Installing Windows Vista in a VM Guest under ESX 3.0.1

[wsellers]

Greetings,

I have having an issue when I try to install Microsoft Windows Vista (Business Edition) in a VM guest, under ESX 3.0.1.

I get the following error when the Installer begins:

"A required CD/DVD drive device driver is missing. If you have a driver floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB flash drive, please insert it now. (Browse, OK, Cancel)"

I have tried installing via ISO image as well as the physical CD in the ESX host.

The installer loads- so I know that the ISO is being opened correctly- and I have used this CD on other physical installs.

ESX HOST: Dell 1950 (Intel Woodcrest 5140 processor)

Any ideas... (william.sellers@ntg.com)

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Hi William, download the floppy image from this link and then mount it to the floppy drive in your VM. You can then load the drivers from it when prompted by the install.

http://www.drivehq.com/file/ShowFolder.aspx?G=1&shareID=752687

The download is discussed in this thread.

http://www.vmware.com/community/message.jspa?messageID=516776#516776

[wsellers]

Dave,

Could you email a copy of this floppy image? I'm having issues downloading from your site.

Thanks,

Will

please send email to: "william.sellers@ntg.com"

Thanks,

Will

[Dave_Mishchenko]

On it's way.

[dmanconi]

Hi Dave

Any chance of getting the same file? I tried gettng it from the drivehq link, but it wanted me to pay!!!

My email is david.manconi@gmail.com

Cheers

David

[wsellers]

Absolutely. Here you go:

http://www.lavmug.org/files/vmware/vista-cdrom-drv.flp

Yup, I agree - I do didn't want to pay to download this. Anyway, here you go.

-Will (http://www.lavmug.org)

[dmanconi]

Hi Will

Thanks for the link.

Cheers

David

[hullt]

I am getting to following:

"The \[CD-ROM Drive (A:\cdrom.inf] device driver could not be installed. Contact your vendor for an updated driver"

Trying to install Vista EE on an ESX 3.0.1 host.

Adding some more info.

hullt

[Dave_Mishchenko]

You'll want to download the floppy drive image that William has provided a link for at: http://www.lavmug.org/files/vmware/vista-cdrom-drv.flp.

Then copy it to your ESX server and configure your VM to use that for the floppy drive. When propmted for the driver during Vista install, it should be able to find it on the floppy drive.

[hullt]

Finally got it working!!

I tried that in every combination I could find and finally found the one that worked for me. I had to very quickly connect the floppy immediately after I started the boot process during the “loading windows files” time. This was the only way I could get it to work. I did it the way you pointed out, (and several other variations), but it would always give me the same error. Now I have it figured out I can press on. Thanks.

[ifloyd]

The floppy image also works on the new Beta versions of Longhorn Server. Just tested this with Labmanager 2.4 and ESX 3.0.1 with all patches as of Jun-15-2007.