Error on installing XP as guest OS

[steigw]

I'm setting up my first virtual machine and am having trouble. I installed Workstation 6.5.1 on windows XP Pro SP3. I then created my first VM and tried to install XP Pro SP3. When the wizard asked for the CD of the guest OS, I put my original CD in the CD drive and then when it attempted to install from that drive I got this error: CDBOOT: Cannot boot from CD - Code: 4.

So I then created an ISO image of that CD and placed it on the host computers HD and then instead of pointing the Wizard at the CD drive, I pointed it to the ISO file. But I received the exact same error message. So something is wrong with either my computer or my approach to making this VM.

I sure would appreciate some help.

Host computer is Dell Optiplex with 3GB of RAM and IDE 500GB HD and IDE DVD-R drive.

Thanks!

[joe1600]

hiiiiiiiii

while use the new virtual amchine wizard itself , browse to ISO file path,make sure that the installation media does not have any probs like physical damage or markings on it.it should work also check for NTFS permissions on the partition holding the ISO FILE..

PLEASE MARK MY REPLY AS "correct" AND OR AS "helpful" ,THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!

regards

Joe

[AWo]

Welcome to the forums!

Can you boot your host with this particular CD (without installing XP, of course)?

Or cross check it, can you boot the VMware guest with a different media (Linux boot CD, etc.)?

If you found this information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful" replies. Thanks!!

AWo

VCP / vEXPERT 2009

[steigw]

Sorry, I had already done this and got the same error.

[steigw]

You raised an interesting point. I can put this particular CD in the drive of my laptop and an autorun pulls up a menu with choices to do a variety of things, including installing the operating system. However, it doesn't do this in the computer that has vm ware on it.

I've gone into the bios settings on that computer. It has a floppy, a SATA 500GB HD and a PATA DVD. Boot sequence is:

1) onboard or USB CD-ROM drive

2) onboard or USB floppy drive

3) onboard SATA drive

It always boots from the sata drive.

When I try to boot from the CD, I get the exact error message that shows in the VMWare window when I'm trying to install the guest operating system. Then is skips over that and goes to the hard drive to boot.

I've tried other CDs that are bootable and nothing boots. I'm assuming this is the problem with installing the guest OS. What should I do?

[RDPetruska]

So, if the CD isn't bootable, then you won't be able to boot it in VMware either.

Re: other bootable discs -- do you have more than one optical drive? If so, don't use auto-detect. Specify which host drive letter to use.

[steigw]

I was hoping to avoid the booting CD issue by turning the CD into an ISO and pointing the wizard at the ISO file. But that didn't seem to work. How can I skip the bootable CD issue?

[RDPetruska · Accepted solution]

I was hoping to avoid the booting CD issue by turning the CD into an ISO and pointing the wizard at the ISO file. But that didn't seem to work. How can I skip the bootable CD issue?

An ISO is merely an image of a CD (or DVD)... so if the disc isn't bootable, the image won't be either!

Either find a bootable installation disc, or use bootable floppies (or floppy images).