"OS not found install an OS on this hard drive" error message when you start a virtual machine in Virtual PC for Mac

SYMPTOMS

If your virtual machine starts, you get following error message:
OS not found
Install an OS on this hard drive

CAUSE

This happens if either of the following circumstances is right:

• First time you execute virtual machine and operating system does not start by using a bootable Startup disk or a bootable CD-ROM. This happens because an operating system has not yet been installed and a Startup disk cannot be found.

• Virtual machine used to work, but now you get the error message when you attempt to restart the virtual machine. The behavior because the Windows hard disk drive image or the MS-DOS hard disk drive image that you initially installed with the virtual machine has been removed from the virtual machine or has been disassociated from virtual machine.

RESOLUTION

To solve this problem, use any of the following techniques:

• If this happened when you started virtual machine for the first time, run PC by using a bootable CD-ROM or boot floppy disk with CD-ROM drivers, and then install the operating system.

• If the virtual machine used to work, but now you get error message when you attempt to restart the virtual machine, you should re-attach the Windows hard disk drive image or the MS-DOS hard disk drive image to the virtual machine. For this, follow the steps given below:

1. Open PC List window, and then shut down the virtual machine that facing this problem.

2. In the PC List window, click your virtual machine to pick it, and after that click on Settings.

3. Click the Drive 1 option, and then find the Windows hard disk drive image that you were using before the behavior happened. Generally, the Windows hard disk drive images are in the Documents folder for the user who installed Virtual PC if you are using Mac OS X, or they are in the general Documents folder if you are using Mac OS 9.

4. Select the drive, and after that click on Open.

5. Click OK, as well as close the Settings dialog box.

6. Start the virtual machine.