@Janet & Breese,

You don't need to install the software on the WIn7 box (my mistake!). I have created an image using the 'active' OS but have not yet had time to test it. It took 1 1/2hrs on my PC to image a 25gb OS. Also I am able to execute both the previous and the current versions of the GAOTD Paragon s/w on the same PC with no apparent problems.
@Breese didn't obviously read your requirement to be able to continue using your installed GAOTD apps, nor did he mention that XP mode also requires hardware visualization (which most low-end Intel processors DON't have, all AMD processor's do!) in addition to either WIN7Pro or Win7 Ult. This software doesn't require that unless you need to virtualise a 64bit OS, which you don't. Hopefully this comment will get posted!

Considering the BULL that we all had to go through for yesterday’s giveaway, this giveaway does not make it much easier from making people

jump through hoops to get this thing activated! It’s not even a giveaway if you’re giving up any privacy. I’m not even considering downloading this just because of that.

CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS POST
"Created virtual machine if od VirtualBox format"
should be read as:
"Created virtual machine is of VirtualBox format."

#
I just uninstalled it, it slowed my WIN XP Pro, 2.7GHZ, 4GB Dual core to a crawl. Can not network other PCs in virtual mode, lost LAN connections and WAN via DSL router.
Virtualization Manager doesn't slow down anything. The system may get slower when you actually run virtual machine, cause it uses part of physical RAM. That's normal. As for the problems with network, I don't see how it's connected to Virtualization Manager. It did its work - converted the system into virtual machine. If Windows doesn't see network that's a whole other problem. You wouldn't blame a guy who sells cars that car manufacturer made a car with square steering wheel, right? :-)
#
Another way of asking this would be: after the Paragon software works it’s magic to create the VM, is that VM 100% compatible with the file format that Virtual Box needs, or is the Paragon software again needed after the VM has been created, to “translate” the file format back to a format that Virtual Box can use?
Created virtual machine if od VirtualBox format. You don't need to do anything else with it, just put it onto 64-bit machien and run it in VirtualBox. Virtualization manager doesn't have to be installed on 64-bit computer, you will only need VirtualBox to run created virtual machine.
#
wheither it aligns the partitions optimally for the likes of advanced high capacity formated WD drives
It doesn't. Paragon Alignment Tool is for now the only tool Paragon offers to align partitions to AFD format.
#
If you’re planning to virtualize your current system, you can’t
It's possible. Virtualization Manager uses MS VSS to process system volume, so you can create virtual machine out of running Windows.
#
“The Wizard was interrupted before Paragon Virtualization Manager 2101 for
Virtual Professional…could be completed…”
Send msiexec log to Paragon Support. Without log and error code there's no way to help. Though you may try disabling UAC or using Admin's account to install the tool.

1)copy installation file to C:, in root directory
2) rename the file to "install.msi"
3) then open Start - Programs - Accessories - right click on Command Prompt and select "Run as Administrator", or simply double click Command Prompt if you're in XP. In command line type: cd .. (press Enter). You may need to do it several times to get to the root C:>
4) then type:
msiexec /i install.msi /l*vx log.txt
5) Installation will start and create log file. Please complete install wizard, you will find log file on C:, next to installation file.

Submit request to support:
http://www.paragon-software.com/webform

Thank you Paragon for this great software.

I've can virtualize my XP SP3 (P4 2,4GHZ and 15GB of HDD) seamless. For all those who say PVM2010 is incomplete in not offering P2V to Vmware and Virtual PC, it's possible to achieve this for Vmware applications through Vmware OVF Tool with the option --lax (if you installed Vmware Player, OVF tool is already inside program folder) or for Virtual Pc (vhd) with StarWind V2V Image Converter.

Thanks again Paragon

I only have Vista restore disks that came with my PC (not the Vista install disks); can I install Vista into a partition using these restore disks?

Just because it says "Oracle", doesn't mean it involves databases. Its a virtual machine. It used to be "SUN VirtualBox", but since Oracle bought Sun, its now Oracle.

Hmmm.... it's a weekend, and starting to get into the evening in Europe, so we may not be hearing from Paragon support again before this giveaway ends. I downloaded it, am going to install it, but I'm wondering if anyone out can answer this with certainty: Assume I've used the software to make a VM (to make the file or files that make up a "VM"). Once that part is done, do I specifically need the Paragon software to help Virtual Box RUN those files, or does Paragon's software result in VM files that are already completely compatible with Virtual Box, and thus need no further intervention or "translation" by Paragon once Paragon has initiallyl written out the files?

