Microsoft KB Archive/831501

= Correction to the –Extnetworking Switch Command-Line Reference Help =

Article ID: 831501

Article Last Modified on 12/6/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Virtual PC 2004

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SYMPTOMS
When you use the -extnetworking switch with the Virtual PC.exe command-line utility as described in Virtual PC Help, the utility may not work correctly.



CAUSE
This problem occurs because there are errors in Virtual PC Help in the section that describes the syntax for the &quot;-extnetworking&quot; switch. In Virtual PC Help, the syntax for the -extnetworking switch is incorrectly specified as used after the -launch switch. However, you must actually use the -extnetworking switch before the -launch switch and after the –setassettag switch.



WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, use the following information instead of the information in the Virtual PC Help section that describes the command-line reference for Virtual PC.exe.

Command-Line Reference
Virtual PC.exe is the Virtual PC command-line utility. Virtual PC.exe performs several Virtual PC and virtual machine tasks. By default, it is located in the \Program Files\Microsoft Virtual PC folder.

Syntax
&quot;Virtual PC.exe&quot; [-singlepc] [-quiet] [-usehostdiskcache] [-pc  [-disableclose] [-disableopt] [-s3bitclip] [-setbiosno  ] [-setassettag  ] [-extnetworking] [-launch] [{-fullscreen|-window}] [-geometry  x {+|-} {+|-} ] [{-minimize|-restore}] [{-pause|-resume}]] [-help] [-registervm  .vmc] [-startvm  .vmc]

Note In the syntax that is listed in Virtual PC Help, the -extnetworking switch is incorrectly specified after the -launch switch. You must specify the -extnetworking switch after the –setassettag switch and before the -launch switch.

Parameters
 -singlepc

The -singlepc parameter starts the specified virtual machine without starting Virtual PC Console. This parameter can simplify the Virtual PC interface in a corporate or lab environment where users only want to access a virtual machine and do not have to use Virtual PC Console. You can use this parameter only during Virtual PC startup. -quiet

The -quiet parameter prevents the starting of any virtual machines that are configured to start automatically. You can use this parameter only during Virtual PC startup. -usehostdiskcache

The -usehostdiskcache parameter turns on host-side disk caching. Host-side disk caching can improve the performance of virtual machines that run operating systems other than Windows. This parameter can help to resolve poor performance problems with disk-intensive tasks. You can use this parameter only during Virtual PC startup. -pc 

The -pc  parameter specifies to perform operations on a specific virtual machine. The  is the name that appears in Virtual PC Console and the virtual machine window for the virtual machine.

Note is case sensitive.

The following table describes the options for this parameter.  -help

Displays the Online Help topic, &quot;Using the Command Line,&quot; when Virtual PC 2004 opens. You can use this parameter only when you start the virtual machine. -registervm .vmc

Registers the specified .vmc file. The registration of the .vmc file adds the corresponding virtual machine to the list of virtual machines. This parameter helps you to use an automated deployment to register a .vmc file without starting the virtual machine. You can use this parameter only when the virtual machine is not running.

Note when you use the -registervm switch, you must specify an absolute path of the .vmc file. -startvm .vmc

Registers the specified .vmc file. The registration of the .vmc file adds the corresponding virtual machine to the list of virtual machines and starts the virtual machine. You can use this parameter only when you start the virtual machine.

Note when you use the -startvm switch, you must specify an absolute path of the .vmc file.</li></ul>

Examples
The following examples illustrate two ways to use Virtual PC.exe to start a virtual machine. In the examples,  is the name of the virtual machine. The quotation marks are mandatory elements of the code. <ul> To start a virtual machine without opening Virtual PC Console, type the following command:

&quot;Virtual PC.exe&quot; –pc  –singlepc –launch

</li> To start a virtual machine in Full-Screen mode with optimizations disabled, type the following command:

&quot;Virtual PC.exe&quot; –disableopt –pc  –launch -fullscreen

</li></ul>

Note Command-line arguments are case-sensitive, but not the parameters that are passed to these commands.

<div class="status_section">

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Virtual PC 2004.

Keywords: kbbug KB831501

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