[Qemu-devel] Windows XP and 2003 fails to install

[Bruce Rogers]

Windows XP and 2003 are not installing on current kvm via libvirt, due to an 
issue with the drive geometry presented via the BIOS.
They do not reboot, after the first portion of the install.

libvirt version 0.7.6 is utilizing the -drive ... / -device ... command line 
arguments to qemu-kvm, which are not correctly interacting with the bios 
causing incorrect geometry to be provided in the bios calls. If you use the 
-hda <file> ... command line parameter to specify the disk (or the implicit 
version), then Windows will install correctly.

I was able to change the code to artificially indicate that the bios should 
provide a translated geometry (as it does for -file), which resulted in the 
correct geometry being written to the master boot record (or at least the same 
as I get with old style way of providing a file to -hda.

So far in debugging this, I've been able to determine that there is a CMOS byte 
which indicates to the BIOS what IDE drives should use translation. This gets 
handled correctly for the old way of specifying drives, but the same isn't done 
in the qdev storage device code.

Any tips on how this should be resolved?

Bruce