So could I for instance create the virtual machine file(s?) on computer A, which has the Paragon software installed on it, then transfer the VM files to computer B, which does NOT have the Paragon software on it but DOES have Virtual Box, and run the virtual machine on computer B, just using Virtual Box and the files Paragon wrote earlier, but does NOT have Paragon installed on it??

Since this is a new giveaway today, I guess only someone who has actually used the software today could answer this.

Mike, do you know???

To KIWI and ebax and MIKE:

It's not clear to me from the various comments (coupled with reading the Help in the program) if you need to instal this on both the old computer AND the new computer. The program's Help has you start out by connecting your old hard disk to the new computer. I have seen this done in the lab, but do not know how to do it myself (ie what gets hooked to what). When upgrading recently, I transferred what I wanted from the old HD to the new system via an external HD. But I don't know how that would work vis-a-vis transferring an operating system....:-)....I have all my old-system files on the old C: (XP Pro 32bit) and most of my apps installed to an ext HD (H:). So what do I need to do to get the GOATD installed-on-H apps to function in my new i7 64bit Win7 HomePrem? PS-I do have a licensed copy of the OS. Are folks here saying that it might not be useable on a virtual system...?

Mike- I must tell you that I am a great fan of yours as I actually save and study (!) many excerpts from your posts and have learned great deal from you! This whole business sounds quite complicated---the bit about having to 're-do' the operating system as opposed to simply moving it---I didn't know that....one certainly doesn't get that from the program descriptions....:-(....I will probably just wait for my favorites to be recycled at GAOTD....:-)....

Kiwi- I have often written to Paragon to ask urgent questions about the GAOTD offers, but the answers always arrive after the offer has expired.....Each time I follow the link, but don't see any place on the page to post...and no posts of folks asking questions---just lots of announcements....I am afraid I do not deal with Tweeter, or Facebook, or any such things, and find it quite different from forums, where it is obvious how to post a question ...:-)....I have seen quite a few posts here at GAOTD about folks who don't know how to deal with the link we always get from you (http://twitter.com/paragonsoftware) for support....:-(....

I guess I don't get it. Perhaps my comment might only be useful to paragon.

Under Visualization Tasks I have P2V Copy P2V Restore P2V Adjust
Under Copy Tasks Copy Disk, Copy Partition
Under Tools Connect to Virtual Disk, File Xfer Wiz.

1. I cant't tell if we are registered in the "About"
2. No button for V2P VM to physical
3. No button for V2V VM to VM

I am not sure how this is any better than say copying a ".vdi file" from one box to another. I'll be uninstalling, as I don't seem to see a need for P2V as I Clone my whole OS drive anyway, the licensing is confusing, and I don't know but it seems the virtual to anything is missing. Maybe I mis-read the SE vs PRO version.

I guess if all you use is to go Physical to Virtual then it appears to me, your good to go here.

I have installed and then run P2V Copy tried to copy my system to external usb hard disk but until the step of "Where to save the virtual machine?", when I select my usb disk and press next, it shows warning and says "File system does not support required file size." then press OK and it would not proceed to next step. PLS Help.

@paragon and anyone here

I receive this error each time I try to install this program. I've tried copying the .msi files to another folder without success.

The error message reads"

"The Wizard was interrupted before Paragon Virtualization Manager 2101 for
Virtual Professional...could be completed..."

Any andvice would be appreciated.

I am running Win7 x64 and used the x64 .msi setup file. I've run setup as administrator without results.

Thanks all for any help

The registration page is at http://www.paragon-software.com/registration/pvm2010pro-vb.html for those who have trouble getting the installer to bring it up.

(GAOTD admins: could you please provide this info in the product description or the Readme.txt in the future? There's no reason not to -- the registration page will presumably be removed after today anyway -- and occasionally people do have problems getting the installer to bring up the registration page.)

#52: RE: VM compatibility etc...

Simplified a VM, regardless the brand, is an OS installed to a virtual disk using the VM Host's std drivers, & so is pretty much self contained. What makes a VMWare & VBox VM different is the drivers installed -- it's just like installing Windows 7 to both an HP & a Dell PC/laptop... same OS, but different systems, different installs, & because of the drivers one won't usually work on the other. OTOH you should be able to swap hard drives with an identical brand/model PC/laptop & it should run perfectly.

