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No Drive or Partition Available in
VMware XP to Win 7 Install
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I've received quite a few inquiries from users that are
experimenting with Windows 7 in virtual machines. The
problem I'll address today occurs when trying to install
Windows 7 over an existing Windows XP virtual machine, but
when the time comes to select the drive/partition where
Windows 7 will be installed, a message is received that the
device driver needed to access the drive is not available.
This tutorial explains how to correct the issue and allow
the Windows 7 installation to proceed.
Note that I'm going to skip around and not waste time with a
lot of the screens you'll have to navigate, showing only the
ones pertinent to this procedure.
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For this tutorial, I'm
using a standard Windows XP Pro w/SP3 installation
on the virtual machine. Nothing fancy, no tricks,
just a basic XP install that hasn't been modified in
any way. Windows 7 is being installed from within
Windows XP as you can see in the screen capture. The
only change I've made is instead of using the
standard Win 7 Home Premium Upgrade DVD, I've
copied, modified, and reimaged it so all the
different Win 7 versions are available for
installation rather than just 7 Home Premium. If you
want to modify your Win 7 DVD similarly, the
instructions are here. |
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Since there is no such
thing as 'upgrading' XP to Windows 7, select [
Custom (advanced) ] install option. |
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This is where the
issue begins. Even though there is a drive available
with sufficient space for the Windows 7
installation, there is a message at the bottom
stating "Windows cannot be installed to Disk 0
Partition 1" with the option to show details. Click
on the message to see the details. |
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The crux of the matter
is Windows 7 cannot be installed because it needs
the driver for the VMware SCSI Controller. All
that's necessary is to provide the correct driver.
The problem is that many users are getting hung up
on 'how' to provide the driver. |
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Obviously the first
step is to obtain the necessary driver and then make
it possible for the install routine to access it and
make it accessible to the installer. |
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It will be easier if
the next steps are performed in the order I show
them. It's not fatal if you deviate from the order,
but you may have to backtrack if you skip around.
Go to [ VM ] on the menu bar and select the
[Settings] option. |
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With the [Hardware]
tab selected, in the left pane, click [Floppy] so
the properties for the drive are shown in the right
pane. Under the [Connection] section, select [Use
Floppy Image File] and then click the [Browse]
button. |
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At this point Windows
Explorer opens and you need to browse to where the
driver file is located. In my case, the file
(vmscsi.flp) is located in C:\Program Files
(x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\Resources.
You can easily do a search on your system for the
file if it isn't in that location and direct your
image location to it's location.
The file you need may also be named
vmscsi-1.2.0.4.flp, or if you don't have the file at
all it can be downloaded from the VM site on
this page.
Where the .flp file is located on your host system
makes no difference. It can even be on an external
drive, flash drive, CD, or a DVD location. The
important thing is you point (browse) to it in this
particular step.
With the file selected, click [Open] and move to the
next step. |
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As you can see, the
.flp file selected previously is now shown as the
floppy image file to be used.
In the [Device Status] section, make sure
[Connected] has a check mark next to it and then
click [OK] to proceed. |
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Back on the 'Where do
you want to install Windows' screen, click 'Load
Driver' and proceed to next step. |
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The 'Load Driver'
window appears. Click [Browse] to proceed. |
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The 'Browse for
Folder' window opens. Click on '3 1/2 Floppy (A:)
and then click the [OK] button. |
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A couple of seconds
later after some internal disk thrashing and
ciphering, the driver name and location will appear
in the window.
If you don't have the non-compatible drivers box
checked you may see some other drivers listed. If
that happens, just check the box and click [Rescan]
to limit the list to compatible drivers that are
needed.
Click [Next] to proceed. |
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There you go. The
"Windows cannot be installed to Disk 0 " message is
gone and the installation can proceed.
Click [Next] button. |
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You get the standard
Windows.old folder message if you're installing over
the old XP installation.
Click [OK] to proceed. |
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Grab a coffee or a
short nap. Windows 7 is installing. |
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- Important Information -
The Elder Geek sites contain many articles and suggestions for
modifying the Windows operating system. I've tried these
tweaks and tips on many systems. Sometimes they work,
sometimes not. The point is, ensure you have a current,
tested backup of all system and data files and understand
how to restore the system in case something goes very wrong.
You can still yell at me, but I assume no responsibility for
your actions and use of the information and disclaim any
legal responsibility for any consequences of such actions. |
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