Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Virtual PC Virtually a Requirement for Any Developer

Virtual PC is a fantastic tool for the developer. I've used this Virtual PC in the past for everything from a Hong Kong version of Windows XP to Sharepoint development.

One of the things I like to do is have a "vanilla" installation of XP and Windows Server 2003 at the ready. When a new project comes down that requires installation, such as Sharepoint or Team Foundation Server, I'll copy the vanilla and begin my installation.

Virtual PC is easy to use. Simply install the client and then create a new VPC. The wizard will walk you though the steps.

One tricky item is getting network connectivity to the VPC. The easiest method is to select Settings for your newly created VPC, click on Networking, and then select Shared networking (NAT) as your adapter. This will use your host computers external network access for your VPC. Very easy. Very slick.

I can't say enough about the advantages of Virtual PC. If you need to test installations or web-based applications on different platforms, Virtual PC makes this a snap.

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