If you create a working VBox VM, it should work equally well in the same version VBox Host software, regardless the hosting platform/OS &/or OS version, *Within Reason* -- common sense would tell you that a VM isn't going to run as well on a minimally powered laptop as it might on the highest powered gaming rig... no software will. If the VBox host software is a newer version, it should ask your permission to update itself, usually just the additions. If the VBox host app is older, things might get a bit iffy. VBox comes with 64 & 32 bit versions -- that has to do with the Host software talking & working with it's Windows host, not the VM client that either 32 or 64 bit versions can run. The only 32/64 bit issue I've come across is because I run Portable-VirtualBox, which includes the option of packing [i.e. UPX] the program's files -- UPX works fine for me with 32 but not 64 bit Portable-VirtualBox.

Why run portable?... I keep copies of the hosts & VMs on an external drive -- I not only have use of it most everywhere on anything running Windows (or MAC & *nix systems with VBox installed), but I can boot to a < 100MB LiveXP ISO from CD or with a USB stick & run it that way, complete with installed software, network connectivity etc... this is one area where you really *can take it with you* ;-).

#28 Breese:

Win 7's XP-Mode works with MS's VirtualPC. The reason many have found this setup not to work for many programs is, I believe, because VirtualPC supports only 16-bit high color and does not support DirectX 3d acceleration! I guess you wouldn't need these function so much for a business environment (eg Pro version). VirtualBox, on the otherhand, supports 32-bit true color as well as D3D acceleration AND is installable on 64bit Home Premium! It was for this reason I got W7 Home Premium instead of Win7 Pro---I DON'T need the mammoth network stuff but DO need the 2d and 3d graphics....So I was pleased to learn this about VirtualBox---even more so to learn that now I will be able to migrate all my GOATD apps.....:-)....!

@ebax
Please do your research before saying something cannot be done. XP Mode does by default install a new virtual machine with a clean XP installation. If someone choose to, however, they can use their own VHD file with that virtual machine. Using a tool similar to today's giveaway (Disk2vhd: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/ee656415.aspx), one could convert their physical hard drive into a virtual hard drive. Once they physical is made virtual, the apps installed can run on any machine where that VHD resides.

For those who are interested in the topic and would prefer to use this tool and VirtualBox, you can checkout this link: http://lifehacker.com/5485879/run-xp-mode-in-virtualbox-instead-of-virtual-pc

Enjoy!

@38

November

In my experience, every time I installed a new version of a giveaway with less functions than the old one, my "upgrade" became a "downgrade" (and whatever I did: giving another name, installing on another disk...).
IAnd after firing the new one, the brave old one was displaying " overpassed trial time trial", a pop up for entering a code....etc..

It sometimes looks like that the Company regrets his previous GAOTD and that the new proposal only purpose is to erase previous data of your registry.

I agree with you: it is important to have both VMware virtual machine and Oracle one available and you may thank the Lord for your unsuccessful install.

#36: "... If you’re planning to virtualize your current system, you can’t."

I've never tried with a running OS, but you can certainly do it from a disk image backup, which you should have as basic precautionary measure anyway.

* * *

#40: "“P2V Migration” ... (Note: to do this well, you should have a 64 bit computer with lots of memory... "

FWIW many VMs, especially XP clients, *may* work better with less memory rather than more -- something I've both read about & experienced. A 64 bit OS handles more RAM, so you can have more to share with VM software, but a 64 bit CPU in a 32 bit OS would perform similar to a 32 bit CPU, assuming you could find a comparable 32 bit CPU [most 64 bit CPUs are higher end, faster CPUs regardless the 64 bit part].

"“V2V Migration” in case someday I decide that VirtualBox isn’t the host for me..."

FWIW I've found V2V a bit problematic because of VM additions, OS, VM Host, & VM Host version specific add-ons that make the client VM work much better, & are often a combo of services, drivers, & apps that usually aren't completely removed by or during the V2V process. Generally I think most people use V2V with or for VMs they only have access to in another format, e.g. the large selection avail. at the VMWare site. Personally for P2V I start with a clone of the system partition on a .vhd, then shrink the partition etc. & create the VM from that... Rather than delete the .vhd when I'm done, I'll archive it -- 7-zip normally works better than an image backup [e.g. a 7 GB virtual disk -> 2 GB .7z file] -- & then start again from that if I want another format VM.

