I created a new VM and selected a win 7 ISO located on an external USB drive. I have done the same for various other OS's eg Ubuntu, Win XP, Win Server 2011 STD. So, I don't quite understand why I am having this particular issue with Windows 7. By the, I should mention that I have tried installing from several flavours of Win 7 all in ISO Format. Installing from DVD media however works just fine. Thank you for your time and assistance. Peter