylang=en

the problem here is that if the license is oem you won't be able to activate it in the virtual machine installation(or use the iso i posted), only retail versions are allowed to be used and activated inside virtual machines

the oem license depends on some numbers of the mainboard(mainboard unique serial number) and this is reported to microsoft when you activate the oem license, this has nothing to do with the virtual machine or linux, it is a policy of microsoft

[Grandpa]

Here is what I have.  A computer given to me by a friend that someone built for her (a whitebox).  It has XP installed on it.  She also gave me a "copy" of XP.  Also the product code.  I believe it is the XP that is installed on the computer.  When 2010.10 is ready I want to reformat the drive and install 2010.10.  I want to use XP in a Virtual machine.  Do you think that will work?  Will XP see the Motherboard and update?  Is this even legal?  If not I will just dual boot XP and 2010.10 and run Full Monty in a Virtual Machine.  What do you think?  I really just want to play with VM and try to learn something.

[Old-Polack]

Here is what I have.  A computer given to me by a friend that someone built for her (a whitebox).  It has XP installed on it.  She also gave me a "copy" of XP.  Also the product code.  I believe it is the XP that is installed on the computer.  When 2010.10 is ready I want to reformat the drive and install 2010.10.  I want to use XP in a Virtual machine.  Do you think that will work?  Will XP see the Motherboard and update?  Is this even legal?  If not I will just dual boot XP and 2010.10 and run Full Monty in a Virtual Machine.  What do you think?  I really just want to play with VM and try to learn something.

If it's not an OEM disk you were given, it should work fine. You can test this by installing PCLinuxOS as a dual boot with XP, then installing VB and creating a VM for XP. If it doesn't work with the key you have, you still have the original installation intact. If it does work, you can then wipe the drive and install as you originally described.

[Grandpa]

Now why didn't I think of that!!!  Thanks O-P

[ezas]

When I first started with VBox (to run XP) I went in blind and came out thinking "that was easy".

Once it's installed you do everything the way you normally do in XP. Setup firewalls, automatic updates, install software, etc. Before getting too far consider where you want to take snapshots of your install.

I took a snapshot after I installed from disk (but no updates) than again after I installed all updates and updates on the updates (which will put you at XP 3 and if you let it, IE8), and then one last snapshot, after I installed all the apps, tools, utilities, and any upgrades to those, that I use.

[T6]

"A computer given to me by a friend that someone built for her (a whitebox).  It has XP installed on it.  She also gave me a "copy" of XP.  Also the product code.  I believe it is the XP that is installed on the computer.  When 2010.10 is ready I want to reformat the drive and install 2010.10.  I want to use XP in a Virtual machine.  Do you think that will work?  Will XP see the Motherboard and update?  Is this even legal?"

i think it is not legal if the "copy" and the "product key" are not like this



or this



i agree with old pollack, leave the machine as dualboot because the license is probably oem and won't see the mainboard inside the virtual machine and won't allow you to activate it or make updates

[Grandpa]

Its been a while and maybe I should have started a new thread, but oh well.
I have installed XP from the disk I have.  Everything works.  But I have a couple questions, isn't that always the case.  1. I click on the full screen mode and it will enlarge the screen to full.  But the XP screen does not fill the whole screen.  I am guessing that is normal. Right?  2. I have 1024 Meg of memory installed in the computer.  I have set 512 of memory for VBox.  Is that enough?  3. my internet d/l speed is much slower in VBox.  On the same computer PCLos d/l speed is 4.48 Mbps, u/l .72 Mbps.  In VBox d/l is 3.82 Mbps, u/l is .39Mbps.  I know that is still kind of fast, but is that much difference normal.  I am thinking about adding another 1Gb of memory to the system.  If I did and then added that much more to VBox would that help the overall speed of XP running in VBox and the internet speed?

Edit
The cpu is a 2.40 Pentium 4.

[Old-Polack]

Its been a while and maybe I should have started a new thread, but oh well.
I have installed XP from the disk I have.  Everything works.  But I have a couple questions, isn't that always the case.  1. I click on the full screen mode and it will enlarge the screen to full.  But the XP screen does not fill the whole screen.  I am guessing that is normal. Right?  2. I have 1024 Meg of memory installed in the computer.  I have set 512 of memory for VBox.  Is that enough?  3. my internet d/l speed is much slower in VBox.  On the same computer PCLos d/l speed is 4.48 Mbps, u/l .72 Mbps.  In VBox d/l is 3.82 Mbps, u/l is .39Mbps.  I know that is still kind of fast, but is that much difference normal.  I am thinking about adding another 1Gb of memory to the system.  If I did and then added that much more to VBox would that help the overall speed of XP running in VBox and the internet speed?

Edit
The cpu is a 2.40 Pentium 4.

1. First you need to install the Guest Additions to the XP VM, then click Machine --> Guest Display Auto-resize.



Note that as shown, the Auto-resize is already active and the toggle link shows Disable... if clicked again.

2. I have 2GB RAM on this machine with half given to the VM. It is a bit slower than a direct install to metal, but entirely usable. On my other machine, I have 4GB RAM with half given to the VM. On that one there seems to be no speed difference between a direct install to metal and the VM.

3. That would be about the expected difference. The increase in RAM can only help. (Re: 2. ...above)

[Grandpa]

O-P synaptic says "Guest Additions" have been d/l and I guess installed.  However when I click on "Machine" like you said "Guest Additions" are greyed out.  It will not respond when I click on it.  So I guess it is not installed.

Edit
The box looks like it has a check mark in it.

[Old-Polack]

O-P synaptic says "Guest Additions" have been d/l and I guess installed.  However when I click on "Machine" like you said "Guest Additions" are greyed out.  It will not respond when I click on it.  So I guess it is not installed.

Edit
The box looks like it has a check mark in it.

I'm using the PUEL version of VirtualBox so the Guest Additions ISO is included. You can also download it separately from here, if you are using the OSE version.

http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/3.2.10/VBoxGuestAdditions_3.2.10.iso

When you start VirtualBox select your VM, then point the cdrom at the VBoxGuestAdditions_3.2.10.iso file so it appears as a CD to be mounted when the VM is started. The link you refer to should then not be grayed out. You will have to use the small folder icon to the right of the drop down menu shown, to navigate to the directory where you put the d/l file, to add it to the menu.



The Machine menu referred to is the one you see when the VM is running, not the one on the opening window.



What you reference is on the Device menu, of the running VM.



You can also select to load the Guest Additions ISO to the CDROM from the running VM, here, if it's already been added to the menu as first described.