"“V2P Migration” for if my physical machine ever packs it in, kind of (but not supposed to be used as) a “live” backup of my current physical system."

Again FWIW, to me as a safeguard against total system failure it makes more sense to simply have a *current* Paragon Disk Image backup. For a VM to do you any good, you'd have to have another PC/laptop to run it on. If that's the case, you can create you VM then & there from the backup at the time of failure. It's no more work doing it then, the VM you create will be current, & you won't have wasted your time if your system doesn't die. That said, IMHO there are actually surprisingly few situations where I think V2P might be faster/easier than P2P.

#42: "... When I bring up VMWare player, load an XP virtual machine and then mount the MC2005 virtual disk, it begins to load ,but then fails..."

FWIW I haven't had a lot of success using the Player -- if you read the Paragon docs it's intended for Workstation, Fusion etc., & I did get it working with Server, but they make no mention of the [much] more limited Player, which after all is not intended for creating VMs, just running them.

"... Also, will this giveaway overlay my previous Paragon Virtualization Manager 9.5?"

It will overwrite the hotcore driver -- not a big prob -- but it will also replace prgiso.dll, which **might** be. To be safe of course backup, but I'd recommend making a copy of the existing file before install, then you can put it back or put versions of the file in the program folders etc.

* * *

#43: "No memtion is made of if this software that can do V2P and manage/create partitions,..."

Yes -- the button's there anyway... I didn't test it.

"... wheither it aligns the partitions optimally for the likes of advanced high capacity formated WD drives,..."

While I didn't see anything on it in the included manual, if it helps...
Previously I hadn't bothered a whole lot with WD hdd alignment other than verifying the Acronis DOS mode tool worked faster than Paragon's, but that was years ago with 1 WD drive when this stuff was new. Then Paragon came out with their alignment app, which I played with quite a bit since I found it unexpectedly sped things up sometimes, e.g. it really helped with an older 300 GB USB hdd. Transferring/restoring non-aligned partitions using Paragon apps resulted in the target hdd partition being non-aligned. And the more content &/or the larger the partition, the longer alignment took. I never came up with one favored method, but I did shave a bit of time off the process by doing things like deleting most folders on a .vhd, transferring that [in your case V2P], doing the target alignment, then copying the rest of the content, i.e. the folders I'd deleted, which didn't replace the partition tables or anything & so didn't *un-align* the partition.

* * *

#45: "... in all but VirtualBOX systems there will be no emulated access to 3D acceleration... "

FWIW, VBox has experimental 3D accel support -- it's far from hardware but in my experience can sometimes be enough.

"... The advantage of this family of tools over much simpler Disk2Vhd utilities is this makes adjustments to the converted operating systems so its Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) is compliant with the targeted virtual environment (No Blue screen of death on boot when changing motherboards) and can inject drivers into the virtualised PC to allow it to install the virtual devices on first run so you do not have to hack around inside an offline registry and file system to do the work manually risking breaking things yourself!"

Again, Purely FWIW, the MS P2V tool [SysInternals] can give disk ID issues -- it's not intended for VMs run on the same machine as the original OS install. Also, [long] before Paragon's P2P stuff, it was/is often possible to boot into Safe Mode, remove drivers in Device Mgr., optionally edit registry, then boot normally, installing new drivers once & as Windows starts. I wanted to mention that because in some situations migrating an install that way can be quicker/easier & potentially more fool-proof than P2P. That method can also work for P2V, but IMHO Paragon's apps are more practical because they also create the virtual disk & copy the partition to it.

* * *

#47: "Please remember that license for the OS that you virtualize is still needed. I used the one last year and it created the image perfectly but when I ran it, the license didn’t work. It was off a Dell laptop so I was not too suprised."

FWIW Microsoft has re-defined their licensing terms several times fairly recently -- check their site for the latest -- but also Google/Bing to find out what others have been doing in the same sort of situations... I don't own anything Dell, & I know they sometimes go further than others requiring in effect hardware keys like Apple, but I have used & activated several OEM licenses to new hardware with XP & Vista -- it sometimes took a toll-free phone call, but Microsoft never objected.

* * *

#48: "Why does the 64bit version install into Program Files (x86)?"

1, it really doesn't matter, & 2, with the exception of 64 bit rather than 32 bit drivers, it is a 32 bit app.

