AOL has the power to crash Win2k virtual machines

EVERYTHING WENT just fine for weeks, and I often ran Windows 2000 inside my Linux system, thanks to Win4Lin, but weeks ago I learned there is one lethal weapon against OS virtualisation: AOL's client software.

Suffice to say that if you run Win4Lin PRO -version 3.5 rev 3.5-63914 in my case- install Windows 2000 PRO on it, update to service pack 4 level, apply all hot fixes, and then you attempt to install AOL 7.0 client software on it -I used this localised one- you get a nice Blue Screen of Death like the one shown below as soon as AOL attempts to install its "virtual network drivers", "dial up adapter software" and other such nasty Windows OS add-ons.

AOL: the power to crash virtual machines

Now, I hear the chorus typing their hate e-mails... "Why would anyone run the AOL client inside linux"? Simple: for me it's just another tool to avoid network congestion. When you connect to AOL over broadband you setup a VPN to the "AOL cloud" and your AOL client allows navigating from an AOL IP address, thus often helping bypass local backbone bottlenecks and other nuisances.

The crash was reported over a month ago in the Win4Lin forums but, as of today, no solution has been received from the firm. People have long be slating AOL, but I didn't have confirmation of its software-crashing powers until now. Coming next: I will attempt installing WinXP SP2 on the latest Win4Lin, -and use it as an opportunity to run IE7 when I'm forced to, as the nice 'IEs4Linux' hack stops at IE6- and see if AOL's crashing powers persist under that Volishly virtualised OS. µ

See also
INQUIRER helps debug Win4Lin Pro
IE for Linux hack offers yet another reason not to load Windows

L'INQ
Harvard group criticizes AOL for its spyware sins