without using the "IO-APIC" option to a virtual machine
Hi,
whenever I tried to migrate my Windows XP installations to VirtualBox with enabled IO-APIC option, I got a CPU loading of 100% of the VM (even if I disable the Windows firewall service)!
Therefore I was looking for a way to migrate the WinXP installation directly to a virtual machine with disabled IO-APIC option!
I combine the information's from here and here and found a way to migrate my WinXP installation to a VirtualBox VM with disabled IO-APIC option in the VirtualBox VM settings! (Tested in the meantime with different computers)
Maybe my manual can help someone else !
This manual should be working for Windows XP and Windows 2000! (Please use for Windows 2000 instead of the System Restoration point a full backup)
Used Tools:
- a hard disk backup tool e.g. Clonezilla included in "Parted Magic" (I used Norton Ghost v11.0 on a BartPE Boot CD)
- the MergeIDE tool from the c't Magazin
- Disk2VHD v1.63
- Gizmo Drive (included in Gizmo Central) or WinImage 8.50 (Alternative: a Boot CD with integrated file manager, e.g. "Parted Magic")
- Optional: a Hard disk partitioning tool, e.g. GParted on Parted Magic (I used Partition Magic 8.05 on BartPE)
Step-By-Step Instructions:
1.) Create a full backup of your Windows XP partition with a backup/image tool (e.g. Norton Ghost or Clonezilla)
(This backup is only required if something is going wrong or you reboot your PC too early!)
2.) Run on your Windows you want to migrate the "MergeIDE.bat" to integrate the Standard IDE drivers
3.) Start the Windows XP "System Restore tool" and create a new "System restoration point"
You can start the System Restore tool with:
%systemroot%\system32\Restore\rstrui.exe
or
C:\WINDOWS\system32\Restore\rstrui.exe
4.) Go to Device Manager and open the entry "Computer" -->
- Select the Properties of the entry "ACPI-Multiprocessor-PC" (or alike) -->
- Make a note of your original PC type (e.g. "ACPI-Multiprocessor-PC") -->
- Click on the Driver tab, select Update Driver -->
- Click on the "Install from list or specific location" ->
- Click "don't search I will choose what driver to install" ->
- In the window find and click on "ACPI-PC (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface)"
then click next ->
- Click "finish" after Windows loads the new drivers. (You may need your Windows installation CD). ->
- Now click Close to exit those property pages, Windows will tell you to Reboot. DO NOT REBOOT!
5.) Start Disk2VHD and select your Windows and Programs partition(s) to migrate,
do not activate the option "Prepare for use in Virtual PC", that option works for Microsoft's "Virtual PC" but not good for "VirtualBox".
Then save your system to the VHD image, e.g. "ACPI-PC.VHD"
(You can also try to save the partition from a Boot CD with Symantec Ghost32.exe v11.5 to a VMDK image)
6.) Go to Device Manager again and open the entry "Computer" -->
- Select the Properties of the entry "ACPI-PC …" -->
- Click on the Driver tab, select Update Driver -->
- Click on the "Install from list or specific location" ->
- Click "don't search I will choose what driver to install" ->
- In the driver window select now your original PC type notated with 4.) (e.g. "ACPI-Multiprocessor-PC") then click next ->
- Click "finish" after Windows loads the new drivers ->
- Now click Close to exit those property pages, Windows will tell you to Reboot. DO NOT REBOOT!
(This step should be done for additional safety, whether the System restoration point doesn't work correctly!)
7.) Start the Windows XP "System Restore tool" and restore your System Restoration point created with 3.)
%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe --> Restore … --> Finished … --> and now reboot your PC!
(If the "System Restore tool" does not work, you can also restore your backup created with 1.)
8.) Open the created VHD image (e.g. "ACPI-PC.VHD") with a VHD compatible image editor,
e.g. mount the image with Gizmo Drive/Gizmo Central (FAT32 + NTFS) or open the image with "WinImage 8.50" (to edit FAT32 images only)
and rename inside the VHD image in folder "C:\Windows\SYSTEM32\drivers\" the following driver files (if exist):
intelppm.sys to intelppm.sy_
and
agp440.sys to agp440.sy_
If you don't rename these files, you could get a blue screen!
If you still get a blue screen, it can be needed to rename other files also,
e.g. "processr.sys", "amdk7.sys" or alike (see on the blue screen message for the filename(s))!
Alternative: If you do not want to use a VHD image editor, you can boot inside the VM from a boot CD image and rename the driver files from the boot CD environment, e.g. with "Parted Magic"
(If the Safe Mode is still working, you can rename the files from the "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" also, see below)
9.) Open VirtualBox and create a new virtual machine, select as virtual hard disk your created VHD image (e.g. ACPI-PC.VHD), open VM to edit and make sure in the VM system settings "IO-APIC" is turned off (default)!
10.) Optional: If you have more as one partitions on your real hard disk but un-selected some partitions in Disk2VHD, then Disk2VHD will save for the un-selected partitions inside the VHD image some empty partition dummies! That partition dummies can causes some problems. To prevent such problems start inside the virtual machine at first start up a boot CD with a partitioning tool like Partition Magic or GParted (included in "Parted Magic" also) and delete the empty partition dummies inside the VM image!
11.) Start up your new VM and confirm the installation of the new components and drivers!
(The first start up of a migrated Windows XP in VirtualBox can take a lot of time, please be patient!)
12.) At last install the VboxGuestAdditions
Additional Informations
If the "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" is working you can rename system files and start the "System Restore tool" from command prompt also:
Rename driver files from "Safe Mode with Command Prompt":
1. Restart your system
2. When the system first boots, press F8 to bring up the boot menu
3. Select the "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" option
4. Log-on as administrator
5. At your command prompt type:
Code: Select all
cd /d %systemroot%\system32\drivers
rename intelppm.sys intelppm.sy_
rename agp440.sys agp440.sy_
dir intelppm.*
dir agp440.*Start the System Restore from "Safe Mode with Command Prompt":
1. Restart your system
2. When the system first boots, press F8 to bring up the boot menu
3. Select the "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" option
4. Log-on as administrator
5. At your command prompt type:
Code: Select all
%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe(Remember: The Windows XP System Restore tool can't replace a partition backup!)