Installing Windows 7 using VMware on your Windows XP

July 18th, 2010

VMware is a virtualization platform where you can install multiple Operating Systems (OS) on your desktop or laptop computer.

For example, if your computer is running Windows Vista but you want to experiment with Windows 7 for development or certification, you can install a guest OS of Windows 7. In fact, you can install an entire virtual domain on a single computer.

How to Install Windows 7 in VMware WorkstationWith VMware Workstation, you no longer need to purchase multiple physical computers to meet your development or certification needs.

A desktop or laptop with good processing power and plenty of available memory is all that you will need to unlock your desktop from a single OS to multiple OS’s.

For example, my current configuration is a 64-Bit computer with a quad-processor and 8GB of RAM. It allows me to run up to 10 virtual machines simultaneously.

If your computer is 32-bit with 2-4 GB of RAM, you can run 1-4 virtual machines simultaneously. You can experiment with the memory settings depending on the specifications of the computer you own.

Note: Please review the specifications of VMware prior to downloading the software to assure that your computer meets the minimum requirements.

VMware Workstation System Requirements

The hardware requirements are as follows:

•   Standard x86?compatible or x86?64?compatible personal computer
•   1.3GHz or faster CPU minimum
•   Multiprocessor systems are supported
•   Support for 64?bit guest operating systems is available with Intel VT or AMD?V CPUs
•   Operating system installation media (disk or disk image) for virtual machines
•   For Windows 7 Aero Graphics Support:
•  Intel Dual Core, 2.2GHz and above or AMD Athlon 4200+ and above
•  nVidia GeForce 8800GT and above or ATI Radeon HD 2600 and above
•  At least 3GB of host system memory

Download a Free 30-Day Trial Copy

If you want to follow along with the steps that I’m going to demonstrate in this tutorial, you’re going to need a trial or licensed version of VMware Workstation. You can download a trial version here.

When you run the executable, follow the simple wizard to install the software. You may be prompted to reboot your computer after the installation of VMware Workstation.

Creating a Virtual Machine

Let’s begin by opening VMware Workstation from the Start menu. Alternatively, you can type, “VMware” in the instant search field and select VMware Workstation from the list of programs (Figure 1).
Creating a Virtual Machine
Figure 1: VMware Workstation Main Window
Next, click File | New | Virtual Machine. A wizard appears to create a new virtual machine as shown in Figure 2.
How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 2: New Virtual Machine Wizard
Click “Next” and choose how you want to load Windows 7. You can load it from installation media (DVD) or you can use an ISO image. For the purposes of this article, we will use an ISO image (Figure 3).
How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 3: Loading Windows 7 from an ISO Image.
Next, select “Installer disc image file (ISO)” and browse to where your Windows 7 ISO image resides. Click “Next” and enter the Windows 7 product key (Figure 4).

Note: You can optionally personalize Windows 7 with a user and password.
How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 4: Entering a Windows 7 Product Key
Click “Next”, and enter a virtual machine name and choose a location for your virtual machine to reside. You can simply accept the defaults and move forward in the installation (Figure 5).
How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 5: Entering a Virtual Machine Name and Location
Click “Next” and accept (Figure 6) the default disk size of 40 GB. You can increase or decrease this size as you see fit.

Experimenting with different sizes will help you obtain your sweet spot for all Windows 7 virtual machines. Additionally, you have the option of splitting the virtual machine in 2 GB files; this will help when moving your virtual machines between computers.
How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 6: Specify the Disk Capacity
Click “Next” and you can customize your virtual machine hardware prior to beginning the Windows 7 virtual machine Operating System (OS) load (Figure 7).

For example, you can add disks, serial ports, and printers. You can also remove unnecessary hardware such as floppy drives and sound cards (Figure 8).
How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 7: Customizing Virtual Machine Hardware
How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 8: Add/Remove Hardware
Click OK and Finish and Windows 7 begins to load (Figure 9). Since you entered the product key, VMware Workstation enters an “Easy Install” mode. Just sit back, relax, and a Windows 7 virtual machine is installed.
How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 9: Windows 7 “Easy Install”

VMware Tools

In the current version of VMware Workstation (VMware Workstation 7), the VMware Tools are automatically installed so you no longer have to worry about whether you remembered to install the VMware Tools or not. The VMware Tools install the following components:

  • VMware Tools service
  • VMware device drivers
  • VMware user process
  • VMware Tools control panel

Working with a Virtual Machine

Now that your virtual machine (Figure 10) is ready, you can use it like it was a physical computer. If you choose View | Full Screen, you can work with your virtual machine a full-screen mode. Other options you have when working with virtual machines is the following:

  • Power On a Virtual Machine
  • Power Off a Virtual Machine
  • Suspend a Virtual Machine into Memory
  • Snapshot a Virtual Machine

How to Install Windows 7 in VMware Workstation
Figure 10: Windows 7 Virtual Machine
Now that you are familiar with VMware Workstation, experiment with the different settings, test new drivers and software on Windows 7. Additionally, you can use VMware Workstation to prepare for any certification programs you wish to achieve.

Finally, if you must stay current on a wide range of different technologies, including the multitude of operating systems on the market such as Windows 95, 98, NT4, 2000, XP, Vista, Server (2000, 2003, 2008), and other permutations of the Windows operating systems, VMware Workstation and virtualization is the answer.

How To Set Up a Home File Server For Free

July 4th, 2010

Ever wonder if you could recover files, photos or folders that got deleted by mistake from your home pc. I know that there are lot of softwares that can recover that data for you but ever wonder if this things happen at your office, your IT guy provides you that data back in few mins. How that becomes possible??? Most of you might know and will say it simple because your system are connected to server and so backup are store on it.

