41 replies to this topic

[agni]

UPDATE:

Microsoft has officially released an Update for Windows 7 that allows users to install XP Mode on computers that do not support Hardware Virtualization
Update for Windows 7 (KB977206)
Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB977206)

http://agnipulse.com...virtualization/


VMWare supports Windows XP Mode without Hardware Virtualization.
http://agnipulse.com...-0-and-xp-mode/
http://www.vmware.co...es_player3.html
http://www.howtogeek...virtualization/


VMLite (a virtualization technology based on VirtualBox ) can run XP Mode in Windows even if your processor is not capable of Hardware Virtualization.

Its a tweaked version of VirtualBox and can run XP Mode even in Windows Vista.
The XP Mode in VMlite does not require activation.(You have to download XP Mode from Microsoft and install it with VMLite)

You can download VMlite here http://www.vmlite.co.../vmlite-xp-mode
Download XP Mode from Microsoft here http://download.micr...PMode_en-us.exe
Download How To Guide here http://www.vmlite.co...ode/howto-guide
Source: http://agnipulse.com...virtualization/

[yahoouk]

VMLite (a virtualization technology based on VirtualBox ) can run XP Mode in Windows even if your processor is not capable of Hardware Virtualization.

You can download VMlite here http://www.vmlite.co.../vmlite-xp-mode
Download How To Guide here http://www.vmlite.co...ode/howto-guide
Source: http://agnipulse.com...virtualization/

It is really good news for MultiPE Project.

YahooUK

[Brito]

Yes, I wonder if this can be used to run from a PE environment as host..

[Lancelot]

Hi agni,

I just noticed this info when fooling around in your agnipulse signature and downloading to test. Than I noticed you open a topic on boot-land, thanks for opening the topic.
Btw, in your page it writes "Supports XP, Vista, Windows 7, 2003 server, 2008 server as guest, for example, you can run Windows 7 on XP to have similar integration features" ...

Well I will try how it works tonight

[Lancelot]

News are not very good

VMLiteWorkstation is in fact "Virtual Box Special Edition" as a result it should have same limitations with virtual box. (No good news for emulating PEx64)
******An advice from me: IF YOU HAVE Virtual Box Installed, UNINSTALL Virtual BOX first.

VMLiteWorkstation emulates xp32bit,
the Feature* it says is, it is superior than MS's "Windows XP Mode of Win7" with the following reasons:
1) MS's "Windows XP Mode of Win7" requires VT.
2) MS's "Windows XP Mode of Win7" is only for Win7.
This is not news for many users since all known emulators can already boot xp32bit on many windows environment.

VMLiteWorkstation simply downloads the xpsp3 package M$ prepared for "Windows XP Mode of Win7", mounts and installs this package to an image (silently), than boots from this image.


What is the real news to me is:
**"Seamless Mode"
Edit: Seamless Mode is something I learned with this trials, I than learned this feature already exists on Virtual BOX
"Seamless Mode" unites Windows desktop with the Virtual PC's Explorer, this will probably make 'End User' life easier.
Here is a picture I take from my desktop, blue ones are from Virtualized XP32sp3


*When virtual machine created, "Internet Explorer (Secure).lnk" created at Start Menu\Programs, when you click on it, it opens the virtual xp32 pc in "Seamless Mode" and executes Internet Explorer.
Here is what it writes in Target of "Internet Explorer (Secure).lnk"
"C:\Program Files\VMLite\VMLite Workstation\RunDll32.exe" vmlitert.dll,LaunchVmShortcut "VMLite XP Mode" "Internet Explorer.lnk" 1

**Important News for me: Billy distributes a copy of xp32sp3 , multilanguage , check here , maybe we can use this copy to prepare a source for PE1x builds (ex: LiveXP)

[Brito]

That would be a legal move. But project users should accept the EULA terms inside the downloaded file before allowing it to be used as source.

This could provide LiveXP with a true one-click-feeling, only requiring people to click the blue button and see it build right away.

[Lancelot]

Well Nuno, the eula part is not tasting good

reason is, Bi$$ly already wrote

END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR MICROSOFT SOFTWARE
MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP MODE
(WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL SERVICE PACK 3 IN VIRTUAL HARD DISK IMAGE FORMAT FOR USERS OF WINDOWS 7 PROFESSIONAL, ENTERPRISE AND ULTIMATE EDITIONS)

in the eula (here)

VMLiteWorkstation maybe breaks the eula by giving the option of using the image inside WindowsXPMode_en-us.exe on hostos'es other than Win7 (example: here my hostos is not win7 )
On eula "hd image FOR win7" , I miss the "purpose" limitation. By obeying the eula maybe A Win7 user can use this image to boot xpsp3 with a virtualization software, and maybe one can make a setup utility that unites this official image with official xpServicePack3 to create a decent xpsp3 source cd to build LiveXP on Win7.

