Dual boot XP and Kubuntu?
I would like to dual boot XP and Kubuntu. I would like to run an Apache web server, too. Would it be worth it to keep XP, or should I just blow it. How can I burn an ISO to a USB drive with no extra programs installed?
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Sounds like you might have better results if you install Kubuntu on the hardware and then run XP inside a virtual machine. Just yesterday, in fact, I installed the latest VMware Player (free download) on my Precise laptop and then set up an XP virtual machine (*). VMware's Unity feature (not to be confused with Ubuntu's Unity interface) is really quite neat: Windows programs run on the desktop right next to Linux programs, they share a clipboard, and you can even drag-drop from one to the other -- something that Oracle's VirtualBox can't do.
As for using a USB to install Kubuntu, it's well-documented.
(*) Why XP? My need for keeping Windows around continues to diminish. However, my new PSP Vita requires a stupid "content manager" app (Windows and Mac only) to transfer movies and music; unlike the old PSP, which simply appeared as a USB drive, the new one relies on a bastardized implementation of MTP. So I still need a Windows VM for a few things. I have no need for something as convoluted as Windows 7. I gave the VM only one CPU core, 1 GB RAM, and 10 GB disk. And boy does XP fly! It's soooooo much faster than Windows 7. I hadn't touched XP since the days of Vista beta. -
Wow! That sounds neat! I see I will have to give WMWare a look. I used to run it but I got tired of it setting up pseudo networks even before the DE installed.Originally posted by SteveRiley View Post
I have a CD of XP SP2, which I installed on my old Sony three years ago using VirtualBox. When I got this new Acer 7739 I imported that VB XP guest OS. I dual boot this Acer with Win7, which I haven't run in over a month, and when I do it is only to get updates, patches and AV dat file from MS Security Essentials. However, my XP as a guest OS in VB on Kubuntu Precise (1 CPU, 1 GB, 16GB HD, dynamic) is probably 30-40% faster than the native Win7 on this box..... I gave the VM only one CPU core, 1 GB RAM, and 10 GB disk. And boy does XP fly! It's soooooo much faster than Windows 7. I hadn't touched XP since the days of Vista beta."A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
– John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.Comment
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Behold:Originally posted by GreyGeek View Post
Networking in VMware Player is a pretty simple affair now, if you use bridged rather than NAT (NAT is the default):
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That, is just damn COOL! I saw this 'capability' on a Mac Airbook. Having a Windows app running 'on the Linux Desktop' is the way it should be.Windows no longer obstructs my view.
Using Kubuntu Linux since March 23, 2007.
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data." - Sherlock HolmesComment
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Indeed it is. And each app even receives its own button in the KDE launcher bar, too.
What you see in the command prompt below is the result of enabling shared folders. I configured the VM to expose my host's /home/steve subdirectory to the guest as linux. When the VM boots, the Player mounts the share under \\vmware-host\shared folders. Can also map a drive letter to it.
Last edited by SteveRiley; Mar 01, 2012, 12:07 AM.Comment
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Uh oh... don't try opening the Control Panel when VMware Unity mode is enabled. I just crashed the VM but the player won't shut down, CPU utilization shot through the roof, and my fan sounds like turbocharger...Comment
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Had to force kill the player and the VM process. But the VM shows no damage. Whew!Comment
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Well, nothing is perfect, but using bridging instead of NAT would resolve my complaints, and smooth integration with KDE is too good to ignore. Now I am going to find out if my XP guest OS can export from VB and import to VM."A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
– John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.Comment
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If you find a way to do this GG please let us know as I will probably follow suitOriginally posted by GreyGeek View PostComment
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Try VMware's free vCenter Converter. I used that to convert a physical Windows 7 installation to a VMware VM and it performed flawlessly. Supposedly it will do the same for VMs in other formats, too.Originally posted by GreyGeek View PostComment
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Sigh... the version of VMware's converter that runs under Linux dates from 2009. The newer ones are Windows binaries. And upon closer examination, there's no mention of support for VirtualBox format.
So I'm currently in the process of using VBoxManage to manually convert the Windows 7 VM on my T520 from VirtualBox (.vdi) to VMware (.vmdk). I'll report back here when I'm done.Comment
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Ah, now I remember why I switched from VM to VB.... the creation of virtual two Internet ports (as shown by ifconfig) during boot up. That may have been because I used NAT instead of bridging. Steve, does bridging create two Internet ports during boot up?
Anyway, theoretically (because I haven't tried it yet), to convert a physical (and, some claim, a virtual) drive to a virtual drive one must use P2V. The 4.02 version of VMware inadvertently omitted the ISO for those that tool, but a VMware employee gave links to where they could be downloaded from, which requires a free account to access the WMware community forum:
http://communities.vmware.com/servle...linux-1.tar.gz
http://communities.vmware.com/servle...linux-2.tar.gz
The VMware employee who gave the links said all one has to do is unzip the tars in the VMware directory and then navigate to that directory when asked the location of the tools iso file.
So, my wife will be gone all day tomorrow so I can devote it to installing VMware and seeing IF it is possible to import a VB guest into VMware Player.
P.S. -- I am also going to try importing my Win8 guest OS as well as my XP guest OS. And, since this box is dual booted with Win7 I may try to import my physical win7 installation into VMware as a guest OS. Wouldn't that be the cat's meow! Running XP, Win7 and Win8 apps from the Linux desktop simultaneously!Last edited by GreyGeek; Mar 01, 2012, 04:27 PM."A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
– John F. Kennedy, February 26, 1962.Comment
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OK, so the simple procedure of using VBoxManage didn't work -- Windows 7 crashes when the VM starts. Now, in parallel, I'm trying a variety of approaches, including simplifying the VM's configurations (disabling acceleration and such), OVA/OVF export/import.Comment
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Ah hah, this looks promising... some kind of patch required if a Windows 7 VM uses SATA controller for the disk.Comment
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