How much RAM to allocate to a Windows XP virtual machine?

[mikhou]

Hey guys. I just made the switch to Mint as my primary operating system. However, I still need to run Quickbooks through Virtual Box...so...I'm setting up my first virtual machine. Here are my questions. How much HD space and how much RAM should I allocate for XP and for QBs keeping in mind that this is the ONLY thing that I will be doing through XP. Everything else will be Linux. Also, I hope to run them simultaneously as I will take a lot of information from QB and drop it into Open Office Spreadsheet. Thanks. I love this forum. Have learned a ton from it.

mikhou

[DrHu]

Also, I hope to run them simultaneously as I will take a lot of information from QB and drop it into Open Office Spreadsheet.

Not clear on why you do it that way, unless you want to calculate some options in the spreadsheet while using the QB data, however I though QB could already do that
--if so, then I don't understand why not just save the QB data in a csv file and import that into the spreadsheet; that would likely lessen the memory (RAM) requirement for the VM running the windows OS + QB..
http://sheepdogguides.com/fdb/fdb1imp1.htm

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 61&start=0
More context needed:hardware, software

• Which QB (QuickBooks version ?

http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/su ... le/1008109

Your system is ?..

• inxi -F
  --short list of all OS detected hardware
  free -m
  free -l
  --how much memory do you have available..

I am sure QB (Quickbooks) does not use much RAM as an application, so split it based on how you are using the system, while the VM is running
--since you will be in the VM while working on QB, and won't necessarily be jumping back and forth between windows OS (in the VM) and the Linux desktop

[mikhou]

As far as running them simultaneously, I have a number of reports to complete that are in .xls form for which I use Open Office. It is useful to be able to access QB while completing those reports. As far as the other info that you mentioned:

mike@mike ~ $ inxi -F
System: Host mike Kernel 2.6.28-11-generic i686 (32 bit) Distro Linux Mint 7 Gloria - Main Edition
CPU: Dual core Intel Core2 Duo T7250 (SMP) cache 2048 KB flags (sse3 nx lm vmx) bmips 7981.28
Clock Speeds: (1) 2001.00 MHz (2) 800.00 MHz
Graphics: Card nVidia GeForce 8400M GS X.Org 1.6.0 Res 1280x800@60.0hz
GLX Renderer Software Rasterizer GLX Version Yes
Audio: Card Intel 82801H (ICH8 Family) HD Audio Controller driver HDA Intel
Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Version 1.0.18rc3
Network: Card-1 Broadcom BCM4311 802.11b/g WLAN driver b43-pci-bridge
Card-2 Broadcom NetLink BCM5906M Fast Ethernet PCI Express driver tg3 v: 3.94
Disks: HDD Total Size: 320.1GB (8.4% used) 1: /dev/sda WDC WD3200BJKT-0 320.1GB
Partition: ID:/ size: 12G used: 3.0G (29%) ID:/home size: 92G used: 22G (26%) ID:swap-1 size: 0.01GB used: 0.00GB (0%)
Info: Processes 136 Uptime 7 min Memory 250.3/3528.5MB Client Shell inxi 1.0.6
mike@mike ~ $ free -m
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 3528 512 3016 0 18 245
-/+ buffers/cache: 249 3279
Swap: 7 0 7
mike@mike ~ $ free -l
total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 3613188 524976 3088212 0 18544 251136
Low: 849992 46356 803636
High: 2763196 478620 2284576
-/+ buffers/cache: 255296 3357892
Swap: 7992 0 7992
mike@mike ~ $

Thanks for the help.

mikhou