HOWTO: run IE6, IE7, IE8 on Linux in VirtualBox

[hopla]

You need: virtualbox, qemu, wine

apt-get install virtualbox qemu wine

Download the free(!) Microsoft Internet Explorer Application Compatibility Check VPC Images here:
http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/d...displaylang=en
(Note: you don't have to download the full pack, you can cherry pick specific combinations of XP/Vista and IE6-8)

Extract the VPC image(s) with wine (double-click).
(Note: it might take a while before the first window shows up)

Turn the VPC image(s) into (a) VMWare image(s) (which is/are readable by VirtualBox):
qemu-img convert -f vpc image.vhd -O vmdk image.vmdk

Setup a new VM in VirtualBox, using the vmdk image as an existing disk. Boot it, you will see the Windows boot progress bar and ... it will BSOD shortly after.

Fixing the BSOD:

The BSOD is caused because the virtual Windows tries to load processor drivers for the wrong processor (it is not running on VirtualPC proc, but on VirtualBox proc). Or something like that...
We need to force Windows not to attempt to load drivers for the processor (it doesn't need any proc drivers, because it's all virtual anyway).
Start safe mode by (frantically) hitting F8 at Windows boot and choosing safe mode.

Ignore all the 'New hardware' detected warnings (we will deal with those later). Start a command box and run the following command to disable the loading of processor drivers:

sc config processor start= disabled

(note the space between '=' and 'disabled'!)

Restart the virtual Windows, it should now boot all the way to the Windows Desktop.

Now just when you think you can start browsing the web with IE, you will find out that the virtual Windows needs to install the drivers for the AMD PCnet NIC, which are located on the Windows install disk. Fortunately for those without a Windows install disk, there is another way :)

Download AMD PCnet drivers here:
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Connectivit...5E2486,00.html

Make an iso file containing the drivers. I used Brasero for simplicity. Choose to create a Data Project, add the zip file (or the unzipped files, saves you a step in Windows), create the iso. No need to burn an actual cd!

Stop the virtual Windows, edit the settings in VirtualBox: mount your brand new iso.

Start the virtual Windows, when it asks to install the drivers for the PCnet nick, point it to the (unzipped) drivers. Et voila! You have teh innernets!
(Now you can also try to install the other drivers it complains for, but it's not really necessary)

NOTE:

The image README says the image will expire on April 30, 2009. I don't know what will happen to your VMWare/VirtualBox image then. I don't know if Microsoft will provide new images (but I would think so).