Tech Scribble - Using Virtual PC

Atlast, the solution for testing windows application in different environments. I find it difficult most of the times to create suitable testing environments and sometimes, just being a developer cant save the day, you have to think of all possible test cases and try it out in different environments, figure out problems and fix it even before the actual testing team can do it.

then there is this Microsoft Virtual PC, as saviour...

All you do is get the Virtual PC 2004 installer (45 day trial version is available)
and install it on your system. Then create Virtual Machine, map Virtual Harddrive and install OS on the virtual system.

Installing OS was a little time taking as I did not have a CDROM attached to my desktop. Finally got one CDROM fixed to my desktop. The virtual PC did not recognize this CD drive (I was not able to figure out why) So installed Virtual CD v5 and created a Virtual CD of the XP setup.

In the VM, from CD menu, I selected Map physical drive (points to a virtual CD drive) and rebooted the VM(Virtual Machine). and cool, it detected the XP setup.


(well, I wonder why VM did not recognize the physical CDROM, anyway virtual CD was useful in making it work, but Now I am thinking should I use these virtual CD everytime I try to install anything on my VM ?)

Now I can test the windows application in a cleaner XP machine and play with it, changing all possible things I can... and from my own comfortable seat! (not to walk to different cubicles to try out things)

This is just what I wanted. Wow to Virtual PC, this is so real! and I got a chance to try it after so long....