VMware GSX Server 2.5.2

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Windows 2000 Installation Guidelines

You can install Windows 2000 Professional, Server or Advanced Server in a virtual machine using the corresponding Windows 2000 distribution CD.

Note: Some Microsoft Windows 2000 OEM disks included with new computers are customized for those computers and include device drivers and other utilities specific to the hardware system. Even if you can install this Windows 2000 operating system on your actual computer, you may not be able to install it in a GSX Server virtual machine. You may need to purchase a new copy of Windows to install in a virtual machine.

Before installing the operating system, be sure that you have already created a new virtual machine and configured it using the New Virtual Machine Wizard (on Windows hosts) or Configuration Wizard (on Linux hosts).

Windows 2000 Installation Steps

Before starting the installation, use the GSX Server Configuration Editor to verify the virtual machine's devices are set up as you expect. For example, if you would like networking software to be installed during the Windows 2000 installation, be sure the virtual machine's Ethernet adapter is configured and enabled. VMware also recommends that you disable the screen saver on the host system before starting the installation process.
Insert the Windows 2000 installation CD in the CD-ROM drive on your GSX Server host.
Power on the virtual machine to start installing Windows 2000.
If you enabled the virtual machine's Ethernet adapter, an AMD PCNET Family Ethernet Adapter is detected and set up automatically.

VMware Tools

Be sure to install VMware Tools in your guest operating system. After you install VMware Tools, you need to change your Windows 2000 screen area to be greater than 640x480 pixels; if you do not change it, Windows 2000 uses the standard VGA driver, and your performance will suffer.

For details, see Installing VMware Tools.

Enabling Sound After Installing Windows 2000

The GSX Server sound device is disabled by default and must be enabled with the Configuration Editor (Settings > Configuration Editor) after the operating system has been installed. To set up the virtual machine to play sound, see Configuring Sound in GSX Server.

Enabling Networking After Installing Windows 2000

If networking was disabled at the time you installed your Windows 2000 guest operating system, you can enable it after the operating system has been installed. To set up networking for a virtual machine, follow the instructions below.

Windows Host

Shut down Windows 2000 and power off the virtual machine.
From the GSX Server console window, on the Settings menu, choose Configuration Editor and click Add.
Follow the instructions in the Add Hardware Wizard to add a virtual Ethernet adapter.
Power on the virtual machine.
When Windows 2000 boots, it automatically detects a new network adapter and loads drivers for an AMD PCNET Family PCI Ethernet Adapter.
You should be able to access the network after logging on to the Windows 2000 guest operating system.

Linux Host

Shut down Windows 2000 and power off the virtual machine.
From the GSX Server console window, on the Settings menu, choose Configuration Editor and open the Ethernet Adapters panel.
Select a network connection type for the virtual machine and click Install.
Click OK to save the updated configuration.
Power on the virtual machine.
When Windows 2000 boots, it automatically detects a new network adapter and loads drivers for an AMD PCNET Family PCI Ethernet Adapter.
You should be able to access the network after logging on to the Windows 2000 guest operating system.

Choosing the Network Driver for Your Virtual Machine

Two networking drivers are available for Windows 2000 guest operating systems: the vlance driver, that is available for all virtual machines and is installed automatically, and the vmxnet driver, which is available only for Windows Server 2003, Windows XP and Windows 2000 virtual machines. The vmxnet driver provides better networking performance. The difference in networking performance is most noticeable if the virtual machine is connected to a Gigabit Ethernet card.

To install the vmxnet driver, see Choosing the Network Driver for Windows Server 2003, Windows XP and Windows 2000 Guest Operating Systems.

Known Issues

If the installation of the guest operating system hangs, search our Knowledge Base at www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_alp.php for a possible answer to your problem.
On a Linux host with an XFree86 3.x X server, it is best not to run a screen saver in the guest operating system. Guest screen savers that demand a lot of processing power can cause the X server on the host to freeze.

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