Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 in testing Microsoft Dynamics (Part I)
Having been heavily involved with testing Microsoft Dynamics custom products, I found Microsoft Virtual PC to be a must have tool. Not only because it saves a lot of money for not having to acquire different PCs in order to test products in different environments, but it also saves a lot of time. It just takes several simple rules to follow and knowing the functionalities that Microsoft Virtual PC has to offer.
What I will share are tips and tricks I gathered over the years, best practices, as well as other people’s advice.
Getting Started
Before we set off to making full use of Microsoft Virtual PC, there are some things we need to be aware to take care of. I use Microsoft VPC for most of my work. Actually, the only software on my machine that didn’t come with the OS, other than antivirus, Microsoft Office 2007, some IMs and MagicDisc (I’ll explain why later on) – is Microsoft Virtual PC 2007. Over time, I have learned that keeping my machine as clean as possible and doing everything else on VPC is the best way to go. Not having to reinstall the OS every once in a while – plus keeping the host machine running fast, saving as much resources as possible for VPCs – has a very high payback. I’m now in the situation of having a year old OS and plans for formatting the OS partition during some easy summer days.
The First Step – Do I Have the Right Equipment?
The first step in making sure you will benefit from using VPC is to acquire the proper hardware for it. If you intend to save time and money by using VPC, make sure to invest in a fast processor, a fast and spacious hard drive that you don’t use for your OS (host drive) and a lot of fast RAM.
Tip: There is no performance gain by logically partitioning your host drive
The requirements for each person’s needs vary a lot, but as a rule of thumb - add at least one Gb of RAM for each VPC you intend to use simultaneously over the amount of RAM you need for your OS. Of course, using more than one VPC calls for another monitor, but as I said, that depends on individual needs.
Tip: If you use and share multiple VPCs, consider using Microsoft Virtual Server. I will not cover this product in these series.
The Second Step – I Bought the Hardware – Now What?
Obviously, the very next step after acquiring the hardware would be to install it on the OS. It really doesn’t matter if it is Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Tablet Edition, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise or Windows Vista Ultimate – Microsoft Virtual PC will work on all of these. My OS of choice is Window XP Professional with all of the latest updates.
In case you already have a machine that you’d like to use for utilizing VPC, the next step would be to clean the mess from your host machine. You don’t have to do that, but I strongly recommend it. You will have to do it anyway at some point, so why not prior to setting up the VPCs so you benefit from a good start? My suggestion includes nothing more than your backup strategy prior to any OS partition formatting and listing all the necessary software you will need after you install your OS of choice.
Tip: The VPCs you create later on will still be perfectly good to use if you decide to go with skipping OS reinstall.
The Third Step - Defragmenting the Host Machine Drive
I strongly recommend defragmenting the hard drive(s) you will be using for VPCs. By doing so, you will ensure that your host machine runs smoothly, thus making the most of the VPCs you will be adding later on.
1. Shut down all applications on your computer.
2. Run the Disk Cleanup tool. (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup)
3. Empty the Recycle Bin.
4. Run the Disk Defragmenter several times until it completes within a few seconds (Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter). It can take some time to run, ranging from 30 minutes to several hours.
(UPDATE: View Part II)
