Working on my next project I thought I would do the simplest trick in the book, prtscrn of the Virtual PC. No Luck, apparently if the Virtual PC is active it passes the prtscrn button directly to the virtual machine. So now to figure out ways around it. My first instinct would be to use Paint Shop Pro (currently owned by Corel, formally of Jasc), which had some great screen capture functions. I have converted over to Photoshop, and PSP is long gone on my laptop. I check around inside of photoshop, nothing even close. I even tried the On Screen Keyboard tool, nope same results.

I will point out that there is in fact a unique feature of Virtual PC, which is you can select the “screen” and copy it to the host clipboard. So for most people that is effective, but when I’m trying to illustrate features that are part of Virtual PC that doesn’t work so well.

So you can copy the full screen of the virtual machine, But now, what if you want a shot of the menus? or Option Panel? All you need to do is pause the Virtual Machine. So, if you really want to “Photoshop” the shot you can copy the screen capture and paste it into a paused full screen capture from the host to get your desired shot with no additional software.

Sources:
http://www.mcse.ms/archive/index.php/t-1453440.html
http://www.winsupersite.com/reviews/virtualpc2004.asp
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Berlind/?p=368

Note: I’m not a lawyer or have any legal background, I’m simply explaining my understandings of the EULA documents for the Windows XP operating system.

First step, is to read your current EULA, if you are on the system in question you can follow these directions:

“How do I find the XP version info and EULA?”
You can access the XP Version Information and EULA [End-Users Licensing Agreement] by typing winver from START–>RUN text box.
The Version Information is displayed in the dialogue window and the EULA is accessed from the End-Users Licensing Agreement hyperlink.
The XP EULA can also be accessed from RUN or the Command prompt:
Type: X:\WINDOWS\system32\eula.txt where X is the drive letter of the Windows installation.

XP Home: OEM License

1. GRANT OF LICENSE.
Manufacturer grants you the following rights provided that
you comply with all terms and conditions of this EULA:

1.1 Installation and use. You may install, use, access,
display and run one copy of the SOFTWARE on the
COMPUTER. The SOFTWARE may not be used by more than
two (2) processors at any one time on the COMPUTER,
unless a higher number is indicated on the COA.

1.2 SOFTWARE as a Component of the COMPUTER - Transfer.
This license may not be shared, transferred to or used
concurrently on different computers. The SOFTWARE
is licensed with the COMPUTER as a single integrated
product and may only be used with the COMPUTER.
If the SOFTWARE is not accompanied by HARDWARE,
you may not use the SOFTWARE. You may permanently
transfer all of your rights under this EULA only
as part of a permanent sale or transfer of the
COMPUTER, provided you retain no copies of the
SOFTWARE. If the SOFTWARE is an upgrade,
any transfer must also include all prior versions
of the SOFTWARE. This transfer must
also include the Certificate of Authenticity
label. The transfer may not be an indirect transfer,
such as a consignment. Prior to the transfer,
the end user receiving the Software must agree
to all the EULA terms.

XP home is a pretty tight EULA, very little room to play, but at a low enough cost it is reasonable to purchase a 3 pack of OEM, a few additional hard drives and more ram to build yourself a robust virtualization test system. OEM copies can be purchased with new systems or new hardware, such as memory or storage upgrades.

XP Pro EULA:

1. GRANT OF LICENSE. Microsoft grants you the following rights provided that you comply with all terms and conditions of this EULA:

1.1 Installation and use. You may install, use, access, display and run one copy of the Software on a single computer, such as a workstation, terminal or other device (”Workstation Computer”). The Software may not be used by more than two (2) processors at any one time on any single Workstation Computer.

14. SOFTWARE TRANSFER.Internal . You may move the Software to a different Workstation Computer. After the transfer, you must completely remove the Software from the former Workstation Computer. Transfer to Third Party . The initial user of the Software may make a one-time permanent transfer of this EULA and Software to another end user, provided the initial user retains no copies of the Software. This transfer must include the Software and the Proof of License label. The transfer may not be an indirect transfer, such as a consignment. Prior to the transfer, the end user receiving the Software must agree to all the EULA terms.

