You Cannot Use a Windows XP Startup Floppy Disk to Install Other Operating Systems

You cannot install another version of Windows to a new drive image when you use Virtual PC with Windows XP. You cannot use the startup floppy image to install another copy of Windows XP.

The floppy image titled "Win XP Boot Floppy" does format a drive image or recognize the inserted CD-ROM. The "Installing Other OSes" Read Me file incorrectly states, "Virtual PC 5.0 with Windows XP Home Edition: The Windows XP boot floppy included with the Windows XP Home Edition of Virtual PC 5.0 will allow you to boot a new virtual machine and access the CD ROM drive to install an OS from a CD." However, the Windows XP boot floppy that is included with the Windows XP Home Edition of Virtual PC 5.0 is useful only as a startup disk for certain Windows XP-related repair functions. Microsoft will change the "Installing Other OSes" Read Me file to indicate this.

If you purchased a copy of another Windows operating system, you should have a startup disk that recognizes the inserted CD-ROM.

To create a startup disk, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click the Startup Disk tab.
4. Click Create Disk.
   
   Windows prepares the files that it must copy.
5. Insert a disk when you are prompted, and then click OK.
   
   Windows formats the disk and copies the startup files onto the disk. After it generates an image, see Virtual PC's built-in Help system for information about how to continue.

If you do not have a disk drive, take the physical Windows startup disk to a Macintosh computer that has a disk drive (built-in or USB), and use the DiskCopy utility by Apple to generate a disk image. After you generate an image and copy it over to the Macintosh computer that is running Virtual PC, see the built-in Help system in Virtual PC for information about how to continue.