Virtual PC & Virtual Server Additions Cheat Sheet
I have a large collection of Virtual PC and Virtual Server images that I use for testing betas such as SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 and more. One issue that can come up is ensuring that an old image is running the latest version of the additions.
To make it easy for myself going forward, I built this cheat sheet:
|
Product |
Version (File Name) |
Additions Version |
|
Virtual PC 2004 |
5.3.0.582 (Virtual PC.exe) |
13.040 |
|
Virtual Server 2005 |
1.1.465.0 (vssrvc.exe) |
13.206 |
|
Virtual PC 2004 SP1 |
5.3.582.27 |
13.306 |
The Additions are contained in an ISO file that gets boot strapped when you choose to install the Additions. Here are the file details:
|
Product |
Additions File |
Size |
Date/Time Stamp |
|
Virtual PC 2004 |
VMAdditions013040.iso |
25,536 KB |
10/22/2003 4:00 AM |
|
Virtual Server 2005 |
VMAdditions.iso |
26,316 KB |
7/14/2004 10:43 AM |
|
Virtual PC 2004 SP1 |
VMAdditions.iso |
26,354 KB |
8/3/2004 3:56 PM |
To check the version of your additions, do the following:
- In Virtual PC, select Action | Properties from the main window.
Note: Virtual PC 2004 reports the Additions version as 13.40.
However the ISO file lists the version as 13.040 which makes more sense considering the Virtual Server and Virtual PC SP1 version numbers.
- In Virtual Server, access the Administration Web Site. Once the VM is running, the status will be visible on the main page.
Given the choice, you should run the latest version of the Additions. You can use a newer set of the Additions on an older version of the product. That said, you don’t’ want to run an image under Virtual Server if you’re running the 13.040 version of the Additions.
Finally, I have noticed one odd behavior when running a newer version of the Additions on an older version of Virtual PC 2004. I have a Windows 2003 image with the 13.306 Additions installed. If I run it under Virtual PC 2004, the video resolution is not persisted between full shutdowns. Not fatal, just annoying. Your mileage may vary.
End of line.