migrate virtual machines

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nikos
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migrate virtual machines

Post by nikos »

here's the comment area for today's blog post found at
http://zabkat.com/blog/vpc2007-to-virtu ... ration.htm
Kilmatead
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by Kilmatead »

Nikos wrote:But in my part of the world, you can only buy laptops from high-street retailers (online shops won't deliver to Cyprus) so I'm stuck with windows 10 Home edition.
Leaving aside the question of why you can't seem to upgrade to Pro within windows itself (not that difficult, it's just a download), perhaps you missed the suspiciously titled Online Shops that Deliver to Cyprus. :wink:

Mexico wants Texas back, Russia wants Alaska back, Turkey just wants Anatolia to be whole again... if only all the blow-in's would just blow away... what's the Cypriotic variant of a West Brit...?
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by bq3419 »

It's possible to change edition within an existing Windows 10 install through Settings > Update & Security > Activation. Simply enter one of your MSDN keys for Windows 10 Pro and after a reboot, Bob is your uncle.

With VB 5.0, once you've created a snapshot, upon closing the VM you can choose to revert to the changed snapshot discarding all changes. VB even remembers that option as the default within that dialog.
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by nikos »

k~ it's not just a matter of finding some unknown online shop that would deliver to cyprus, it must be one of the big guys like hp.com that allow you to customize the laptop to taste. But anyway bq3419 had a really good idea, if it is possible, I will try it pronto and let you know. Perhaps too good to be true (are all these hyperv etc components available but dormant in home edition?) but we'll see in a moment!
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Re: migrate virtual machines

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it looks that it is possible to "upgrade" a windows installation with just a key, without reinstalling windows from scratch
what is not clear to me is if windows is upgraded in place or it will download a new version or if it will download the missing features only, or whatnot. Anyway, I wish I heard from bq3419 before I had prepared my system already :shrug:

windows 10 is already annoying me, doesn't let me which updates to install. I only have a few of the office programs installed and it wants to install updates for ALL of them, even those that aren't installed. What eejits!
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by bq3419 »

nikos wrote:it looks that it is possible to "upgrade" a windows installation with just a key, without reinstalling windows from scratch
what is not clear to me is if windows is upgraded in place or it will download a new version or if it will download the missing features only, or whatnot.
My understanding is that it already has the files on disk; it will merely activate the missing features. No download necessary.
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Re: migrate virtual machines

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nikos wrote:Anyway, I wish I heard from bq3419 before I had prepared my system already
You're such a flibbertigibbet! Not that you were already told to do that (and I concurred it was the best path) a fortnight ago! You'd think you were just told about this yesterday. Image

From experience (on Vista and Win7) the in-place one-click upgrade to pro/ult usually just involved a few small extra updates, and the (as you say) 'dormant' functionality becomes active - no system wipes or anything. Just a restart or two.

And if you had been paying attention when the class discussed system-image backups, you'd realise that there is no change you can make to your computer/OS that can't be either undone or re-done within seconds. Yes, really. :roll:
nikos wrote:it's not just a matter of finding some unknown online shop that would deliver to cyprus
Curiously enough despite the fact that Intel have a fabricating plant just down the road from me in Leixlip for their high-end parts, no one in this 3rd-world country actually sells decent kit - I have to order everything (and I mean everything) via the shops in GB and have it shipped. A royal pain for RMA. but them's the breaks. :shrug:
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by IsoBuster »

Hey Nikos,

Long time.

I use VirtualBox as well and it serves me well.

Up till now I have been using the *.vmdk format with VirtualBox, without issues I might add. The reason being that IsoBuster opens *.vmdk files, so it's great for development and testing as well, not to mention an easy way to peek in the images without having to start up the virtual environment and get a file off for instance.

VirtualBox doesn't seem to be able to work with my *.vhdx files however, *.vhd not tested.

However, in my last IsoBuster version (the 3.8 Beta download) I now also open and fully support, *.vhd, *.vhdx and wait for it .. *.vdi images.
I am now using *.vdi files as well and can use IsoBuster to open them and get files out.

On the matter of the new laptop. I have been looking for a new laptop as well. Similar situation here, I want to be ready before this one gives up permanently, which can be any day now.
On what specs did you decide ? Send me a link of the machine you bought please ! I'm interested to know. I can't decide myself.
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by nikos »

I got this one (greek but you can tell the specs). Performance isn't stellar but nowadays the stress is on power consumption. My only complaint was the SSD that was advertised as "256 GB" and it proved only 238 (they calculate KB as 1000 not 1024). Toshiba offer a 3 year European warranty, which was another strong point.
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by IsoBuster »

Thanks Nikos,

Is this your main development machine ? I'm surprised you don't use 17 inch for the day to day work ? Also I would go for a more powerful machine for my everyday work, and two HDDs. An SSD and a regular HDD. I automatically sync my important files (code etc.) between a partition on the SSD and a partition on the regular HDD. Just in case one of the drives crashes. A 17 inch is heavier and a tad more impractical but I drag it to and from AU in my suitcase all the time without problems. And I have a small 12 inch laptop in my carry on for emails etc. (PS. it also has the compiler installed and all the code is present, just in case, but it's far less practical for every day work, just for emergencies). Why do you worry on power consumption so much ? Cyprus without power much ? ;) Anyway, I should shut up, you bought the laptop already and I'm sure it will do the job it needs to do !
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by nikos »

17" is too big for portability... as for the font size I have long resigned to wearing spectacles while working on the computer :)
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by Kilmatead »

IsoBuster wrote:I would go for a more powerful machine for my everyday work...
Nikos is a big fan of the US Government's approach to hardware upgrading... :wink:
"This system remains in use because, in short, it still works"
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by nikos »

what now, are you questioning the wisdom of the US of A picking the right technology? :P
just because cutting edge tech exists doesn't mean that you need it or it's best for you. Like fancy sports cars, they rev too much, consume too much, overheat then break down more often. Πάν μέτρον άριστον as my friend Aristotle would say!
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by IsoBuster »

I believe in having the best tools to do my work, it is what brings in the money at the end of the day and it's an investment that pays itself back anyway. Can't really compare that to owning a sports car :) If driving all day would be my job I would have a nice car for sure ... now I drive a 16 yrs old Opel Astra ... that broke down again during the weekend :-)
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Re: migrate virtual machines

Post by pj »

Kilmatead wrote:
IsoBuster wrote:I would go for a more powerful machine for my everyday work...
Nikos is a big fan of the US Government's approach to hardware upgrading... :wink:
"This system remains in use because, in short, it still works"
Very true! The military test and repair depots, for instance, have lots of systems designed in the '70's and '80's, to support the generation of fighters and other aircraft deployed in those decades.

Proven capability is far more important that technology upgrades, especially when each test set costs millions of $US, incidentally weighs hundreds of pounds, and is deployed in many, many locations around the world.

1 test set -- upgrade every year if you want
100 test sets -- "let's wait for a stable release" (and they've been waiting for stability since DOS 5.1)
1000 tests sets -- "you can have my floppy disk when you pry it from my cold fingers"

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