>It appears VSMT requires Win2003 Enterprise Edition as the underlying
>platform when running the utility to migrate physical to virtual
>machines.
>
>Our problem: We do not have Enterprise edition on any of our servers.
>Everything we do is on Standard edition only.
>
>We spent more than a year fine-tuning security policies, installing
>utilities and management software, configuring Default User profiles,
>etc. etc. etc. We SysPrep'd the lab machine, shot a Ghost image, and
>used that image for ALL of our Server 2003 deployments.
>
>It would take a considerable amount of effort if we had to install a
>fresh copy of Server 2003 on a new Virtual Machine and re-create each
>and every setting and software utility installation by hand.
>
>Is there ANY way to transfer our custom image to a new VM without
>using the VSMT, which requires 2003 Enterprise Edition?
>
>Any good advice will be greatly appreciated.

> On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 15:30:49 -0400, Paul R. <(email address - cut out)>
> wrote:
>
>>It appears VSMT requires Win2003 Enterprise Edition as the underlying
>>platform when running the utility to migrate physical to virtual
>>machines.
>>
>>Our problem: We do not have Enterprise edition on any of our servers.
>>Everything we do is on Standard edition only.
>>
>>We spent more than a year fine-tuning security policies, installing
>>utilities and management software, configuring Default User profiles,
>>etc. etc. etc. We SysPrep'd the lab machine, shot a Ghost image, and
>>used that image for ALL of our Server 2003 deployments.
>>
>>It would take a considerable amount of effort if we had to install a
>>fresh copy of Server 2003 on a new Virtual Machine and re-create each
>>and every setting and software utility installation by hand.
>>
>>Is there ANY way to transfer our custom image to a new VM without
>>using the VSMT, which requires 2003 Enterprise Edition?
>>
>>Any good advice will be greatly appreciated.
>
> Why not just use your syspreped ghost image and create a new VM with
> it?
>
>
> --
> Cheers,
> Steve Jain, Virtual Machine MVP
> Website: http://www.essjae.com
> "This posting is provided "AS IS" with
> no warranties, and confers no rights.
> You assume all risk for your use.
> I am not am employee of Microsoft."

>On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 14:18:30 -0700, Steve Jain
><(email address - cut out)> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 15:30:49 -0400, Paul R. <(email address - cut out)>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>It appears VSMT requires Win2003 Enterprise Edition as the underlying
>>>platform when running the utility to migrate physical to virtual
>>>machines.
>>>
>>>Our problem: We do not have Enterprise edition on any of our servers.
>>>Everything we do is on Standard edition only.
>>>
>>>We spent more than a year fine-tuning security policies, installing
>>>utilities and management software, configuring Default User profiles,
>>>etc. etc. etc. We SysPrep'd the lab machine, shot a Ghost image, and
>>>used that image for ALL of our Server 2003 deployments.
>>>
>>>It would take a considerable amount of effort if we had to install a
>>>fresh copy of Server 2003 on a new Virtual Machine and re-create each
>>>and every setting and software utility installation by hand.
>>>
>>>Is there ANY way to transfer our custom image to a new VM without
>>>using the VSMT, which requires 2003 Enterprise Edition?
>>>
>>>Any good advice will be greatly appreciated.
>>
>>Why not just use your syspreped ghost image and create a new VM with
>>it?
>
>Tried that, didn't work. We're using Ghost 2002, which does not
>recognize virtual hard disks in the VM-- so Ghost just sits there and
>complains the system has no disks to write to.
>
>Does anybody know if newer versions of Ghost will recognize VHDs in a
>VM? We don't want to buy new software if it's still not going to
>work.
>

>On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 15:30:49 -0400, Paul R. <(email address - cut out)>
>wrote:
>
>>It appears VSMT requires Win2003 Enterprise Edition as the underlying
>>platform when running the utility to migrate physical to virtual
>>machines.
>>
>>Our problem: We do not have Enterprise edition on any of our servers.
>>Everything we do is on Standard edition only.
>>
>>We spent more than a year fine-tuning security policies, installing
>>utilities and management software, configuring Default User profiles,
>>etc. etc. etc. We SysPrep'd the lab machine, shot a Ghost image, and
>>used that image for ALL of our Server 2003 deployments.
>>
>>It would take a considerable amount of effort if we had to install a
>>fresh copy of Server 2003 on a new Virtual Machine and re-create each
>>and every setting and software utility installation by hand.
>>
>>Is there ANY way to transfer our custom image to a new VM without
>>using the VSMT, which requires 2003 Enterprise Edition?
>>
>>Any good advice will be greatly appreciated.
>
>Why not just use your syspreped ghost image and create a new VM with
>it?

>Isn't the purpose of VSMT to transfer an existing system? Not to just
>create NEW clean VS/
>

>But, I think you have some kind of config issue the VM, not a Ghost
>issue. Are you sure that you have a VHD mounted in your VM? Try
>booting off a Win98 startup disk or similar and see if you can fdisk
>the VHD.

>On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 19:29:01 -0700, Steve Jain
><(email address - cut out)> wrote:
>
>>But, I think you have some kind of config issue the VM, not a Ghost
>>issue. Are you sure that you have a VHD mounted in your VM? Try
>>booting off a Win98 startup disk or similar and see if you can fdisk
>>the VHD.
>
>Actually, yes, that's what I did originally. The floppy that I use
>with Ghost is actually a Win98 boot disk with Ghost on it. The VHDs
>are visible and useable within the VM, no problem. But when I boot
>the VM with the floppy, Ghost sees no HDs.