Virtual Machine to run Linux etc.???

dulpit

So I'm looking for some way of running Linux (for now) as a virtual machine on my XP machine... Have bits & pieces to do for college for linux, would be handy if I could do this at home...

Free option would be much appreciated. I've used VMWare in college last year, that an option? Is it a difficult job? And do you need a really high-spec P.C.?? (I've a 3GHz Pentium 4 with 512mb of RAM)

Static M.e.

yeah VMware GSX (not sure if its still called that)or MS Virtual.

You might need more ram but thats about it.

Sponge Bob

he needs vmware player (not gsx or esx) and I will then mail him a 5gb fedora 5 virtual machine all fully patched up if he wants

Alun

You can also download some ready made Linux Virtual Appliances directly from the VMWare website, such as ...

http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/693 (Ubuntu)

or

http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/626 (RedHat)

There are others as well including Suse,a nd some ready made LAMP srvers for example,

Just download VMWare Player and you're ready to go, although I'd add at least another 512MB of RAM if I were him. BTW GSX doesn't exist any more, hasn't for a while. It was replaced by the free VMWare Server.

rogue-entity

Try CoLinux, you download it, and then you download the disc-image which will include Debian 3 (which you can easily update).

You can also download MS VirtualPC 2007 ? and install any Linux distribution from one of the downloadable ISO images. Works very well too.

bbbbb

If it's just very occasional & basic stuff, maybe download and burn a copy of the ubuntu live CD?

Allows you to run/try out linux without installing anything.

SouperComputer

http://bochs.sourceforge.net/

Cake Fiend

I use VMWare Server (free), very handy (although I use it the other way around - to run a virtual Windows PC on a Linux system!)