Virtualization (Portable XP?)
on 06.09.06, 06:44am in computers • comments (8)
[rentzsch.com] A friend recently asked for my Windows antivirus utility recommendation. I gave him an answer he wasn’t expecting: VirtualPC.
I’ve been a long time believer in the usage of Virtual Machines. Initially I used them as a way to easily test various versions of operating systems with software I was working on, but recently been using them as my portable development environment (I’ve been using Parallels as my "XP" since moving to the Macbook Pro). And having a stable version that I can roll back to at any time is extremely appealing to me.
What I’d love to see next? "Portable XP" (think of Portable CE, but for an entire XP install).
As USB keys get larger (and portable hard drives get smaller), I’d love to have a portable version of Virtual PC (hm? maybe VMWare Player) that runs from an external device (usb key or drive) which contains a virtual machine of my XP install. This way, I can walk up to any machine, plug in the drive/key, and wham - a window opens with my PC: The apps I want, the configuration I want, and the tools that I want. Heck, if I want my entire development suite with me, it’s no problem.
And, the best part - when I’m done, I shutdown, unplug and walk away.
Hmm. I’m sensing an experiment this weekend. 
john ludwig (June 9, 2006 @ 12:02 pm)
if you do the experiment, please post the results! a fascinating thing to try.
Dori (June 9, 2006 @ 4:01 pm)
I’ve been thinking about doing something along these lines solely so I can have multiple versions of IE for testing. As the previous commenter said, please post the results!
John (June 10, 2006 @ 2:45 pm)
Please post your results. I’ve been playing with the free VMWare server and player for the last few weeks. With server you can create images, and play them back with player. I think the bigest thing you will hit is that player has to install driver and services in order to run, so I don’t think you will get it working from a USB device. Of course you could always ‘install’ the player on the host you are using but that defeats the spirit of ‘portable’. -Not to mention it is very slow to install.
Robert Rittmuller (June 12, 2006 @ 7:58 pm)
I totally agree, I use both VMware and the latest version of Parallels virtualization software at work for exactly what you describe and it rocks! I regularly run both XP and Fedora at the same time with no issues. It would be interesting to see just how portable an XP install could get but all my current VM installs seem to be at least 4gb in size. At that rate it might be a while before jump drives could be an option…
ntgooroo (June 18, 2006 @ 2:16 am)
MAke your own.
http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/09/09/windows_in_your_pocket/
Or do a Bit Torrent Search for MiKiCun XPinCD or MiKiCun XP CD. I am using it right now to surf the web and write this message.
But I really wish people would stop writing in blogs that they wish they had something, or would love to see it, when they don’t actually have it or know where to find it. It messes up the searches for us who do know. When I do searches, all I get are a bunch of blogs from people who wish they had it.
joeker (September 6, 2006 @ 4:26 am)
@ntgooroo. thanks for the MikICun-tip. looks like an easy way to check out the livecd. but remember, this is not always an option e.g. when working on a pc you can’t reboot or mess with the bios options.
also, when booting from an usb device (tomshardware-how-to), you most likely need to update the bios first if it’s older than two years.
t10110010 (October 27, 2006 @ 9:14 am)
This app seems to be exactly what you and I have been looking for.
It’s a portable (installs only to the portable device and all datas stored locally). Installs on ipods, thumb drives, and usb hdds.
Can store vpc offline as well as host your personalized vpc via server.
They also had preconfigured vpcs for dl much like vmware has on their site. I am certain it also said it was simple to convert “VMWare VMs”. Well anyway you can read what they say.
t10110010 (October 27, 2006 @ 9:17 am)
Ooops I linked the url to my name in the previous post. Second post. Maybe need a href or something else.
Anyway worst case scenario cut and paste
http://www.moka5.com/