Error parsing the plist file

[Vin V]

an article about the differences between XP Home and XP Professional from 2001... Link

not that it matters because XP, despite it's continued use is a dead OS.

Thank you loukingjr for the article, however, can you help me with my question? I uninstalled and then reinstalled VB and still I get the same error messages. What do you think I should do?

[loukingjr]

I have a ghosted image of my XP-Pro installation of my desktop that I am now trying to install as a VM in Virtualbox on my Linux Mint 13 laptop. As I stated earlier, I may be new at Linux and VB but I'm not an idiot. I know I should be able to make an XP-Pro VM as I did with my XP-Home DVD but I can't. I keep getting the error messages that I started this post with.

Can anyone in this forum help?

You didn't mention what format your "ghost" image of your XP Professional is but it's obviously not working. Try vCenter Convertor (free) from VMWare and convert your XP Professional PC to .vmdk or better still if it will do it .vdi. Then just create a new machine in VirtualBox but instead of creating a hard drive just attach the .vmdk or .vdi file.

[Vin V]

You didn't mention what format your "ghost" image of your XP Professional is but it's obviously not working. Try vCenter Convertor (free) from VMWare and convert your XP Professional PC to .vmdk or better still if it will do it .vdi. Then just create a new machine in VirtualBox but instead of creating a hard drive just attach the .vmdk or .vdi file.

It's in .gho and .ghs format. Thanks for this info. It's still perplexing to me that I can create the VM but get the error messages when I try to actually install the OS.
You know what, I think I may have just figured it out. I'm trying to install an .iso conversion of the .gho file using the iboot.iso file that I had tried to install the .iso of my Snow Leopard DVD. Is iboot.iso a mac file? If so, then that's the issue. What do you think?

I will do research on an altenative way to boot the .iso file of my .gho image. Or, perhaps what you suggested may work.

[loukingjr]

VirtualBox does not work with .gho files. and an .iso of a .gho file doesn't help matters. You need to convert your physical machine into a format VirtualBox can work with.

[loukingjr]

btw, iBoot is bootloader used to help people install OSX on non-Apple hardware which is what you obviously tried to do and may still be trying to do. If you want to create a virtual machine out of your physical machine I told you what you need to do. That's about all I have to say on this subject.

[Vin V]

VirtualBox does not work with .gho files. and an .iso of a .gho file doesn't help matters. You need to convert your physical machine into a format VirtualBox can work with.

I'll try what you previously just suggested with the vCenter converter...converting the .gho file to either .vdmk or .vdi files. Would I also need to convert the .ghs file as well?

[Vin V]

btw, iBoot is bootloader used to help people install OSX on non-Apple hardware which is what you obviously tried to do and may still be trying to do. If you want to create a virtual machine out of your physical machine I told you what you need to do. That's about all I have to say on this subject.

I admitted trying to do that in the past....I'm not trying to do that now.....whether you believe me or not I guess is immaterial.

If you could just give me feedback on my last post re: if I would need to convert the .ghs file of my ghost I would appreciate it.

Thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it.

[loukingjr]

I told you how to create something VirtualBox can work with. ciao

[scottgus1]

Vin V. I'm sorry that some of my fellow Virtualboxers got snippy with you. There's no need to call you a liar or to imply you're doing something illegal intentionally without getting more information before passing judgment or to get impatient with you as you try to do something new. Sometimes folks can get a little rude, and doing so reflects badly on this fine program you've started to use and I use every day.

I believe that you tried to install a Mac OS on your PC and got errors. Experimentation is fine. But as you're now probably aware, you can't do that legally. Apple gets huffy about it and the Virtualbox crew doesn't want the Apple men in black to shut them down, so the forum won't try to help get Mac OSs going on anything except Mac hardware. And of course you said you're giving up on it anyway. Good.

You continue to get errors for a Mac OS failure while you're trying to install XP in a guest. I tend to think you have your iso's crossed, that is, you think you're installing from one disc or iso and you're really using another. Take a moment and check which file is loaded up.

Regarding the ghost image of your XP PC, you'll need to forget it and try something else. Google this: "p2v disk2vhd site:forums.virtualbox.org" That will give you a list of forum links discussing Physical-to-Virtual conversions of a PC OS (P2V) using Sysinternals' tool "Disk2VHD". One good discussion is here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=60896 Run Disk2VHD on your XP PC that you made the .gho file on, then use Mpack's tool CloneVDI to turn the VHD file into a VDI file, which is much more stable.

[loukingjr]

Vin V. I'm sorry that some of my fellow Virtualboxers got snippy with you.

Apparently someone didn't read the entire thread. I for example informed him he could image his PC using vCenter.

please don't apologize for me. thank you.

