Fedora 12 on Windows 7 Virtual PC
Assembled by: Jim Connor under Web Development
If you are trying to install Fedora 12 in Windows Virtual PC and the VM just shuts down right after you begin installation, try adding “vga=0×32D” to the boot params.
To do this, highlight the first option on the boot menu and press the TAB key to edit the parameters.
After the installation finishes, it will try to reboot, which will fail just like it did in the beginning. No problem. Just restart the VM, and press the “a” key as it starts loading the OS. This should bring up a screen where you can edit the grub params. Add the same “vga=0×32D” to the end of the current params.
You can press “a” repeatedly during the early boot process to make sure it hears you, but you will likely end up with a string of “aaaaaaa” displayed if you do. It’s easy enough to delete them, so pressing “a” a couple times avoids having to time it just right.
After that, your VM should boot normally without having to edit the params.
I chose “0×32D” because it worked well on my system. You can use a different mode if you like, or try setting “vga=ask” to have it prompt you for the setting.
Here is a listing of common settings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VESA_BIOS_Extensions#VBE_mode_numbers