Kiwi...
Thanks for your earlier clarification of questions here. Hopefully you will check back again and be able to shed some light on this one also. Here's the scenario: I'm planning on getting a new computer sometime in the next few months. My current system is a 32-bit one. Most likely, the new computer will be a 64-bit one. If I get the 32-bit version of today's offering, to run it on my current system and make a virtual "system backup" of sorts from it, would the VM that is created by that process be completely compatible with Virtual Box to the extent that a standard version of Virtual Box would be able to take that created VM and run it later on the new 64-bit system without the assistance/intervention of the Paragon software, or, to the contrary, would it be necessary to have Paragon's Virtualization Manager ALSO present on the NEW system, in order to assist in "translating" the file to a file format that Virtual Box could then in turn work with to run the VM of the old machine, on the 64-bit host?

Another way of asking this would be: after the Paragon software works it's magic to create the VM, is that VM 100% compatible with the file format that Virtual Box needs, or is the Paragon software again needed after the VM has been created, to "translate" the file format back to a format that Virtual Box can use?

As you can probably guess, I'm hoping that the end product of Virtualization Manager's efforts produces a 100% directly compatible Virtual Box VM, so that not having the 64-bit version of the Paragon's program wouldn't stand in the way of using the VM that was created on the old 32-bit system. Am I in luck with that??

Thanks so much, again, for your time and assistance...

@37 and those not familiar with virtual machines - check out this link on dottech.org for a quick intro guide on how to set up a virtual machine and use the software offered today. http://dottech.org/tipsntricks/14020

Nice tool! Thank you.
I use VirtualBox as a testbed for development, and being able to convert a production machine into VB more easily is a big help.

Thanks!

@26 - Ben, if you click on the link you'll see that it goes to GOTD page for today only.

Paragon has really excellent virtualization tech, & their flagship software, Virtualization Mgr. is no exception. In a nutshell it can mount virtual disks to work with their partitions. It can also convert a regular or virtual disk, or a Paragon disk image backup to a Virtual Machine, & adjust the hardware setup to convert a Windows' install to work on other hardware (P2P), & from physical to virtual (P2V) & the reverse (V2P). And like most Paragon software for working with hard drives, with the exception of their hotcore driver, Virtualization Mgr. can work portably [more later], which is a huge plus with P2P &/or V2P. Today's GOTD is limited to VirtualBox conversions [the full version can also create VMWare & Microsoft/Windows' Virtual PC VMs], which isn't *that* bad since VirtualBox is unique in being free, cross-platform, & having a (unofficial) portable version available. VBox also works with Vista HP VMs, something 7's Windows' Virtual PC doesn't because of limited support for remote desktop [you had to buy a better version of Vista to get the full monty]. You also don't get the WinPE or a *nix-based recovery CD.

Installation as with other Paragon GOTD offers starts with a WinRAR self-extractor -- today's Paragon Virtualization Manager 2010 for VirtualBox Professional Special Edition expands the setup files into a "RarSFX0" folder inside your Windows temp folder, & you should copy it somewhere safe so you can (re)install the app in the future [if you're unsure where the temp folder is, search for "RarSFX0"]. Inside that folder "expLauncher.exe" starts the install wizard, or drill down into the Program folder to get the individual 32 & 64 bit .msi setup files. The DOC subfolder holds the PDF manual. Setup adds Paragon's hotcore driver, which is an alternative to using Windows' shadow copy to get a snapshot of system files that are in use running Windows. It also includes "prgiso.dll", which in this case is added to the system folder -- Note that Paragon apps can use different versions of this file, & they may not be interchangeable... 1) if adding a new Paragon app breaks one you've already installed, look at this file 1st, & 2) this file can be moved into the app's Program folder, which you need to do to make them portable anyway. The program's folder itself [as usual for Paragon] is fairly big, with 1853 files & 20 folders, taking up ~60 MB... FWIW the resource sub-folder holding the help files has 1751 files & 11 folders at ~38 MB, so that's 1 reason it takes up so much pace. Windows installer also adds 1 file + 1 folder with 5 files to the Windows\Installer folder. Most all of the 500+ registry adds are all about the Windows Installer :-( , with a few for the driver & shared .dll files, & no Paragon keys or anything at all.