[scottgus1]

Yes, Lou, I did read the whole thread, and I saw your suggestion. The OP asked you a further question and you cut him off. I did not apologize for you. You should apologize to the OP for your rude reponse ("I told you how to create something VirtualBox can work with. ciao")

I apologized to the OP for the black eye being given to the OP and Virtualbox by all the rude responses to his legitimate questions. As you suggested here: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=8888&start=120#p284433 rude answers are reducing in quantity, but they do still happen here, and they did happen in this thread. This OP needs help and we can help him by giving him polite answers.

[loukingjr]

Yes, Lou, I did read the whole thread, and I saw your suggestion. The OP asked you a further question and you cut him off. I did not apologize for you. You should apologize to the OP for your rude reponse ("I told you how to create something VirtualBox can work with. ciao")

exactly how many times should one respond to a topic? how many times did I respond? as far as him being "innocent". he went to the trouble of downloading iBoot which has no purpose other than to install OSX on non-Apple hardware. He obviously knew what he was doing and just about every site and method to do it says it is not something one should do. as does his retail copy of Snow Leopard. His claim he didn't know he wasn't supposed to is nonsense. You should stay out of other people's business.

I find you are being no less rude. ciao

[Perryg]

People.
Please stick on topic and not diverse into the blame game. I think the issue was addressed about the legality of what the OP tried to do and some people just don't know better. Regardless if the OP has issues we need to address them. However the use of iBoot should never progress into a new install.

OP I suggest that you delete everything concerning the iBoot and OSX guest and then try to install a new guest. VirtualBox does not carry anything into a new guest so there has to be underlining issue that you would need to address. Provide solid information and follow up with guest logs so it can be determined that you are actually trying to install a valid XP guest.

[mpack]

I really don't like you calling me a lyer. I've been honest about my situation.

I'm sorry you were offended, but the error message clearly comes from an OS X guest, and I simply couldn't see how you could be unaware of that. Why would you try to install XP into an already existing but broken OS X VM, or how could you be unaware of the provenance of an ISO you're attempting to use? But, if that's really what you were doing then you should stop, delete the OS X VM entirely, and create a new VM from the beginning, using the correct VBox template and a kosher XP CD or ISO.

[Vin V]

For mpack......
First, thank you for the half apology. A full apology would be you using the word "I" instead of "you" in the apology. You may know that "the error message clearly comes from an OS X guest" as you may have been using vbox for some time as you are, after all the board's moderator. I never posted that I tried to "install XP into an already existing but broken OS X VM". You were rude and accusatory. I figured it out myself, perhaps the some of the useful dialogue, that I was still trying to boot a Win XP vm installation with iBoot. As I stated I'm new to VB. Maybe you run into this kind of thing on the board from time-to-time, but the tone is no excuse.

For loukingjr.....
You are just down-right rude. You just continue to assume. Even rude toward your fellow members with your dismissal type tone....."ciao", especially toward scottgus1. You didn't start off that way, you were helpful at first. By the way you said, "exactly how many times should one respond to a topic?". To date you still haven't answered my question about the .ghs file and conversion. I guess you also, "didn't read the entire thread". Maybe you just had it with me at that point and didn't (and probably still don't) believe me. When I ghosted my WinXP-Pro installation it made both a .gho and .ghs file. When you gave the tip about vCenter Converter, I was pretty excited. I did research on it and I thought I had read, as you suggested that it converts .gho files. It doesn't so I'm back to the drawing board.

For scottgus1.....
I appreciate your understanding and help. Thank you for your suggestions, with the P2V program. I'm now researching further converting my ghost image to a bootable .iso file to use with VB, as well as obtaining a newer version of my Norton Ghost to be able to convert my .gho file to a .vmdk file.

For Perryg.....
Thank you for your suggestions as well. However, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by, " Provide solid information and follow up with guest logs so it can be determined that you are actually trying to install a valid XP guest." What do you mean by "valid XP guest"?

To you all (and others who perhaps haven't responded, yet).....
My goal is to use an existing image (ghosted) of my machine that I've been running for a while, with all my programs and preference settings on my Linux Mint 13 Laptop. That's the bottom line. So any (other perhaps) suggestions directed at that would be appreciated.
At the risk of being redundant, I initially tried to install "my copy of Snow Leopard" on my Dell Desktop as I stated to Facetime with my patients if ever needed, i.e. inclement weather, emergencies, what have you. I could do it, on my wife's Macbook, but it's not always convenient. I apologize if I've offended anyone in this discussion board by what I had previously attempted. A more polite way of addressing this could have been to not be accusatory and rude, as two of you were.