Windows XP Mode – Boot From An ISO Instead Of XP

We set up a user’s Windows XP Mode a while back, ran updates and left it until it was needed.

One thing we neglected to do was to keep a record of the XPMUser local admin account.

Now, the setup process for Windows XP Mode takes a fair amount of time, so we dropped an ISO of ERD Commander onto the machine (our clients have MDOP) and hooked it into the Windows XP Mode VM.

One catch however was this: How do we boot from that ISO?

The answer was found after some searching here:

• Windows Seven Forums: How to Boot from a CD or DVD in a Windows Virtual PC

Essentially, we disable the Integration Features in the VM’s settings, reboot, and hit the DEL key until we get into the VM’s vBIOS. We can then change the boot order for the task at hand, make the password change, and set things back once into the OS.

Total time spent was about 5-10 minutes.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.

Windows Live Writer