virtualbox.org

Hi,
I am quite new to computing and do not know much computer language so please excuse my simple style of questioning. I am running Windows 7 Home Premium OEM.
I have some old XP compatible software & hardware which I would still like to use so I have downloaded and installed the latest Virtualbox -4.3.8.0 and the Oracle Extension Pack -4.3.8.
I purchased an XP Professional SP3 from Windows OEM Store and followed the suppliers instructions to open the .iso file with their recommended Free ISO Burner and have now a CD which they say I "can boot from". I have set up a new virtual machine named Windows XP(32) with 800MB of RAM and then continued with all suggested options and finish with a small black screen on the right labeled Windows XP(32) . I then click START which gives me the choice of Select start-up disk - "Host Drive - E" and click START which then takes me to the Virtual box opening page. Then I get a blue screen with "Windows Setup" and the bar under the screen gives information "Setup is loading files:" It gets to "Setup is starting Windows" and then immediately I get a message STOP: c0000221 Unkown Hard Error\SystemRoot\System32\ntd11.d11 with an over print stating "The Virtual Machine reports that the guest OS supports mouse pointer integration. This means"
I have uninstalled and reinstalled the Virtualbox download and have burned a new CD but still get this same message. Can anyone help me?
Simone

It may be a corrupt CD. You do not need to burn the iso to a cd. Just place it in the virtual cd and start the guest.
Remember to leave the guest settings at default until you get it installed and working, to prevent a setting from stopping the install.

Note: OEM software may not always work. If it is tied to a particular vendor and it expects to see specific hardware you may have issues.

Hi,
Thanks Perryg for the speedy reply. As I said I'm a newbie - where do I find the virtual CD? Do I need to download a tool and if so what do you recommend.
Simone

Perryg,
I have just completed this new build computer and this is the first time I have used the optical drive. After 2 burns I seem to be having a problem with it. I am just asking for help from another hardware forum to solve that problem.
Do you think this could be part of the same problem or the cause?
Simone

Yes.

All you need to do is go into the storage section of the guest settings. Click on the CD and then on the right of that yo will see a small CD icon. Click that and then use the file manager to select your *.iso.

Hi Perryg,
Tried to do that but got VirtualBox Error
Failed to open the optical disk file C:\Users\...Downloads\VRMPOEM_EN_SP3.iso.
Could not get the storage format of the medium C:.... (VERR_NOT_SUPPORTED)
What next??

My guess is that you have an SP3 installation disc, not a XP OS installation disc. The service pack can only be installed after the OS has been installed.

Please report full error messages, do not edit them.

VERR_NOT_SUPPORTED means that it isn't what it appears to be - the file is not in a valid ISO format, despite the extension. How was this ISO made? What is it's exact size, in bytes?

Hi BillG & mpack and thank you for your help.
I think you might be right BillG, I have gone back to the site I purchased from and looks like I may have been mislead. More details below.
mpack,
The file was sent in a download as a 509MB Disc Image File which then needed the Free ISO Burner download to burn to a disk.
I have written to the website Contact address but as yet no reply - but it is still the week-end.

Originally I tried to do this whole set up through Microsoft - downloaded their virtual machine and the XP Mode with the proof that I had purchased the Windows 7 I am using but after all the downloading at the end of the installation I was told that my OS did not support it. Hence the current problem.

The address bar reads: (I can't include the address yet- if it helps work out what I have purchased I will try later today to give it to you) Basically it was windows oem com, windows-xp professional service pack 3. I was so busy reading what I was supposed to be buying that I didn't pay enough attention to the finer details. So this makes me think that BillG your are correct in saying I appear to have purchased the service pack only. The site appears as the Microsoft OEM Store. This is their sales pitch:
Top 9 reasons to buy from us:
You get genuine, legal software license with all benefits
All updates are available online
Always up-to-date protection against malware
100% covered by Microsoft Support (online or by phone)
The latest Service Pack 3 is already included
Available in all languages
Competitive Price and
You get your Product Key immediately
Instant download delivery
We offer you an OEM license for Windows XP Professional sold from Germany. However the OS is available in all languages.

