After delaying getting into VMs for about a year I am finally up against the wire and need to do it. I have delayed because every time I began to research the subject I became overwhelmed and figured I would get back to it later. I am about to purchase a new PC and will be finally retiring XP but the problem is that I have a complex Lotus 123 database set up that will not run on anything other than XP, this is the principle app that I will be using the VM for but there are a few others that I would like to run as well. I do not want to run in Legacy mode and have decided that VMWare is my preferred choice. I am a bit confused as to the best way to proceed so I am looking for some guidance.
Here are my questions:
1: I will be buying a Windows 7 Pro PC which will come with an upgrade disk to W8 (I prefer to run in 7 for now), is it best to use the new PC to load Workstation on and create the initial VM or could/should I do it on the old XP machine? Here are the specs for the new PC - Fujitsu Tablet PC, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (MUI), 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i7-3520M processor (4 MB, up to 3.6 GHz) with Turbo Boost Technology, 12 GB of ram, Hard drive 500 GB (7200 rpm).
2: Where can I purchase an XP Licence? If I plan to create more than 1 XP VM which will all be run on the same host PC ( never at the same time) will I need multiple licences?
3: I found a blog that indicates that its possible to set up a VMWare XP VM without having to purchase a licience. I expect this is incorrect but I am wondering if there may be something to the blog. It may be found here
Using Free Windows XP Mode as a VMware Virtual Machine
http://blog.zeltser.com/post/15781390680/windows-xp-mode-for-vmware-virtualization
4: Is there a good step by step guide to installing Workstation and creating/using VMs?
5: Is it possible to clone an existing XP setup so I do not need to instal and set up the apps I want to run on the VM? I would prefer uninstalling the apps I do not want to run in XP to having to go through the hassle of finding the instal disks or files, installing them, activating them (would entail finding the licence keys), setting them up to my user preferences, and finally, transfering all the files I have created for the various programs from the old PC to the VM.
6: Is there anything else you might recommend I look at, consider, or do now so as to avoid problems later?
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Two other questions: 1: is it possible to run an Apple OS inside a VM on a Windows PC? I have been told this could be a problem.
2: does anyone have any idea why my spell checker is not working on this forum? I am using Opera as my browser and the spell checker is working without issue on the other forums I am a member of but its not here.
Thats it for now,
Thanks for any help and guidance
