Install a Guest Operating System

After you create a virtual machine, you must install a guest operating system.

Prerequisites

■	Verify that an ISO image file of the guest operating system is on a datastore on your ESX server.
■	Verify that the CD/DVD drive in the virtual machine points to the ISO image file of the guest operating system and that the CD/DVD drive is configured to connect at power on.
■	If you are installing Windows XP and you selected the LSI Logic adapter for the virtual machine, download the LSI20320-R controller driver from the LSI Logic Web site, create a floppy image (.flp) file that contains the driver, and upload the file to a datastore on your ESX server.

Procedure

In vSphere Client, log in to the vCenter Server system where the virtual machine resides.

Right-click the virtual machine, select Power, and select Power On to start the virtual machine.

Because you configured the CD/DVD drive to point to the ISO image of the guest operating system and to connect at power on, the guest operating system installation process begins automatically.

Click the Console tab and follow the installation instructions provided by the operating system vendor.

If you are installing Windows XP and you selected the LSI Logic adapter for the virtual machine, install the LSI Logic driver during the Windows setup process.

a	Press F6 to select additional SCSI drivers.
b	Type `S` to specify an additional device.
c	On the vSphere Client toolbar, click Connect Floppy to select the LSI Logic driver floppy image (.flp) file.
d	Return to the Windows Setup screen and press Enter to continue the Windows setup process.
e	When the Windows setup process has finished, disconnect the virtual floppy disk drive.

If you are installing Windows 7, activate Windows online.

What to do next

Prepare the guest operating system for View desktop deployment.

Previous topic: Create a Virtual Machine for View Desktop Deployment

Next topic: Prepare a Guest Operating System for View Desktop Deployment