How To Install Windows XP On A VMware Workstation 15.5 Pro / Player And ESXi 6.0 Virtual Machine.
Windows XP, initially released on August 24, 2001 and generally available from October 25, 2001, is one of the most widely used PC operating systems of all time. There are also many applications and systems that were developed for Windowss XP some of which were discontinued or no longer under active development. If you need to install such an application / system but do not have a Windows XP compatible computer you can simply deploy Windows XP as a VM and install your desired application / software on it. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide a simple and easy to follow guide on how to install the out of date / no longer officially supported Windows XP SP3 on a VMware Workstation 15.5 Pro / Player And ESXi 6.0 virtual machine. That is if you wish to Windows XP SP3 for purposes safe experimentation without fear of damaging their computer or running software that only works on Windows XP SP3.
REQUIREMENTS
In order to complete this tutorial successfully the following items are required. Please ensure to have these items available before taking implementation action on this tutorial :
1) A desktop or latop computer with a web browser installed.
2) VMware Workstation 15.5 Pro version or Player version.
3) VMware ESXi 6.0 or above.
4) Windows XP SP3 install disk image file.
OVERVIEW
1) Log into the VMwareESXi server and create a new windows xp virtual machine
2) Start the virtual machine and connect to it using the VMware remote console
3) Install windows xp
4) Shutdown the virtual machine and detach the windows xp ISO file
5) Install VMware tools for Windows xp
Step 1: Connect To The ESXi 6.0 Web Management Console And Create The Windows XP Virtual Machine.
1) Launch any web browser and type in the IP address of the VMware ESXi 6.0 server. In the browser address bar.
If you get a privacy or secure connection error accept the connection risk using the available browser option (i.e) if using the firefox browser click on”ADVANCED >ACCEPT RISK AND CONTINUE”
On the VMWARE ESXi welcome page click on the “OPEN VMWARE HOST CLIENT” link and enter your login credentials on the login page.
2) Once you’re logged in click on “VIRTUAL MACHINES > CREATE / REGISTER VM”. This will open a “NEW VIRTUAL MACHINE” creation dialogue.
On the “SELECT CREATION TYPE” option choose the “CREATE A NEW VIRTUAL MACHINE” option and click on “NEXT”
3) Add a descriptive name for the virtual machine on the “NAME” text input box, on the “COMPATIBILITY” drop down select “ESXi 6.0 VIRTUAL MACHINE”.
Set the “GUEST OS FAMILY” option to “WINDOWS” and select “MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL” on the “GUEST OS VERSION” option. You can choose the version as 32BIT or 64 BIT depending on the system architecture supported by your Windows XP ISO file.
Click on “NEXT” to proceed.
On the “SELECT CREATION TYPE” option choose the “CREATE A NEW VIRTUAL MACHINE” option and click on “NEXT”
4) On the “SELECT STORAGE” section choose a datastore to save the Windows XP virtual machine files and click on “NEXT”.
5) The “CUSTOMIZE SETTINGS” section make its possible to set the virtual machine hardware settings. Make customizations to the CPU, MEMORY and SCSI CONTROLLER options that work best for your setup.
Expand the “HARD DISK 1” option and set the “VIRTUAL DEVICE NODE” option to “IDE CONTROLLER 0”
Choose and USB CONTROLLER and select a PORT GROUP that will be attached to the Windows XP VM network adapter.
On the “CD / DVD DRIVE” option select “DATASTORE ISO FILE” and select the Windows XP ISO file saved on the ESXi datastore.
Click on “NEXT” then click on “FINISH”
6) Select the newly created Windows XP virtual machine and click on “POWER ON”.
To view the virtual machine display click on “ACTION > CONSOLE > LAUNCH REMOTE CONSOLE”. This will show the virtual machine window if you have the “VMWARE REMOTE CONSOLE” application or VMWARE WORKSTATION” installed on your computer.
To download the “VMWARE REMOTE CONSOLE” application click on “ACTION > CONSOLE > DOWNLOAD VMRC”
Theres also a simpler option of viewed and interacting with the Windows XP virtual machine using a web browser console. Simply click on “ACTION > CONSOLE > LAUNCH BROWSER CONSOLE”
7) On the windows xp installation setup press ENTER to continue and press F8 to accept the Windows XP license agreement.
8) Press ENTER to install Windows XP on the unpartioned spaced available on virtual hard disk. If you prefer a more advanced disk configuration press “C” on you keyboard to create your own partions.
9) Highlight the “FORMAT THE PARTITION USING THE NTFS FILE SYSTEM” option and press ENTER. The Windows XP setup will automatically start formatting the unpartitioned virtual hard disk and start copying installation files, restart and continue the installation using the graphic interface.
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