Free Virtual PC Images from Microsoft

Microsoft is providing a free virtual PC hard disk image containing a pre-activated Windows XP SP2, and either IE6 or IE7 and the IE7 Readiness Toolkit to help facilitate your testing and development. The image is time bombed and will no longer function after a specific date. At the time I wrote this blog the Virtual PC image was set to expire on December 7, 2007. The previous image expired on April 1, 2007. Chances are that Microsoft will continue to extend this deadline. According to Microsoft Product Manager Pete LePage, Microsoft hopes to continue to provide these images in the future as a service to Web developers. As Pete LaPage explains in his blog, you don’t even have to buy an additional Windows license.

These images are supported on Windows Server2003, Windows Vista, and Windows XP operating systems.