I currently have a PC running apache 2 and war FTP Daemon within Windows XP I would like to replace it with a gentoo based server as the pc is a fairly old machine now (celeron 500/192MB/14GB HDD).

I am not willing to take it offline while I rebuild it without something to replace it and so would like to install Gentoo in a virtual PC (Using MS Virtual PC 2004 on another machine) to configure gentoo and bring this online first.

Once the gentoo install has been completed, updated and fully configured just the way I like it onto the virtual pc, is there a way to transfer this to a "Real" PC by using some sort of HDD imaging program?

Does anyone know if it is possible for me to do this and/or have any comments / suggestions for me.

All feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Yikes. Off the top of my head -- you could use an external hard drive and configure the virtual program to use it..? Do a search on the Gentoo forums and Docs at gentoo.org as well... the gentoo docs have some really bizarro install methods including in them... don't remember offhand if they had documented one THIS bizarre though.