Yes, I wonder if this can be used to run from a PE environment as host..

Yes it can be used..

[Brito]

Well. Specifically for LiveXP, the EULA can be displayed. If the user does not accept the EULA then it aborts it's use, otherwise, the user will be responsible for using the files on a non-win7 OS.

That way it becomes EULA compliant since the responsibility for following this limitation is now on the end-user side.

[Icecube]

You can get a 'free' (maybe not tolerated by the EULA) Windows XP from Microsoft for use with virtualization software without using VMLite, by following these steps:

• Download "Windows XP Mode":
  You can find Direct Download Links on http://www.tenezo.co...-pc-and-xp.html
• Extract the file \sources\xpm from the download file with 7-zip. For the English version this file is WindowsXPMode_en-us.exe.
• Extract VirtualXPVHD from xpm with 7-zip and rename to VirtualXP.vhd (use .vhd as extension). The xpm file also contains a KEY file which seems to contain a Windows activating key, but I didn't need it.
• Now you can use this vhd file as hard disk image in VirtualBox or VMware.
• When you boot this hard disk image, you get the usual installation questions and you have to agree with the EULA .
• If you use VirtualBox, install the guest additions. Press the Host key (normally the right control key) together with "L", to enable/disable seamless mode.

Tested on my PC running Ubuntu .

[JohnK]

So could anyone summarize the advantages or disadvantages of using XP in VMLite versus VirtualBox?

Thanks

[rasker]

This looks like a straight rip of Virtualbox with some extra docs to make it easy to use the xp mode download of win 7. I can't really see any reason to use it instead of virtualbox.

The vmlite website doesn't really say it is based on virtualbox when it very obviously is. The screenshot's in the documentation show virtualbox with the usb drivers and I guess that is covered under the Virtualbox PUEL license. Seems kinda odd and possibly dodgy to me. It's like a weird attempt to productise someone's documentation project or an email address phishing scam or something.

I'm personally going to avoid it, I'm getting bad vibes here.

R

[Jotnar]

Not to mention the "seamless" mode is a feature of virtualbox not vmlite. You just have to enable it in the config options. I use it for my linux vm.

I looked at this last month or whenever it was that it was originally making the news site rounds. It seems more than slightly sleazy to not mention that its derived from VirtualBox. Another strike against it is that they show it using the USB drivers which last I knew weren't in the opensource version.

[Lancelot]

Not to mention the "seamless" mode is a feature of virtualbox not vmlite.

Well, With not being a regular VirtualBox user, I just learned with this occasion

It seems more than slightly sleazy

I agree, nothing new with VMlite, only some autodownload/install functions and that is all (+USB think you mention). Practially I do not see any reason now to use VMlite.

[shinji257]

VMLite is using the VirtualBox OSE code. So yea they are using that as the base. The UI for the most part is the same. They have added a fair amount of closed source code on top which automates specific tasks. They also created the code that does the remaining XP Mode functions including a better shared folders ability and the icons being integrated into the start menu. VirtualBox all by itself does not do that. Any code changes that the author of VMLite did to VirtualBox were submitted and commited to the VirtualBox OSE repository for future inclusion. Looks like the VMLite authors are doing their own USB drivers because VMLite has USB support but that is closed source (i.e. proprietary) on the VirtualBox side as well.

VirtualBox isn't specifically mentioned due to licensing and trademark concerns. That is my understanding. Anyways they are not competing against or attempting to rip off VirtualBox. Rather VirtualBox has given them a great foot up to their goal. They filled in the missing gaps though.

[karyonix]

Windows XP Mode in Windows Virtual PC donesn't require activation.
Windows XP Mode in VirtualBox requires activation.
Does Windows XP Mode in VMLite require activation ?

[JohnK]

Windows XP Mode in Windows Virtual PC donesn't require activation.
Windows XP Mode in VirtualBox requires activation.
Does Windows XP Mode in VMLite require activation ?

That's an interesting question. I just set up and ran in VirtualBox. Nothing interesting or special as far as I can see. When I ran VirtualBox it did prompt me to download an updated version. It does have USB enabled. Sharing folders seem fine as it has always been. So the only thing I can see that is offered by the VMLite crew is the ease of installation for someone not familiar with VirtualBox. Of course, it is not useful to anyone not running a version of Windows 7 that the XP SP3 image is supplied for due to the activation issue. I have been running XP in VirtualBox for a long time in Vista with an image created by the VirtualBox setup wizard and my XP install CD

[huisinro]

Please take a closer look here: (VirtualBox is mentioned outrightly)

http://www.vmlite.co...ite-workstation

"VMLite Workstation is based on the popular open source project, VirtualBox OSE, thanks to the VBox team for their great efforts."

