Windows XP Pro perfomance?....

[VcDeveloper]

Anyone running a Windows XP Pro as a guest and can suggest the best performance settings. I running Ubuntu 9.10 Host, XP intro sound is choppy and window movement, minimizing, etc...

These are my setting:

System:
BaseM - 1024mb
Process - 2
VT-x/.. - En
Nest----- En

Display:
Video - 128mb
3D - En

Any suggesting?

....and how can I successfully switch over the SATA (which I should have orginally set) and update Windows because I know it will not boot with the hardware change?

[Sasquatch]

I have my XP VMs with single CPU, no hardware virtualization (due to hardware limitations on one system I share my VMs with), 512 RAM and the default VRAM (8-12 MB). Going pretty fast and solid. Having 3D enabled or not doesn't really matter, as long as you install the GA with 3D in safe mode.

[VcDeveloper]

Thanks Sasquatch! I will make the adjustment..., any suggesting on how I can successfully switch over to SATA?

[Sasquatch]

The SATA howto is in Windows Guests forum. Why did you even post in Linux Guests when you're talking about Windows? Will move it.

If you are going to install Windows from scratch, you can either include the SATA driver with nLite or create an .img file with the driver in it and mount it as floppy, then hit F6 at the start of the installer.

[VcDeveloper]

Oh yea! Ok..., I will go there!

Ooops!.. I am here

What I mean is, I alrady have the XP installed, but I installed it with the IDE interface without paying attenting, because I want the SATA interface. The problem now is, when I change any setting that effect the hard drive, windows will not boot. I tried to boot the dvd to see if I can repair the install, but for some reason the dvd couldn't fine the HD. I know if I do a fresh install Windows will require I register it, but I already did, unless the hardware numbers change in the VM then it will work.

[Martin]

Have a look through http://www.google.de/search?hl=en&sourc ... ws+xp+ahci

[mpack]

Or have a read of this discussion.

[VcDeveloper]

Thanks for your help! I shall take a look!

[nowhere]

I was going to ask the same question and would like a bit more detail. My set up is this:

Ubuntu 9.10 host
Vbox 3.012 (upgrading to 3.1 now...)
WinXP Pro SP3 Guest.

HD
IDE PIIX4

MB
Base Mem 1024MB (total host RAM 4GB)
ACPI Enabled
IO ACPI DISABLED (It seems this is a performance hit if enabled)

Processor
1
PAE/NX Enabled (Leave it or not?)

Acceleration
VT-x/AMD-V Enabled
Nested Paging DISABLED

So I have seen the following, performance wise, and would like to know if it is consistant or perhaps something is wrong:
SATA is slower than IDE and more problematic (i.e. more bad startups requiring reboot to get up and running).
IO ACPI enabled is a performance hit and CPU utilization and heat generation very high
Nested Paging is a huge performance hit and CPU utilization and heat generation very high

What is generally accepted as the BEST performance set up for WinXPPro guest?

Thanks,
Eric

[Sasquatch]

I wonder which driver version you're using to have so many problems with SATA. I use the Intel Matrix Storage Manager version 7.5 and don't have a problem at all.

[nowhere]

Thanks for the tip. I'll head over to the Intel site and get a new version of the driver. I haven't updated it since I first tried VBox SATA when it first went live...

As far as performance of the vbox, does virtual SATA perform better than virtual PATA?

Thanks!

[nowhere]

FYI, I tried using Intel SATA drivers ver 8.9 and got BSOD every time after reboot during the install of Windows xp. It complained about win32k.sys file each time.

Reverting to ver 7.0 resolved the issue.

The system seems to be running quite fast now tho.