Add better support for Windows XP

[ks2016]

Windows XP is listed in the VM templates, but not fully supported.

In order to have better support for this OS, the following needs to be done:

 

1) Add support for floppy drives in the VM gui. Sample resulting xml:

<disk type='file' device='floppy'>

    <source file='/path/to/your/viostor-31-03-2010-floppy.img'/>

    <target dev='fda'/>

</disk>

2) In VM settings similar to virtio ISO image add possibility to download floppy image from:

https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/quick-docs/creating-windows-virtual-machines-using-virtio-drivers/

 

 

[noski]

I don't believe a feature enhancement is required as I managed to get it to work with the current capability and, in the end, it was straight forward.

Probably what is lacking is a simple example. I couldn't find a definitive one myself when I tried setting this up either. I will show what worked for me in the hope it helps others...

 

I was able to setup an XP VM by only setting the following 3 fields (all others left as default):

 

- OS Install ISO: /mnt/user/VM-ISOs/en_winxp_pro_with_sp3.iso
- VirtIO Drivers ISO:/mnt/user/VM-ISOs/virtio-win-0.1.141.iso (obtained from https://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/quick-docs/creating-windows-virtual-machines-using-virtio-drivers/) 
- Primary vDisk Bus: IDE (needed to get past the error: "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer")

 

Good luck!

Edited January 31, 2019 by noski

[ks2016]

Regarding the line: "Primary vDisk Bus: IDE (needed to get past the error: "Setup did not find any hard disk drives installed in your computer")"

 

Please try again using the sample I provided.  
You should be able to install the OS on virtio disks.

[DeathByDentures]

Does anyone have a link to a valid copy of viostor-31-03-2010-floppy.img? The site hosting changed to a .org and none of the old stuff is available.

Maybe someone can post and share their copy?

[Energen]

https://webdav.xterm.eu/media/windows-drivers/kvm-win-drivers/

[Cantago]

On 7/14/2020 at 11:20 PM, DeathByDentures said:

Does anyone have a link to a valid copy of viostor-31-03-2010-floppy.img? The site hosting changed to a .org and none of the old stuff is available.

Maybe someone can post and share their copy?

 

I have the same problem, can't find the file.

 

On 7/14/2020 at 11:57 PM, Energen said:

https://webdav.xterm.eu/media/windows-drivers/kvm-win-drivers/

 

Also, this link requires a password I don't have.

 

Could someone upload it please for me? Or tell me where I can find it?

Edited February 11, 2021 by Cantago

[Energen]

17 hours ago, Cantago said:

Could someone upload it please for me? Or tell me where I can find it?

 

I don't have this file and it appears that every link to this file on the internet is dead...  unless someone here still has this file and can mirror it, you may need to find a new way of installing with something more recent/updated.

 

 

[Cantago]

I have the same problem, can not find the file anywhere.

And it seems there is no other way than to use the floppydrive. I don't have the knowledge or skill to figure out a different way.

 

The install keeps freezing on the 39min mark, and the only fix I could find was with the floppy drivers.

 

 

[Energen]

6 hours ago, Cantago said:

The install keeps freezing on the 39min mark, and the only fix I could find was with the floppy drivers.

 

What are your VM settings? 

 

I just installed an XP VM without anything special and it installed fine.  No issues.  IDE for all controllers.

[Cantago]

15 hours ago, Energen said:

 

What are your VM settings? 

 

I just installed an XP VM without anything special and it installed fine.  No issues.  IDE for all controllers.

 

I followed a post here on the forum; changed only the ISO, the VirtIO drivers from fedoraproject.org and the Primary vDisk Bus to IDE.
That helped me, because at first I had the "can not find hard drive", and now it actually starts installing. Untill the 39 min mark.

 

I tried a lot of other stuff like only one vCPU, Cirrus driver for VNC Video, Hyper-V to no, no more than 2GB... All in a newly made VM.

