Installing Windows 7 Upgrade to VirtualBox SATA Drive

Install Windows XP & Windows 7

First install Windows XP Professional from installation iso image onto a suitably sized IDE drive. I choose 60 GB disk as I intend to upgrade to Windows 7. Once the installation is complete, install Windows 7 from upgrade iso image. Once this installation is complete restart the OS and prepare to switch the drive to a SATA drive.

Switching to SATA drive

Thanks to the instructions here: http://netmusician.org/2010/05/virtualboxsata/

1. Power off the OS. Make sure that there is a VirtualBox IDE controller and a SATA controller attached to the virtual machine. The IDE controller will have your existing disk attached. The SATA controller does not need any drive attached.
2. Power on the OS. In Device Manager remove all the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. This is the scary part. Try to remove all of them. Not all will be deleted. The OS will add the correct controllers back in after a restart. Power off the OS.
3. In VirtualBox remove the hard disk from the IDE controller and add it to the SATA controller.
4. Restart the OS. Restart it once more if necessary.
5. Check that the drive icon in the bottom right of your VM shows a SATA drive if you hover over it.

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