The pro license does allow for transfering, which means if you have a Windows XP Pro workstation, you can delete the hard drive, install a linux distro of your choice, and then install XP Pro inside of a Virtual Machine, which is pretty nice. There are no restrictions about where or how you can run XP, unlike Vista (more on this later), as long as you have 1 product key per installation. If you have a XP home computer, with 2 virtual machines inside of it, both running XP home, you will need 3 unique product keys. Even though both virtual machines will be identical hardware configurations they are multiples copies. One example, which for legal reason will assume is against the EULA, is having 1 copy in a VM, and transfering it around on a thumb drive or similar device. By having the virtual machine hardware configuration setup by the configuration file and virtualization software it will not vary as the machine moves between computers. This idea of a portable virtual environment is something more people are going to want to try. With the physical and size requirements of Vista being so high, people will look into using Windows XP as a portable environment.

sources:
http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/
http://www.eros-os.org/pipermail/
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/
http://www.microsoft.com/piracy/
http://forums.microsoft.com/Genuine/
http://www.vmware.com/community/
http://forums.microsoft.com/genuine/
http://proprietary.clendons.co.nz/licenses/
http://www.newegg.com/

Here is a list of common virtualization keyboard shortcuts.

These are the default shortcuts, from the default install.

If anyone would like to submit additional products which I don’t have access to please leave them as a comment and I will post them.

VNC Player, from Real VNC (http://www.realvnc.com/)

Menu popup: F8

Remote Desktop, from Microsoft (http://www.microsoft.com/)
[source:
http://www.sessioncomputing.com/keyboard.htm ]

VMware GSX, from VMware (http://www.VMware.com)
[source:
http://www.vmware.com/…/running_shortcut_gsx.html ]

VMware Workstation 5.5, from VMware (http://www.VMware.com)
[source:
http://www.vmware.com/…/ws_learning_keyboard_shortcuts.html ]

Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, from Microsoft (http://www.Microsoft.com)
[source:
http://www.techgalaxy.net/…/Keyboard_shortcuts.htm ]

Virtual PC provides much of the required keyboard functionality through the use of a host key and key combinations. By default the host key is the right ALT key. You use the host key in two ways:

* If a virtual machine has captured the pointer, you can press the host key to return control of the mouse to the host computer.

* When Virtual PC is running, you can use the host key in combination with other keys for specific functions. The following table describes the keyboard combinations and the functionality that each provides.

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, from Microsoft (http://www.Microsoft.com)
[source:
http://technet2.microsoft.com/…4d1033.mspx

http://technet2.microsoft.com/…091033.mspx ]

By default the Host key is the right ALT key.

To send special keys to a virtual machine
Using the Administration Website

1. Open the Administration Website.

2. In the navigation pane, under Virtual Machines, point to Configure and then click the appropriate virtual machine.

3. On the Status page for your virtual machine, point to the virtual machine name, and then click Turn On.

4. Once the virtual machine is turned on, point to the virtual machine name, and then click Remote Control.

5. On the Remote Control page, click Remote Control in the upper-right corner, and then click Special Keys.

Using the Virtual Machine Remote Control client

1. Start the Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC) client.

2. Type the address of a virtual machine, and then click Connect.

3. Click the Remote Control menu, and then click Special Keys.

Virtual Server includes menu options to send the following special keyboard shortcuts to the virtual machine:
* CTRL+ALT+DELETE
* PRINT SCREEN

As with a physical computer, some keyboard functionality for the virtual machine, such as whether NUM LOCK is on by default when the virtual machine starts, is controlled by the BIOS setup utility. To access the BIOS, press the Delete key as the virtual machine is starting.

Parallels Workstation for OSX, from Parallels (http://www.parallels.com)
[source:
http://download.parallels.com/…Guide.pdf ]
Capturing and Releasing the Keyboard
and the Mouse in a Virtual Machine
To release the keyboard and mouse to Mac OS X:
Press the keyboard shortcut for releasing your keyboard/mouse. The factory setting is
Ctrl+Option(Alt), but you can change this key combo in Parallels Desktop-
>Preferences->Hot Keys.