No sigar. It almost has to be the floppy missing, right?

Edited February 13, 2021 by Cantago
Translating mistakes.

[Energen]

56 minutes ago, Cantago said:

No sigar. It almost has to be the floppy missing, right?

Don't think so.....   the floppy driver thing is for a storage driver, i.e. hard drive.  The fact that it's installing means something else is the problem.. as far as what that problem is.... can't say.

[Cantago]

Interesting. Because I read the floppy-thing everywhere I assumed it was the problem because I did not fix that.

 

Than the next question is: how do I find the problem?

 

I do have to say, the 39 min mark is at the beginning of the instal. Right after the blue screens (not bsod) where you choose and format the disk. So maybe it isn't really installing?

Edited February 14, 2021 by Cantago
edit to add info

[JonathanM]

Are you sure your vdisk location has enough free space?

[Energen]

So you select the drive to format and install, right? That works?

 

Then it installs a bunch of files...

 

Then it goes to the blue installing screen starting with 39 minutes, so while it's on that screen .. does the progress bar at the bottom do anything/change wording as it installs? 

 

What XP ISO are you using? Is it at least an SP3 ISO?  I just started installing another VM with 1 core, 2GB ram, default 15GB vdisk, all IDE and it's practically done installing in less than 10 minutes.

[Cantago]

Domains live on the array (no cache), the vDisk is 100GB and I have more than 1TB free space so that can't be it. Also tried with a 15GB vDisk.

 

I see the ISO loading, get to the screen with the blue background and white letters, press to install, accept the users agreement, format the disk, copy the setup files and then it reboots. After the reboot I get the Windows XP logo with loading bar, after that it jumps to the installscreen with the 39 minute mark and instantly produces the error. Within 3 seconds.

 

As far as I know the ISO is SP3, but I can try with a different/new ISO to be sure.

 

 

 

 

[Cantago]

I tried with a Windows XP Home ISO instead of the XP Pro I use all the time and it went past the 39 minute mark instantly!

So it seems like my ISO is the problem, maybe because of XP Pro, maybe something else.

I now know where to look, I will keep testing to find the problem, thanks for the support guys, it is appreciated!

[Cantago]

I got it working! And the one that works has Windows XP Pro SP2 on it. So the SP and the Home v.s. Pro are not the problem.

With all the ISO's I have, a few seem the same and they all do not work. I have a few with Home & Pro on it: they also do not work. So it is the ISO, but why? No idea.

Now I have to find the drivers, four of them are missing and the normal Balloon/NetKVM/viostar/vioserial combination doesn't work. The quest continues.

 

 

[Energen]

  

3 hours ago, Luckyjoe said:

 

Found it on the Wayback Machine if anyone needs it.

https://web.archive.org/web/20151212170347/http://www.linux-kvm.com/sites/default/files/viostor-31-03-2010-floppy.img

 

Seems like a good link, file is good.  

[Cantago]

1 hour ago, Energen said:

  

 

Seems like a good link, file is good.  

 

Very nice! Thank you very much.

 

Also I fixed the drivers, nothing worked except for the most stupid thing: "let Windows search". And it installed, lol.

[DjBill]

Thanks @ks2016 and @Luckyjoe I follow your instructions (updated #2 URL 😞

 

1) Add support for floppy drives in the VM gui. Sample resulting xml:

 

<disk type='file' device='floppy'>
  <source file='/path/to/your/viostor-31-03-2010-floppy.img'/>
  <target dev='fda'/>
</disk>

 

2) In VM settings similar to virtio ISO image add possibility to download floppy image from: https://web.archive.org/web/20151212170347/http://www.linux-kvm.com/sites/default/files/viostor-31-03-2010-floppy.img

 

Also you need to setup the Virtual Machine as follow for Windows XP install procedure:

 

Logical CPU: 1

Memory 1024MB

Hyper-V: No

VNC Video Driver: Cirrus

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by DjBill