If I say you can also setup same kind of Technology at your home, you will start counting the amount of money that you would have to spend…But as I have titled my post Free there is nothing that you need to spend.There are different paid software but FREENAS software is good software available at the cost of nothing, you just require your old working computer and some technical knowledge.

Installation and setup:
To set up FreeNAS as a home file server, you must make sure you have all the proper hardware first.Just follow the below link it has all step by step installation instructions.

http://www.installationwiki.org/Installing_FreeNAS

Final words:

I recommend this software to all those people who want the good and reliable software at no cost.

Resources:
Website:  http://www.freenas.org/
Download:  http://sourceforge.net/projects/freenas/files/
FreeNAS Knowledgebase: http://www.freenaskb.info/kb/
FreeNAS Support forum:http://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/freenas/index.php

Microsoft Office 2010 Plus Beta Version

March 3rd, 2010

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 empowers people to do their best work from more places – whether they’re using a PC, phone or web browser. It can maximize existing investments and help people accomplish more by bringing server capabilities to everyone through familiar and intuitive applications. Office Professional Plus 2010 provides smart, simple, time-saving tools to help everyone do more with less.

Here’s what you need to know:
This is pre-release software, so please read the following to get an idea of the risks and key things you need to know before you try the Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta.
Protect your PC and data. Be sure to back up your data and please don’t test Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta on your primary home or business PC.
Uninstall any previous versions of Microsoft Office. We highly recommend that previous versions of Microsoft Office be removed from your test machine before installing Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta.
Keep your PC updated. Be sure to turn on automatic updates in Windows Update in case we publish updates for the Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta.
Here’s what you need to have*:
Internet access (to download Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta and get updates)
A PC with these minimum recommended specifications:
500 MHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor or higher
256 MB of system memory or more
3.5 GB of available disk space
1024×768 or higher resolution monitor
DVD-R/W Drive
Supported Operating Systems:
Windows XP with Service Pack (SP) 3 (32-bit)
Windows Vista with SP1 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows Server 2008 with SP2 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
*Please note these specifications could change.

From Where to Download It

Microsoft Office 2010 Beta Professional Plus - Free Download

What can IT pros do with Windows 7?

January 6th, 2010

Windows 7 contains many new and changed features of interest to IT pros. Following are some of the key management tasks that can be improved or enabled with Windows 7.

Make end users productive anywhere:

Windows 7 enables end users to be productive no matter where they are or where the data they need resides. They can work faster and with fewer interruptions because Windows 7 improves performance and reliability. They do not have to look in multiple places to find information because a single search can examine a SharePoint site on a company intranet and files on their computers. With DirectAccess, mobile users are able to simply and securely access corporate resources when they are out of the office. Users in branch offices with slow connections can be more productive by using BranchCache™ in Windows 7 to cache frequently accessed files and Web pages.

Enhance security and control:

Windows 7 builds on the security foundation of Windows Vista, delivering increased flexibility in securing computers and data. In addition to protecting internal computer hard disk drives, BitLocker™ Drive Encryption can encrypt external USB drives and hard disks—and provide recovery keys so that the data is accessible when it is needed.  For enterprises that demand the highest levels of compliance, IT pros can use new application-blocking tools to dictate which applications are allowed to run on end user computers, providing another way to limit the risk of malicious software.

Streamline desktop management with the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack:

Whether IT pros manage and deploy desktop computers, portable computers, or virtual environments, Windows 7 makes the job easier while enabling them to use the same tools and skills they use with Windows Vista. Advanced image management and deployment tools enable IT pros to add, remove, and report on drivers, language packs, and updates—and deploy those system images to user computers by using less network bandwidth. New scripting and automation capabilities based on Windows PowerShell™ 2.0 reduce the costs of managing and troubleshooting computers. For IT pros that use client virtualization, Windows 7 helps them more easily maintain virtual machine images and provide a richer user experience over remote connections.

The Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, which is updated at least once a year, completes the enterprise experience. By using Windows 7 and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack together, enterprises can optimize their desktop infrastructure and gain the flexibility to address their unique business needs. Companies can quickly prepare to deploy Windows 7 by immediately deploying Windows Vista and the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. Customers who are already running Windows Vista will find that Windows 7 delivers strong compatibility with Windows Vista software and devices, and that Windows 7 can be managed with many of the same tools that they use to manage Windows Vista. Companies that are using the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack will have an even greater advantage when moving to Windows 7 because they can more easily migrate settings and applications.

What’s New for IT Pros in Windows 7!

January 5th, 2010

Users are becoming increasingly computer savvy, and they expect more from the technology they use at work. They expect to be able to work from home, from branch offices, and on the road, without a decrease in productivity. As the needs of users have changed, the demands on IT professionals have increased. Today, IT pros are being asked to provide more capabilities and support greater flexibility, while continuing to minimize cost and security risks. With Windows® 7, IT pros can meet the diverse needs of their users in a way that is more manageable. Businesses can enable employees to work more productively at their desks, at home, on the road, or in a branch office. Security and control are enhanced, reducing the risk associated with data on lost computers or external hard drives. Desktop management is streamlined, so it takes less work to deploy Windows 7 and keep it running smoothly. Because Windows 7 is based on the Windows Vista® foundation, companies that have already deployed Windows Vista will find that Windows 7 is highly compatible with existing hardware, software, and tools.