The OEM package includes an image (ISO file) with a fully functional copy of Windows XP Professional and a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) sticker with a unique Product Key. OEM versions tend to be much cheaper than boxed products as the vendor saves a lot on the catchy packaging and printed user manuals.

In turn, we have improved the idea even more: we save a lot on the costs of commercial property lease and totally eliminated the shipping and handling costs. You get your order, which includes a disk image and a Product Key, via download delivery right after you have paid for it. In case you need it you can pay extra charges for delivery and have the original COA delivered to you.
You can always check if the Windows you bought from us is properly licensed using the official Microsoft software license control tools.

Thanks for your support it feels really great that I can ask for help.
Simone

I've just reviewed this thread.

The fact that it needed a specific ISO burner application concerns me. It implies that the CD/DVD image may not be in a raw format. If it was raw ISO form then you could use any burner app to make a physical CD - and as Perry already noted, even that isn't necessary for use with VirtualBox.

The label also concerns me: "Windows XP Profession Service Pack 3" could be just the service pack CD (i.e. an update CD) instead of a complete XP installer. Also in the against column is the fact that SP3 came out at least a year after XP stopped being sold in retail channels (in OEM? Dunno). In the yes column: service pack CDs don't come with CD keys or COAs.

There's no problem buying generic OEM editions of XP. My own VMs use an OEM XP. What you are likely to have trouble with are royalty branded OEM XPs, e.g. if the COA were to mention "HP" or "Dell" then the thing is probably best used as landfill.

Please give a link to this download site asap, preferably a link to the actual item. I want to see for myself if it's a scam or an error, or legit. I will say that I've had similar assurances from eBay guys selling copied OEM XP CDs with royalty branded COA stickers (in my case they had scratched out the "HP" logo on the label, but I still recognized it as we use HPs at work). Seemed like a bargain when I bought it, less so when I had to bin it.

ps. Please note: I asked for exact file size, in bytes. "509MB" is not that. I want to know if the filesize is exactly divisible by 512, which will tell me if it's likely to be a raw image.

A SP3 upgrade disk wouldn't normally boot at all. The "Setup is loading files" and "Setup is starting Windows" screens are quite a way into the installation procedure. There must be quite a lot of the normal Windows XP disk here in order to get to this stage.

It looks like a corruption in the CD, a fault in this ISO burner (why on earth should a specific one be needed?) or else an OEM form of XP bound to particular hardware.

As mpack suggests, post a link.

Hi,
I have been contacted by the support from the website asking for screenshots which I have forwarded. I think they may be in Germany so there is the time delay factor, so I will be patient until the week end.
The website is http://www.windows-oem.com/‎
http://windows-oem.com/windows-xp/profe ... ice-pack-3
The actual file size as per information from my download file says 521,662KB Disc Image File
Thanks again for your help.

That is still a summary file size, not an exact one. I want to know the size to the nearest byte, not the nearest KB or MB. To get an exact file size on a Windows host, right click the file and select properties. The exact size is the number shown inside the brackets on the "Size" line.

Hi mpack,
Finally - the size is 534,181,766 then it says Size on Disk 534,183,936 bytes
This is their reply
Hi Simone,
May be you set up your discs the wrong way in your virtual box.
May be this instruction may help - http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-18 ... albox.html
Any way we can't support you with windows instalaltion questions as we only sell licenses.
I can confirm that you bought Windows XP Professional SP 3 OEM license.

SimoneCDP wrote:the size is 534,181,766

Ok, that number is not exactly divisible by 512, so the ISO file is not a valid CD image. Next I would do md5 or sha-x checksum comparison, to see whether the file you have locally matches what the supplier intended to provide. If your file is corrupted you need to download it again. If your file is correct then the supplier needs to provide you with a valid replacement. Make sure the replacement passes a checksum test.