To make most Paragon apps portable you just need to make sure prgiso.dll & qtp-mt334.dll are in the programs folder [in this GOTD it's named program] -- currently qtp-mt334.dll is usually there already, but either or both may be installed to Windows system folder. Hotcore or image mounting drivers (found in or with some apps) need installed normally to work, so they won't work portably, but the bulk of most any Paragon app works fine otherwise. If you want to use a Paragon app this way in a WinPE-type environ [sort of a mini Windows OS] like LiveXP, you *might* also need to copy the Windows' file "msvcirt.dll" to the program folder, & *sometimes* msvcp60.dll & msvcrt.dll are required too. After making sure all 5 files mentioned were in the program folder, I booted into LiveXP [built using package LX78SP6TW] & the GOTD Virtualization Mgr. runs fine.

IMHO if they've erred at all, when they 1st introduced their new tech Paragon maybe over-hyped the ease & advantages of virtualization itself -- this stuff often takes a bit of time consuming work, so I'd guess a fair number of folks became disillusioned or discouraged. Truth is, while most every Windows install can be turned into a Virtual Machine, 1) there are usually extra steps involved, 2) there are frequently licensing issues, & 3) unless you're running your VMs on a special server, they're slow -- a Virtual Machine runs on fake hardware, & the extra layers of software in between the apps you run & your PC/laptop hardware cost quite a bit of efficiency, & thus power & speed. You need to be at least comfortable with those 3 issues for P2V &/or V2P to work well for you. You need to be OK with the extra work to be cool with P2P.

As far as licensing goes, if you want the latest legal fine print, check the Microsoft site as they've changed their licensing somewhat frequently, in part to deal with the surge in virtualization. Some (many?) people take a *let's see what happens* approach, & don't mind activating their Windows license in however many VMs, on different hardware etc., even if it means a phone call each time. That stuff matters more to some people or in some environs, like in a biz, but if you want to minimize the hassles once you have a VM working & activated, keep the same MAC address, as that's apparently 1 trigger for reactivation. As far as the extra work goes, Paragon software removes *most* existing hardware drivers -- that leaves you to remove anything it missed [check Device Mgr., use Autoruns etc.], & you have to install the new, required stuff. In most all cases you want to disable AV software, along with any graphics or audio hardware apps that start with Windows. And in most cases Windows will be installed to a partition with a lot of free space, which you want to get rid of *before* you create a VM -- I like to copy the partition or restore a disk image backup to a .vhd, mount it, shrink the partition, & rename or remove folders for stuff like McAfee, ATI's CCC, Creative Soundblaster apps/services etc., then do the P2V, but Virtualization Mgr. will also let you shrink the partition. [Note that many Paragon apps (like backup) can *filter* out folders, files etc., &/or copy/restore a partition to a smaller one, but this adds (sometimes an extreme amount of) time to the job.] Whatever you do you don't want AV software starting with Windows the 1st time you start your new VM or start Windows on new hardware (P2P). FWIW it takes me a good 3 - 4 hours to turn a working Windows install into a VM that's working well, & in one case took another 8 hours afterward removing software that didn't work, removing unused drivers, cleaning up the registry etc. P2P, P2V, & V2P can be great, don't get me wrong, but for some purposes it just may not be worth it, e.g. in many cases I think users are better off dual booting XP & 7 rather than trying to make do with just 7 plus an XP VM.

Why does the 64bit version install into Program Files (x86)?

Please remember that license for the OS that you virtualize is still needed. I used the one last year and it created the image perfectly but when I ran it, the license didn't work. It was off a Dell laptop so I was not too suprised. I was able to get the info I wanted off the image.

I just uninstalled it, it slowed my WIN XP Pro, 2.7GHZ, 4GB Dual core to a crawl. Can not network other PCs in virtual mode, lost LAN connections and WAN via DSL router.

Hahaha I don't is it just me, because I seem don't understand the purpose or benefit of this software; (migration?) ?? is it work like Alchohal-120% or like returnnil or ijust don't know? :)

I have used previous virtualization software from Paragon and I have to say it has been excellent! The one problem I ran into was in trying to run a virtual disk created by Paragon from a drive that used to boot to Windows Media Center 2005. When I bring up VMWare player, load an XP virtual machine and then mount the MC2005 virtual disk, it begins to load ,but then fails. Unfortunately, I do not remember the exact message.
Any ideas?
Also, will this giveaway overlay my previous Paragon Virtualization Manager 9.5?

# 29 Anym B.

Windows search for *.msi created today. Voila!

I am personally looking forward to using this, on multiple machines. The combination of features in this product, to me, is very promising.

