Upgrade Fusion XP VM to Windows 7 - solution for "need SCSI driver"

[objectcentral]

I have an XP VM created under Fusion 2. For whatever reason, the VM has a Virtual SCSI disk instead of an IDE disk.

When I tried to use the XP VM to upgrade to Win 7, the upgrade fails with a message that it can't install onto a SCIS disk!

So if you're upgrading from XP, you do have the problem of dealing with installed apps - you have to re-install them.

So a solution I discussed in another post is the old double install trick. This is the most no-brainer method - Create a Win 7 VM from scratch. Mount your upgrade DVD or iso (an iso image is faster). Then you will install Win7 twice. Yep - but with an ISO it only takes about 10 minutes, and this method is in the end faster and requires no thought at all. On the first install, select a custom install, and then do not enter the serial number or any other information. You just need an installed Win7. Then repeat - a custom install over the first install. This time you can enter the serial number. You end up with a clean install (but with a windows.old directory which you can delete). This is the no brainer way to do it.

But, say you want to upgreade your XP VM - for whatever reason. As I said, if it has an SCSI Virtual disk, the upgrade fails. What you have to do is download this file:

It is a floppy image of a SCSI driver. Add a floppy as an extra device on your XP VM. Don't mount it yet (if you do, the VM tries to boot off the floppy and you get an NT LOADER not found message). Boot the XP VM with you upgrade ISO/DVD mounted.

Now you can start the upgrade from the upgrade media by running setup. When you get to the point to select the disk and you see the can't use SCSI message, you can now mount the floppy image unzipped from the above download. Now you can click the load driver link near the bottom of the Win7 install dialog. Browse for the floppy, and there you go. The SCSI driver is loaded, and the upgrade will now happily continue.

So it can be done - apparently Microsoft has decided that SCSI drivers are dead and didn't include them on the Win7 installer.

I wish there were an easy way to convert the XP VM disk from SCSI to IDE, but so it goes.

By the way, after you're done, you'll probably want to convert the upgraded VM from an XP to a Win7 machine which can be done in the Virtual Machine Library window from Fusion.

I hope this works for others. Was a bit of a struggle, but I think one of these two ways are the easiest to upgrade and XP VM to Win7.

[rcardona2k]

But, say you want to upgrade your XP VM - for whatever reason. As I said, if it has an SCSI Virtual disk, the upgrade fails. What you have to do is download this file:

http://download3.vmware.com/software/fusion/vmscsi-1.2.0.4.flp.zip

You don't have to download anything, the VMware Fusion 3 version of this file is located at "/Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Resources". You can use the Finder's Go > Go to folder item enter that path to access it, e.g. make a copy for your own use.

Also this does not work for trying to overlay Win7 x64 (install on-top of) over XP x86, there are no x64 drivers for the vmscsi type (buslogic). You end up in the installer where there are no disks are available.

So it can be done - apparently Microsoft has decided that SCSI drivers are dead and didn't include them on the Win7 installer.

This is completely untrue, Win7 x64 installs are done exclusively to LSILogic virtual scsi disks in Fusion. These scsi drivers are on the Win7 x64 media.

By the way, after you're done, you'll probably want to convert the upgraded VM from an XP to a Win7 machine which can be done in the Virtual Machine Library window from Fusion.

This is not a conversion, so much as changing the guest OS type to reflect what's running in the virtual machine after the upgrade.

[iith096]

Easiest way to install the "upgrade" of Windows 7 is to do a normal clean install using a new virtual machine and don't input your activation code at the beginning but just do a custom installation. Once installed and fully booted up, go here (http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp) and do the "registry hack" to get your activation code accepted.

Worked for me with no issues using Windows 7 Home Premium and VMWare Fusion 2 (now upgraded to 3).

Good Luck.

Carlos.

[objectcentral]

@ rcardona2k:

Hey - I'd done a search for anything about SCSI drivers and didn't find the fact the scsi driver is in the Resources folder. Cool. Great to know that! Too bad there's no 64-bit versions.

And either way, you're still stuck reinstalling your programs. But it has always been advised to do a clean Windows install and start over anyway. No matter how clean Win7 might or might not be, that registry is still there, and still gets full of junk.

And that's why we're all here - we use our Macs as our real machine, but have Windows for those very few apps that are Win only!

@iith096:

And I disagree that anything involving a registry hack is easy - at least for a very large percentage of people. Sure, it might be a little faster, but it is just so easy to remember - do a double install, don't enter serial number 1st time - as opposed to finding come complex instructions somewhere and then editing the registry in some very exact way. Sure it works, might be a little faster if you find the right site, and don't make any mistakes, and have the confidence to do that. But the double install is likely only a little slower by the time most people read the registry mod instructions and feel comfortable. So - if you are comfortable doing registry mods - and it is easy - try that way. If you don't really want to tinker, the double install works without much thinking involved.

[iith096]

I agree. If a reg hack is too intimidating, go the "double install" route. Point taken.

Just wanted to ensure the more advanced users out there knew about this alternate method.

[hjan]

I have a 64 bit windows 7 upgrade. How am i supposed to install it since vmscsi.flp does not work with windows 7 64 bit?

[rcardona2k]

Make a new VM for Win7 x64 -- your upgrade disc can install a fresh copy either by the double-install trick above or single install without a key and a registry tweak to accept your upgrade key. As for getting your files use Windows 7 Easy Transfer from XP 32-bit x86