Creating a Virtual PC Image for MED-V
To create a Virtual PC (VPC) image for MED-V, you must perform the following:
Install the MED-V workspace .msi package onto the VPC image.
Run the MED-V virtual machine prerequisites tool on the VPC image.
Manually configure virtual machine prerequisites on the VPC image.
Configure Sysprep for MED-V images (optional).
Creating a Virtual PC Image by Using Microsoft Virtual PC
To create a Virtual PC image using Microsoft Virtual PC, refer to the Virtual PC documentation.
For more information, see the following:
How to Install the MED-V Workspace .msi Package
After the Virtual PC image is created, install the MED-V workspace .msi package onto the image.
To install the MED-V workspace image
Start the virtual machine, and copy the MED-V workspace .msi package inside.
The MED-V workspace .msi package is called MED-V_workspace_x.msi, where x is the version number.
For example, MED-V_workspace_1.0.65.msi.
Double-click the MED-V workspace .msi package, and follow the installation wizard instructions.
Note When a new MED-V version is released, and an existing Virtual PC image is updated, uninstall the existing MED-V workspace .msi package, reboot the computer, and install the new MED-V workspace .msi package.
Note After the MED-V workspace .msi package is installed, other products that replace GINA cannot be installed.
How to Run the Virtual Machine Prerequisites Tool
The virtual machine (VM) prerequisites tool is a wizard that automates several of the prerequisites.
Note Although many parameters are configurable in the wizard, the properties required for the proper functioning of MED-V are not configurable.
To run the virtual machine prerequisites tool
After the MED-V workspace .msi package is installed, on the Windows Start menu, select All Programs > MED-V > VM Prerequisites Tool.
Note The user running the virtual machine prerequisites tool must have local administrator rights and must be the only user logged in.
The MED-V VM Prerequisite Wizard Welcome page appears.
Click Next.
On the Windows Settings page, from the following configurable properties, select the ones to be configured:
Clear users’ personal history information
Clear local profiles temp directory
Disable sounds on following Windows events: start, logon, logoff
Note Do not enable Windows page saver in a group policy.
Click Next.
On the Internet Explorer Settings page, from the following configurable properties, select the ones to be configured:
Don't use auto complete features
Disable reuse of windows for launching shortcuts
Clear browsing history
Enable tabbed browsing in Internet Explorer 7
Click Next.
On the Windows Services page, from the following configurable properties, select the ones to be configured:
Security center service
Task scheduler service
Automatic updates service
System restore service
Indexing service
Wireless Zero Configuration
Fast User Switching Compatibility
Click Next.
On the Windows Auto Logon page, do the following:
Select the Enable Windows Auto Logon check box.
Assign a User name and Password.
Click Apply, and in the confirmation box that appears, click Yes.
On the Summary page, click Finish to quit the wizard
Note Verify that group policies do not overwrite the mandatory settings set in the prerequisites tool.
How to Configure MED-V Virtual Machine Manual Installation Prerequisites
Several of the configurations cannot be configured through the virtual machine prerequisites tool and must be performed manually.
Virtual Machine Settings
It is recommended to configure the following virtual machine settings in the Microsoft Virtual PC console:
Disable floppy disk drives.
Disable undo-disks (Settings > undo-disks).
Ensure that the image has only one virtual CPU.
Eliminate interactions between the virtual machine and the user, where they are not related to published applications (such as, messages requiring user input).
Image Settings
Configure the following manual settings inside the image:
In the Power Options Properties window, disable hibernation and sleep.
Apply the most recent Windows updates.
In the Windows Startup and Recovery dialog box, in the System Failure section, clear the Automatically restart check box.
Ensure that the image uses a VLK license key.
Installing VPC Additions
On the Action menu, select Install or Update Virtual Machine Additions.
Configuring Printing
You can configure printing from the MED-V workspace in either of the following ways:
Add a printer to the virtual machine.
Allow printing with printers that are configured on the host computer.
How to Configure Sysprep for MED-V Images
In a MED-V workspace, Sysprep can be configured in order to assign unique security ID (SID), particularly when multiple MED-V workspaces are run on a single computer. It is not recommended to use Sysprep to join a domain; instead, use the MED-V join domain script action as described in How to Set Up Script Actions.
Note Sysprep is Microsoft's system preparation utility for the Windows operating system.
To configure Sysprep in a MED-V workspace
Create a directory in the root of the system drive named Sysprep.
From the Windows installation CD, extract deploy.cab to the root of the system drive, or download the latest Deployment Tools update from the Microsoft Web site.
For Windows 2000, see Deployment Tools update for Windows 2000.
For Windows XP, see Deployment Tools update for Windows XP.
Run Setup Manager (setupmgr.exe).
Follow the Setup Manager wizard.
After Sysprep is configured and the MED-V workspace is created, Sysprep must be executed.
To run Sysprep
From the Sysprep folder located in the root of the system drive, run the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep.exe).
In the warning message box that appears, click OK.
In the Sysprep Properties dialog box, select the Don't reset grace period for activation and Use Mini-Setup check boxes.
Click Reseal.
If you are not satisfied with the information listed in the confirmation message box that appears, click Cancel and change the selections.
Click OK to complete the system preparation process.
Turning Off Microsoft Virtual PC
After all the components are installed and configured, close Microsoft Virtual PC and select Turn Off.
Related topics
Creating a MED-V Image How to Set Up Script Actions