"P2V Migration" virtualizes your physical computer. I have done this once before, but have found that my current computer isn't powerful enough to do a decent job of hosting a virtual computer (Note: to do this well, you should have a 64 bit computer with lots of memory, but less-powerful combinations can be made to work adequately.)

"V2V Migration" in case someday I decide that VirtualBox isn't the host for me (although I'm unclear about this one, as this offering is clearly for VirtualBox)
"V2P Migration" for if my physical machine ever packs it in, kind of (but not supposed to be used as) a "live" backup of my current physical system.

"P2P Adjust" -- not sure how this is to be used in the light of the above options, but I'm guessing it's mostly an attempt to fit this additional functionality into the framework of "x2x Action"

# 20 Joe. YES

http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/UserManual.html

What actually is the use of this software and why is it so heavy (well, ok maybe just 90mb)? After reading all the descriptions, I still can't make head nor tail about today's giveaway. Can anybody give me some hints? Thanks

A big limitation of this program is that it cannot convert a "running" OS to virtual (using the windows shadow service tipically used by backup software).

If your need is to virtualize a different environment or a old system, connecting the HD to your pc, this is quite good choice.

If you're planning to virtualize your current system, you can't. You have to install a fresh OS in a new partition, boot with the previous one and then convert it to virtual. Or mount your current HD to a different system, a little bit uncomfortable...

could i tranfer a complete program that runs in win xp /but not in vista /with the virtual machine?
will it install all the drivers needed with the program?
so far i had no luck /with any program to have it run.
and i do have dual boot in vista with xp/but for some reason that particular program will not run
thanks a heap

@JanetP, the answer given by BReese is not a solution to your problem. XP mode requires that you re-install the XP software which is not what you want to do. Virtualization can provide the solution you want but there is quite a learning curve to re-configure your XP to work. What virtualization does, is emulates a hardware PC, within a closed software environment. This emulated hardware is probably not the same as your physical hardware and thus the Xp system you want to use will need to be re-configured for this environment. The paragon software will help you do this, but may require some user tweaking. Also to note is that you need an XP OS license for the VM, since this is a 'new' machine. The virtualized OS will/might need to be re-activated also. If you plan to try this, you need to install todays software and execute on your XP machine and have sufficient HDD space to make the VM image (an external drive would be preferable as you then need to access this VM image on your Win7 system). Hope this helps.
There is a lot of mis-information in todays comments, so beware.

To janetb
I have NEVER managed to find tech support at http://twitter.com/paragonsoftware…:-(….(along with many others…)….Could you please tell us how/where to post a question?
Paragon always answers if you write to them. You should use @ParagonSoftware prefix so Paragon people can see your post.

to CarlinTexas
I take it that this means that the software will not let you copy a linux partition to a virtual machine using the P2V wizard.
That's true. It's designed to copy Windows systems only.

to Anym B.
I cannot find where the program installed to!
Here are the steps that are needed to install the tool:
1) download ParagonVirtualizationManager.zip file to your PC
2) unzip it, and you get Setup.exe file
3) run it, it starts Software Key Wrapper 1.0 by GAOTD, then click "Accept"
4) it unpacks Paragon files into "C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp\RarSFX0" folder and automatically runs "launcher.exe" file which then installs "setup.msi" or "setup_x64.msi"
5) if launcher.exe doesn't start automatically, simply run "setup.msi" or "setup_x64.msi" from
"C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Temp\RarSFX0\PROGRAM\ENGLISH\win-install"

The one problem I have with Virtualization is resource sharing.

The VM:

A) resources my communications port and doesn't want to give it back, so the Win XP would not shut down.

B) won't allow me to share files in a common area. Example to use some apps for win 98 that are not supported or hardware drivers for specialty equipment and want to share the output with the host machine when the VM is shut down.

Will this help me?

Thanks. I was hoping to run a virtual windows 98, and XP, so this is ideal for me.

For anyone wanting a product that runs with other virtual machines, they also do a free product Paragon Go Virtual, which works with Virtual Pc, VMware, and Virtualbox.

I've downloaded both.

KIWI

1. So is today's Virtualization Manager 2010 actually offering us less VM OS options than the previous VM 2009 combined with the FREE "Go-Virtual" software?

2. It looks like your FREE "Go-Virtual" software download is a modification of the previous GAOTD Virtualization Manager 2009 that was given away here in 2009.

