How to Create a Virtual PC

Have you heard of the newest software technology referred to as Virtual PC's. Want to build one of your own? Well here is a detailed eHow article to guide you through it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• A PC with Vista/XP
• A Bootable Setup disk with the Operating System you want to run on the Virtual PC

1. Go to the following link and download this Microsoft software. It is called "Virtual PC 2007".
   
   http://download.microsoft.com/download/8/5/6/856bfc39-fa48-4315-a2b3-e6697a54ca88/32%20BIT/setup.exe
2. Once you have downloaded Virtual PC 2007, Install the software by opening the setup and installing the software.
3. Once Virtual PC has been installed, run the application by locating it in your start menu or clicking the desktop icon. This should bring up the interface, as well as the setup wizard.
4. In the wizard, select "Create a Virtual Machine" and give it a name (i.e:Windows XP, Lepoard). Next, select the appropriate operating system. Adjust the RAM according to what you will be using the installation for. As an example, if you will be playing a hardware intensive game or program, set the RAM to at least the minimum requirements of that game.
5. Now we are going to create a "Virtual Hard Disk". This is essentially a file that represents a hard drive. You can keep the wizard's default settings as we will optimize them later.
6. Now that we have created the Virtual Machine, we need to install the desired Operating system. Insert your bootable Installation disk into your computer's CD Drive. Once you have done this, navigate to the Virtual PC console, select your newly created Virtual Machine and click start. Once the PC boots, it should prompt you to "Press any key to boot from CD". Press a key to initiate the setup. [Incase you do not get this option, you may have to tell the virtual PC to use your computer's CD drive. To do this, click on CD from the top menu bar and select "Use Physical Drive"). Once the setup has loaded, press Enter to continue.
7. We will now prepare the Virtual Hard disk for the XP Operating system. Do not be alarmed by any type of Format prompt, because recall that this is simply an empty hard drive file.
8. Continue through the setup. Remember what you will be using the operating system for as you choose the several options during setup. Also keep in mind that most of the settings you select can be modified later. (Once the Hard Drive has been prepared, sometimes the virtual computer will reboot. This time, do not press any keys to boot from the CD. Instead, allow for the setup to continue without interruption).
9. Once the setup has finished, your Virtual XP operating system is ready for use. There are many different uses for this new software technology. Familiarize yourself with it and keep in mind that you can optimize the virtual PC. To do this, simply select your Virtual Machine in the console and click on "Settings". Here you can modify the way your Virtual Hard drive acts, as well as the amount of RAM is available.

Tips & Warnings

• To UNLOCK the mouse from your Virtual PC at any time, simply hold the right ALT key next to the space bar.