[huisinro]

Windows XP Mode in Windows Virtual PC donesn't require activation.
Windows XP Mode in VirtualBox requires activation.
Does Windows XP Mode in VMLite require activation ?

No, VMLite pre-activates the Windows XP vm if installed from Microsoft VHD file.

[karyonix]

No, VMLite pre-activates the Windows XP vm if installed from Microsoft VHD file.

So there is a good reason to use VMLite instead of VirtualBox.
Thanks.
There is an old PC (Pentium4) with Windows 7 Professional at my home. It cannot run Windows Virtual PC. I will try VMLite.

[rasker]

Cool thanks huisinro.

I have posted a question to the virtualbox users mailing list. It basically comes down to the licensing. From my last posting to the vbox-users list:

The question actually comes down to what license they are using. It's not really obvious but then again I didn't look that closely once I became sceptical and then also because it requires 'registration' to download.

If it is based on virtualbox OSE then there should be, at least, a source code download as well as a binary download, based on the GPL licensing. No? At least for the gpl parts of the code. Requiring registration to download also seems odd. That is more common in the non-gpl world than in the gpl world.

Sure, if it is a genuine setup then all well and good although a bit odd. It just seems to me they are setting up to 'sell' products when in fact they may not be able to in the current form due to licensing restrictions.

Something just doesn't feel right. However if the virtualbox guys are happy with vmlite then I don't have any more to say on the matter. I just thought I should bring it to their attention.

R

[firozmusthafa]

You guys must be kidding,
first of all vmlite is the best virtualisation that i have seen that's closer to xp mode (even better than virtualbox!, you heard that?)

secondly it does not in any way 'replicate' the features of virtualbox but rather 'inherit' its features and incorporates some 'plus points' of xp mode for windows 7

Some of the features worth noting are:
===========================
1) auto publishing of virtualised installation [most tangible feature]
(i.e, if the installed product produces a shortcut link in start-menu of the guest OS then it is published in the host OS, try it!)

2) faster saving and resuming(about 200% faster than xp mode)

3) higher performance (ofcourse beats virtualbox in terms of booting and execution speed)
reason is 'vmlite is a tweaked version of virtualbox'

4) clipboard sharing( i am not sure if it is present in latest virtualbox)

5) really small memory requirement than virtualbox and xp mode

It could be observed that, none of the menus are renamed (which could be easily done using third party modders)

and, above all they are NOT claiming : "vmlite is not derived from virtualbox"

This really proves their honesty.

If you really want "XP MODE" in your OS, then it is out of question whether to choose vmlite or not.

vmlite outperforms its parent virtualbox and its rival XP Mode in several benchmark results

If you really don't think that is true, double check the benchmark results against virtualbox and xp mode, you will surely be convinced

I personally love this piece of gem.

[rasker]

firozmusthafa
Kind of weird that this is your first post. Most of what you say is just plain rubbish. Try googling "vmlite benchmarks". Nada, zero, zip nothing. Secondly, it IS virtualbox so it cannot really be 'better' per se, although it might provide some additional functionality.

I originally posted to clarify some issues and all I seem to be getting is FUD. What exactly is the licensing with vmlite? Does it violate the gpl or not?

There are numerous cases of gpl software being commercialised by unscrupulous people. VMlite, initially, comes across as being one of these. If that is the case then people would be better off being pointed to the original developers (virtualbox). Particularly as some of the 'features' of vmlite are actually just features of virtualbox. If not then it would be a case of simply clarifying the relationship between vmlite and virtualbox, not from a 'feature' comparison but from a licensing standpoint.

I'm not really seeing why this is so hard?

[rasker]

OK, I got a link from the virtualbox users mail list which vaguely clarifies things:

http://forums.virtua...p...382&start=0

[JohnK]

So there is a good reason to use VMLite instead of VirtualBox.
Thanks.
There is an old PC (Pentium4) with Windows 7 Professional at my home. It cannot run Windows Virtual PC. I will try VMLite.

If you are running Win7 Pro you should be able to activate under VirtualBox. Microsoft doesn't require that you use Virtual PC, they only require that you have Win 7 Pro, Enterprise or Ultimate.

[Icecube]

By obeying the eula maybe A Win7 user can use this image to boot xpsp3 with a virtualization software, and maybe one can make a setup utility that unites this official image with official xpServicePack3 to create a decent xpsp3 source cd to build LiveXP on Win7.

Just an idea.
Use the method I described in post #9 to extract the VHD file.
Use ImDisk to mount this VHD file and get the necessary files of this image.
In that case you never have to agree with the EULA explicitly (at least you won't see that message).