New version will overwrite old one automatically. So if you want to have support for different virtual machines, better upgrade to full VM2010, or maybe use this free tool:
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/go-virtual/

I cannot find where the program installed to! I have installed it twice! Usually Paragon puts an .msi file in that directory and we install from their after extraction. The TEMP folder has all the extracted stuff but it just the same as running setup again.

I select my E:\APPS drive for the installation drive. It placednothing in it! It went through the entire install process and even presented the "finish" button, and then--nothing!

I chose to have it place shortcut on desktop -- no shortcut appears. I looked in programs folder -- nothing! Where did it go?

I'm not an amaeture at this but this throws me.

I'm running Windows 7 x64 and chose the x64 install.

There's a first time for everything and I know I'm missing something that will make me fell supremely stupid, but I'd still appreciate any help.

Thanks

@ JanetP (20)
Yes, this software is designed to turn a physical computer into a virtual computer, which I'm turn would allow you to run (almost) everything from the physical as a virtual on the new computer.
Not to take away from this product, however, you might be able to use "XP Mode" on your Win 7 machine. That does require win 7 pro or higher, but could probably provide a more seamless virtualized environment if you plan on using those programs very much.
If you searche the I-net you can find instructions on how to setup "XP Mode", and can probably even find some that explain how to use "XP Mode with Virtual Box.

Also note that in most virtualized environments, only the virtual drive is visible/accessible by default.

There seems to be some misleading info on the GAOTD page as it says that today's giveaway provides V2V conversion, which means that it doesn't only support Virtualbox! The Paragon comparision chart does not show this as a feature. Maybe someone for Paragon or GAOTD could clear this up?

I'm not erasily confused but today...

Aren't GOTD's giveaways supposed to be temporarily free versions of software that otherwise isn't free?

According to this page: http://www.paragon-software.com/home/vm-professional-vb/index.html the version of Virtualization Manager 2010 that can only handle VirtualBox is permanently freely available at Paragon's web site. If today's GOTD version also only supports VirtualBox then... what exactly is the giveaway? What exactly is the 'extra' we are getting for free today?

Clarification to my last post (#21):

How does Giveaway of the Day - Paragon Virtualization Manager 2010 for VirtualBox Professional Special Edition (English)

differ from

Paragon Virtualization Manager 2010 for VirtualBox Professional (English)?
Please note that both of these editions differ from the Standard edition in that that are for use with VirtualBox only.

I've been using Paragon products for several years and the 2010 Virtualization Manager (Personal Ed) for going on a year with good success. I've used disk2vhd with limited success but using PVM the VMs I create tend to be more usable with less tweaking. If your target platform is Oracle VirtualBox (only) this edition of PVM will prove quite useful. The full / paid product includes support for VMWare and MS Virtual PC also. This product is used to create VMs or fix ones you already have that have issues. Multiple editions of Paragon products can coexist (different folder) but a different version will cause an update. Paragon product quality tends to be good, stable, dependable and I like PVM enough that I bought it early this year.

Returnil is similar in concept to running a VM but not the same. With Retirnil you have one system where you either keep or discard changes to that system. With VMs you can have a couple of different Linux distros, a Windows XP, a Windows 7 x64 all running on the same host with different snapshots of each VM. Retrnil is for protecting your PC. VMs can do that and much, much more.

This just proves to me the quality of Paragons programming and diligence.
I was completely impressed with the original Virtualization Manager but was disappointed that virtualbox was not supported.

I can only assume that this software is in response to several requests on Giveaway for this functionality but either way Thank you Paragon for another useful piece of software.

OK, I had hoped to copy my linux partition to my VirtualBox. When I start up the P2V Wizard, and select the linux partition and swap, then click "Next," the software answers by saying "Please select a Windows OS version to be used as the guest operating system of your virtual machine," and "No Windows OS found. Please select at least one volume with installed OS." I take it that this means that the software will not let you copy a linux partition to a virtual machine using the P2V wizard. Anyone else been successful with that?

Virtualization Manager 2010 Giveaway Help

How does this SPECIAL EDITION differ from the regular edition?

#10 Virtualization Manager 2010 Giveaway Help

I have NEVER managed to find tech support at http://twitter.com/paragonsoftware...:-(....(along with many others...)....Could you please tell us how/where to post a question?

Meanwhile, my question is:
CAN I USE THIS TO PUT MY OLD XP 32-BIT COMPUTER ON MY NEW WIN 7 64-BIT COMPUTER AND THEN BE ABLE TO USE ALL MY GOATD APPS ON THE NEW SYSTEM???????