VMWare has actually had this tool for quite some time now. The VMWare converter for Windows was released in January of 2007. I just had a chance to use it, and it works great.

You can convert a physical machine to a VM while it is running. Thats right - no downtime to convert a system. This is perfect when you need to test something on a live production server…but don’t want to risk it.

A few things to watch out for when using it:

-If you have Windows 2003, XP, or Vista the switch to the Virtual machine will trigger product activation. If you don’t have an OEM license this can be a problem…and may prevent you from completing your task.

-You can’t run the converter on the same machine you are converting. You need to run it over the network, or create a boot disk. A boot disk would be bad since this would cause a significant chunk of downtime.

Obligatory features and benefits from VMWare:

-Quickly and reliably convert local and remote physical machines into virtual machines without any disruption or downtime.
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• Lawyers: Vista branding confused even Microsoft
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The more stuff that Windows has to start up during boot, the longer it will take to complete.

So, with that in mind, the first thing you need to do is start unloading programs which are set to start automatically when you boot Windows. There are two places, primarily, that you want to look at:

1. Look in the “Startup” folder in your Start Menu. Anything in that folder is set to start automatically. To remove a program from this folder, simply navigate to the “Startup” folder in your Start Menu, right-click on the item you want to remove, and choose “Delete” from the menu. This will not delete the program…only the shortcut to it. (more…)

boot windows, computer, configuration window, delete the program, esellerate, msconfig, press enter, reboot, shortcut, startup folder, startup tab, system configuration, windows registry

Microsoft Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) are now in Beta, available on https://connect.microsoft.com/ - I just got hold on them!

The download contains:
Remote Server Administration Tools Beta Fact Sheet.docx
Windows6.0-KB941314-x64.msu
Windows6.0-KB941314-x86.msu

Still waiting to install on my Vista SP1 Beta…

[UPDATE]
Install went just fine - but some admin tools are still not included (se readme for more info).

This is the exact download location:
http://connect.microsoft.com/windows/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=9561

More info:
http://blogs.technet.com/windowsserver/archive/2007/11/28/remote-server-administration-tools-rsat-beta-is-now-available.aspx

This is an awesome Vista theme with an old world feel. It features a huge sail boat being pulled into a beach set between rugged mountians. I love the attention to detail in this theme. It also features a wonderful green sidebar.
(more…)