Parallels Workstation for Windows Platform, from Parallels (http://www.parallels.com)
[source:
http://www.parallels.com/…Guide%20Nov%2022.pdf ]
Capturing and Releasing the Keyboard and the Mouse in a Virtual Machine

You can use any of three methods to make the virtual machine “capture” the keyboard and mouse:
Click anywhere inside the virtual machine window.
Select Capture Input in the VM menu.
Press Ctrl+I on your keyboard.
Once the guest OS captures your cursor, you can’t move it outside of the Parallels Workstation

To release the keyboard and mouse to primary OS:
Press the keyboard shortcut for releasing your keyboard/mouse. The factory setting is
Ctrl+Alt, but you can change this key combo in the Edit -> Preferences -> Hot Keys tab.
The keyboard and the mouse will be released immediately.

Keyboard Shortcut Limitations in
Windows Primary OS
If your computer is running Windows primary OS, it will intercept Ctrl+Alt+Del key
combination pressed in guest OS. To send Ctrl+Alt+Del to guest OS:
either press Ctrl+Alt+Ins while the keyboard is captured inside a Virtual Machine
window,
or select Send Ctrl+Alt+Del in the Parallels Workstation VM menu.

For anyone who is lucky enough to be registered for the Spring Virtualization lab at Microsofts Headquarters I have crafted a simple countdown clock. (note: doesn’t take into effect actual start time or your current timezone).

The correct page for more information is: http://www.VirtualizationEvents.com, pretty sure the event is full but if you are interested might as well try and register.

Here is the count down timer:

Part 4 of the series is on the way. I hope to have it done shortly. I’m budgeting to pickup a external hard drive to export the Virtual Machine to from my laptop. I ran into a few strange problems when trying to install VMware Converter Version 3. I came across the following error:

After a little research I found out it was a networking issue. I don’t generally run windows file sharing and networking on my laptop beyond what I need to do web and ftp. So once I reinstalled windows file sharing, windows networking, and enabled all the services it installed without a hitch.

Here is the details:

Welcome to VMware Symposia 2007

Discover why over 20,000 IT organizations use VMware virtualization products to address business objectives such as consolidating servers, optimizing IT resources, reducing power and cooling costs, enabling cost-effective disaster recovery and reducing desktop management costs.

VMware is bringing together virtualization experts, customers, partners and industry analysts to provide you with a one-day virtualization event including educational tracks, networking opportunities and live demos.

The full day will ensure you can:

* DISCOVER how virtualization increases utilization rates for x86 servers from your current 5% to over 60%. Provision new applications in seconds, not days;
* CONNECT with virtualization experts, customers, partners and industry analysts. See live demos of virtualization solutions; and
* VIRTUALIZE your IT department and create a more flexible and dynamic IT environment.

Leave the day with free software to jump start your plans to virtualize your IT infrastructure.

And Locations:

Atlanta
June 12, 2007

Chicago
May 31, 2007

Dallas
June 19, 2007

Toronto
June 14, 2007

Washington D.C.
June 06, 2007

(Notice, nothing in the Northwest? are they afraid of Microsoft Employees showing up?)

I’m going to be looking for sponsorship to travel down to Dallas to attend, if anyone is interested in donating please leave a comment with contact information.

Thanks,
VM-Guru

After working on my series about VMware player, I found a few different ways to get files onto and off the Virtual Machines. To give people some ideas, maybe ones they wouldn’t have thought of, or didn’t even know of. This isn’t a complete how to for each method, it is just a list to help people when they are starting with Virtual Machines and can’t figure out how to get their documents onto the VM. If you have any addition please leave it as a comment and I will add it to the list.

Top 10 Ways to Transfer Files between Virtual Machines

1. Physical CDrom drive

2. Iso CDrom Image

3. Physical Floppy Drive (if you actually have one, I used to back in the day)

4. Floppy Image File (generally img files)

5. Web download (via a web browser)

6. FTP Download (via a FTP client or wget)

7. Network Share

8. VMware Disk Mount GUI Disk Mount tool

9. Disk Converter (physical to Virtual Conversion)

10. Virtual Image Creator (Virtual to Virtual Conversion)

Maybe I just like trying to do things the hard way, but I have installed loaded and playing with running OpenVZ inside of VMware workstation.

Here is the proof:

This isn’t for the faint of heart, but it was much easier then the last time I installed Openvz, completly over SSH. Nothing is worse then having a box reboot, and not get back up remotely. I was stuck having it reloaded a few times, but finally got it running. With VMware, the only issue I had was forgetting to choose the correct kernel on reboot. It was simple, easy, and ran pretty well. If you have any particular questions I’m sure willing to try and answer them.