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Virtualbox Question

  • 17-06-2008 05:29PM
    #1
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Sorry, not sure if this is the right forum. Anyway...

    I'm running virtualbox with Ubuntu as a host. I want to virtualise windows xp. This is probably a stupid question, but do I need a windows xp install disc to do this? I don't have access to such a disc, so if so is there any other way?

    Thanks


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,606 ✭✭✭djmarkus


    Not really, you could get to send you their VDI (what virtualbox uses for a disk), but this is frought with licencing issues.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭andrew


    So need something called a windows VDI or something?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,562 ✭✭✭cance


    if you want to install the operating system get a cd, network installation point or an iso of the cd.

    your other option i think yer man is getting at is that if you know somebody who currently has a virtual xp machile you could get a copy of his virtual xp, copy the file (2gb ish) to your virtual machine then add it.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭andrew


    ah right I see what you mean. I was hoping that somehow i'd be able to use the Xp files on my windows partition because I don't have an installation one. I'll have to try find myself one so. thanks!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 3,519 ✭✭✭ethernet


    andrew wrote: »
    ah right I see what you mean. I was hoping that somehow i'd be able to use the Xp files on my windows partition because I don't have an installation one. I'll have to try find myself one so. thanks!
    Oh, that's different. There are programs -- VMWare definitely has one -- that can create an image of your current install so that you can run it in a virtual machine to avoid starting from scratch. Seems it is free as well.


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭andrew


    ah cool. thanks. hopefully it's what i need.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,248 ✭✭✭Duffman


    ethernet wrote: »
    Oh, that's different. There are programs -- VMWare definitely has one -- that can create an image of your current install so that you can run it in a virtual machine to avoid starting from scratch. Seems it is free as well.

    That's probably the cleanest way.

    You can also actually boot up your windows partition in a VM (rather than converting it into an image). You just have to be really careful to boot the right OS because trying to boot Ubuntu from a VM inside Ubuntu will lead to disk tragedy.

    I managed to get my windows partition to boot using KVM and QEMU a while ago but I'm not sure if I could repeat the process now!.

    EDIT: Oh and one thing you should do before you try this is set up a new hardware profile in Windows so your drivers don't get messed up when you boot it in a VM.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭andrew


    ****e. The DL is available in .exe only for VMware. My windows partition is knackered for the moment until I can get an install CD, in which case i wouldn't need VMware! I suppose software to make an image of a windows install from a different OS altogether is definately asking too much. Gah, who knew just having the plug come out during normal operation could completely mess up a windows partition :( Thanks a lot though.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,248 ✭✭✭Duffman


    Might be a long shot but do you have a C:\I386 folder on the windows partition?

    That contents of that directory can be burned and used as an install cd.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 3,373 Mod ✭✭✭✭andrew


    Duffman wrote: »
    Might be a long shot but do you have a C:\I386 folder on the windows partition?

    That contents of that directory can be burned and used as an install cd.

    Yeah I do! Great, thanks. Is it bootable, or is there any way I could burn it so i could boot from it?


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,562 ✭✭✭cance




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