A few lists already exist of VM Additions versions but none which I
felt were comprehensive and current enough. This is my attempt at
assembling an authoritative timeline of Additions releases, starting
from the first one shipped in a Microsoft SKU and ending with future
releases that have been publicly announced.
Although I reference Virtual PC and Virtual Server versions as context
for the associated Additions, I am not concerned here with general
product evolution except to the extent Additions are involved.
Corrections or clarifications are welcome.
Acknowledgements: Ben Armstrong; Ronald Beekelaar; Connectix, InnoTek,
and Microsoft product literature, documentation, and support pages.
Any errors are my own.
10.021 - Connectix Virtual PC 5.1 - RTM October 2002
- OS/2 Additions developed by German partner InnoTek are sold
separately, not included in Virtual PC for Windows
- DOS Additions do not support mouse integration and do not
support Shared Folders when EMM386 is loaded
- Kernel mode optimizations for guests running Windows NT 4.0
SP3-SP6a, 2000 RTM-SP3, and XP RTM
- Documentation mentions joystick integration
- Win32 Additions Setup built using Indigo Rose Setup Factory
6.0.1
- Officially localized for DEU, ENU, ESN, FRA, ITA, JPN
- ISO built with ISO-9660 filesystem using Adaptec Toast on
Mac
- Connectix hosted but did not support vpctimed (TimeSync
daemon) 1.0 for Linux and FreeBSD, written by user Bryan
Buck at University of Maryland, sometimes improperly
referred to as Additions for Linux
>>> Microsoft acquires Connectix - February 2003 <<<
10.021 - Connectix Virtual PC 5.2 - RTM July 2003
- Connectix boxes ship with "Now from Microsoft" stickers
- Additions unchanged from 5.1
13.040 - Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 - RTM October 2003
- Includes OS/2 Additions, no longer a separate purchase
- Connectix copyrights replaced by Microsoft throughout
all Additions
- In ISO, DOS Additions files have different timestamps than
in VFD and do not include installer but COM/EXE/SYS files
are identical versions
- Kernel mode optimizations added for Windows 2000 SP4, XP
SP1, and Server 2003 RTM guests [need confirmation]
- Joystick integration no longer documented [removed?]
- Same localization support as Virtual PC 5.1
- MSI 2.0 package built using InstallShield 8.1.160, ships
with transforms for these 33 Locales: [unclear why these
are supported by Additions Setup but not by overall
product localization]
Basque
Bulgarian
Catalan
Chinese - People's Republic of China
Chinese - Taiwan
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch - Netherlands
English - United States
Finnish
French - Canada
French - France
German - Germany
Greek
Hungarian
Indonesian
Italian - Italy
Japanese
Korean
Norwegian (Bokmål)
Polish
Portuguese - Brazil
Portuguese - Portugal
Romanian
Russian
Serbian (Cyrillic)
Slovak
Slovenian
Spanish - Spain (Traditional Sort)
Swedish
Thai
Turkish
Setup is dated 10/10/2003 but unsigned; device drivers are
individually signed (i.e. CAT files are included)
- ISO built with Joliet filesystem using open source MKISOFS
13.187 - Interim update - RTW [need date]
- Kernel mode optimizations added for Windows XP SP2 Beta
guests
13.206 - Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 - RTM July 2004
- VM heartbeat added to report guest CPU, RAM, and disk space
usage
- Kernel mode optimizations added for Windows XP SP2 guests
(not officially supported with Virtual Server 2005)
- MSI 2.0 package built using InstallShield 8.1.160 with same
transforms as 13.040 but this Setup is signed (07/14/2004)
- Officially localized for ENU and JPN only
- OS/2 Additions rebuilt, changes not documented
13.306 - Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 SP1 - RTM October 2004
- Official support of kernel mode optimizations for Windows
XP SP2 guests
- Officially localized for DEU, ENU, ESN, FRA, ITA, JPN
- MSI 2.0 package built using InstallShield 8.1.160 with same
transforms as 13.040 but this Setup is signed (08/03/2004)
- New VMADD386.SYS allows DOS Additions to support Shared
Folders when EMM386 is loaded; DosAdd.bat installer has
been re-written (in VFD only, not ISO)
- ISO built with ISO-9660 filesystem using Microsoft CDIMAGE
2.47
13.518 - Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 SP1 Beta (later renamed R2)
13.531 - Non-public QFE
- Kernel mode optimizations added for Windows Server 2003 SP1
13.552 - Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 - RTM October 2005
- MSI 2.0 package built using Microsoft open source WIX and
signed 10/19/2005
- Localized for CHS, CHT, DEU, ENU, ESN, FRA, ITA, JPN, KOR
- Kernel mode optimizations added for Windows Server 2003 SP1
and Longhorn/Vista Beta 1 Build 5112 guests
- Changed mouse integration to use filter driver instead of
replacing the i8024 driver (avoids problems such as losing
keyboard and mouse when repairing guest OS with Additions
installed)
- Allows hyper-threaded host without slowing guests
- DOS files unchanged from 13.206 (but timestamps touched)
- OS2 files unchanged from 13.206 (but timestamps touched)
- ISO built with ISO-9660 filesystem using Microsoft CDIMAGE
2.47
0.0.1 - Microsoft VM Additions for Linux - RTW April 2006
- Developed by InnoTek (former German partner of Connectix
and original developers of OS/2 Additions)
- No Shared Folders or Drag & Drop because these features are
not supported by Virtual Server and Linux Additions are not
officially supported with Virtual PC
- Separate ISO built with open source MKISOFS
13.705 - Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Beta 1 - RTW April 2006
- Kernel mode optimizations added for Windows Longhorn/Vista
Interim Build 5365 guests
- DOS files unchanged from 13.206 (but timestamps touched)
- OS2 files unchanged from 13.206 (but timestamps touched)
- ISO built with ISO-9660 filesystem using Microsoft CDIMAGE
2.47
??.??? - Interim, unsupported update - RTW Cal Q2 2006
- Kernel mode optimizations added for Windows Longhorn/Vista
Beta 2 Build 5384 guests
??.??? - Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 Beta 2 - RTW Cal Q4 2006
??.??? - Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 - RTM Cal Q1 2007
