Installing Ubuntu Server 8.10 in Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2

I managed to get it up and running perfectly, Here’s how:

• Configure your Virtual Server: Install Virtual; Server 2005 and create a new virtual machine. Since I am using my machine for testing purposes and it will not be always running, I set aside 10 gigs of hard drive space and 1 gig of memory. Make sure to set your virtual network adapter to whatever network adapter on your computer that is connected to the Internet.
• Install Ubuntu Server: Download the Ubuntu Server install ISO. You can mount the ISO as a CD in VPC rather than burning it to a disk. Start your virtual machine, click CD > Capture ISO Image…, and select the Ubuntu Server install ISO. Then, restart the virtual machine with Action > Reset. At the Ubuntu Server CD screen, choose your language, highlight Install Ubuntu Server and press F6. At the end of the Boot Options line, add the following before the --:
  

  noreplace-paravirt

  Now, the installer should load correctly.

• Configure Kernel: The default linux-server kernel will not work with VPC2007, so you must install linux-386. Reboot from the Ubuntu Server ISO, this time highlighting Rescue a broken system. Press F6 and insert the same line before the --:
  

  noreplace-paravirt

  Answer all of the questions until the end. Mount the first disk partition when asked and choose Execute a Shell…. Run the following commands when you are prompted with the #:

  apt-get update

  apt-get install linux-386

  apt-get remove linux-server

  exit

  Now, reboot the machine and eject the ISO with CD > Release.

• Configure GRUB: Start the virtual machine back up and press Esc when you see the GRUB countdown. Highlight the linux-386 option (hopefully the first) and press e to edit. On the next screen, highlight the line beginning with “kernel” and press e to edit. Replace “quiet splash” with the following:
  

  noreplace-paravirt vga=791

  Press enter to save. Now, with the kernel line highlighted, press b to boot. You should now boot up into Ubuntu Server. Login and type the following into the command prompt to edit GRUB:

  sudo nano /boot/grub/menu.lst

  Scroll down to the line similar to ”title Ubuntu 8.04, kernel x.x.xx-xx-386″ and replace “quiet splash” with the following:

  noreplace-paravirt vga=791

  Press ctrl+x to exit, y to save changes, then enter to confirm.

  Now, Ubuntu Server should boot up correctly in the virtual machine! If you have any questions or additions to these steps, don’t hesitate to comment.