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VMWare on Windows XP for WinNT 4.0

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SantaMufasa

Technical User
Jul 17, 2003
12,588
US
I have business-critical third-party software (Ventura Publisher 4.0) that runs only on Windows NT 4.0. I have an IBM 600E whose sole purpose in life is to run VP4.0.

I would much rather retire the 600E in favor of running Ventura on my XP Pro (under VMWare, for example).

I understand that to run NT 4.0 under VMWare that one must possess bootable NT 4.0 media. I purchased the 600E without bootable NT 4.0 media.

Therefore, I am looking for advice on the least expensive method, and specific steps, by which I can achieve my objective of running Ventura 4.0 (which requires NT 4.0) on my XP machine.

Thanks,

[santa]Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm or risk. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”
 
Does running your program on XP in Compatibility Mode for Windows NT (Service Pack5) work?

Type - Getting older programs to run on Windows XP - in the Help and Support program for the basics.

You can set compatibility mode for NT service pack 5. Setting this mode may work especially as XP is based more on NT than 9x Windows..

However not all old programs will work in XP no matter what compatibility mode you select. It does seem to be a matter of trial and error.

How to use Windows Program Compatibility mode in Windows XP


Here is a link to a site that offers to sell NT 4.

What Service Pack version and the File System (ntfs4 or the later ntfs5) is something to check out.

This looks at Dual Booting possibilities and file systems.


What non bootable media do you have? Can you use it to produce something that can be booted?
 
Linney,

Thanks for that idea. I should have mentioned that back when I first tried to get VP4.0 working on this (XP) machine, I did (unsuccessfully) try the "compatibility mode" selection to NT. That's when a colleague suggested that I try VMWare.

[santa]Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm or risk. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”
 
You should have no problem running that app under VMWare, provided you get a hold of NT (see eBay or from a friendly Geek around the corner), or do an IMAGE of the present system using VMWare Converter...

VMware Converter 3 Release Notes


Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
 
would agree with ben - haven't used the converter - but have moved 'real' systems to virtual myself using my own developed method - so hopefully you can create a copy of your existing NT in vmware (or indeed virtual PC, which is free of course, though don't know if that has any conversion app available).
 
I really appreciate everyone's help so far. (I always recognize valuable posts appropriately, and there have been several so far, but I tie up those loose ends at the point where we resolve all of the outstanding issues satisfactorily, as a signal that the thread is complete. So I hope you'll bear with me until I reach that point.)

Eyec, having a link to a source for downloadable, bootable NT o/s media is absolutely one of my needs. Thanks for that link. I'll download from there as an important component for implementing a solution.

Others...among my other outstanding needs are recommendations for download links for the software infrastructure I need to build a virtual NT environment on my XP. My hope is to find the least expensive (possibly freeware or short-term test-drive) solution for a virtual environment. (Since this is for a personal IT need, and I am short on funds presently, I'm on a tight budget, thus the low-cost need.)

So, if you can recommend such a source for a low-budget virtual-environment solution, I'm much obliged.

Thanks again,

[santa]Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I provide low-cost, remote Database Administration services: www.dasages.com]
“Beware of those that seek to protect you from harm or risk. The cost will be your freedoms and your liberty.”
 
First of all you have to differentiate between bootable NT OS media and NT Bootable disks. What are provided on the Bootdisk.com site are just NT Bootable disks, you won't be able to install NT4 using just those disks because all those disks just provide a DOS environment with CD Drivers and that's all.

Secondly the previously mentioned option of using VMware Converter is a good one, it may be interesting if you have decided on which version of VMware you want to run, are you going to purchase the VMware Workstation product or utilise the free VM Server product instead?
One of the requirements for VMware converter is a specific level of SP for NT4, as a minimum it has to have SP4 installed on the NT4 OS along with IE5 or higher. If your current NT4 environment meets those requirements there should be no issue running a P2V on it.

Anyway, here are some links for you.

VMware Server, free version


VMware Converter, free version


This 'should' provide you with all you need to use to virtualise your current physical box. What it won't do however is allow you to build an NT4 box from scratch.

If worse comes to the worse tho I will see about cutting an NT4 ISO for you and hosting it somewhere, I can't obviously provide serials tho.

Simon

The real world is not about exam scores, it's about ability.
 
Thanks Simon for the follow up...

I had neglected to mention that the app was free and that the VMware Server was as well...



Ben

"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
 
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