Error Message: "Cannot Create a Temporary Partition. If You Have HPFS or NTFS Installed on Your Hard Drive" When You Install Windows on a Guest PC (825265)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Connectix Virtual PC for Windows version 4.0
  • Connectix Virtual PC for Windows version 4.1
  • Connectix Virtual PC for Windows version 4.2
  • Connectix Virtual PC for Windows version 4.3
  • Connectix Virtual PC for Windows version 5.0
  • Connectix Virtual PC for Windows version 5.1
  • Connectix Virtual PC for Windows version 5.2

SYMPTOMS

When you run the Microsoft Windows 98 or the Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) Setup program on a guest PC, you may receive the following error message:
Cannot create a temporary partition. If you have HPFS or NTFS installed on your hard drive, you will need to create an MS-DOS partition to set up Windows

CAUSE

This behavior may occur if either of the following conditions is true:
  • The virtual hard disk is not formatted correctly.
  • You select the wrong type of guest operating system in the PC Setup Wizard. For example, you run the PC Setup Wizard, and then you select Other, Linux, BSD, Solaris, OS/2, or Netware in the Which operating system do you intend to run on this PC? list.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, run the PC Setup Wizard again, and then select Windows 98 or Windows Me in the Which operating system do you intend to run on this PC? list. Alternatively, you can use the Fdisk utility to format the virtual drive.

MORE INFORMATION

When you use the PC Setup Wizard to create a guest PC, Virtual PC tries to make the process as seamless as possible. When you select the operating system that you want to install, Virtual PC creates and formats the corresponding drive image accordingly. For Windows 98 and for Windows Millennium Edition, Virtual PC creates a FAT32 formatted disk. After Virtual PC creates the formatted disk, use a bootable Startup disk or a bootable CD to install your Windows operating system. For more information about how to install your operating system, see the Virtual PC on-line help.

Note When the guest PC starts for the first time, you may receive the following error message:
OS not found
Install an OS on this hard drive
This behavior may occur if you do not use a bootable Startup disk or a bootable CD to start the operating system. You receive the error message because an operating system is not yet installed, and the PC cannot find a Startup disk. To install an operating system, use a bootable CD or a startup disk that contains CD drivers to start the computer, and then install the operating system.
For additional information about how to create a Startup disk, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

267287 How to Create a Startup Disk in Windows Me

284943 How to Create a Windows 95 Startup Disk in MS-DOS

296532 How to Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk

186300 How to Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk from MS-DOS

187632 How to Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk that Supports FAT32

271823 How to Create a Windows Me Startup Disk Manually

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/10/2003
Keywords:kbprb KB825265 kbAudEndUser
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