Virtualization Issue

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vrk1219

Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

Hi All,
I have a 2 disk system, one IDE and other is SCSI disks, with a dual boot WinXP and Linux(Daryna version of Mint).
The IDE disk has MBR, with Windows installed, and Linux installed on SCSI disk. :)

Now I want to run windows, installed on my HDD, after getting into Linux. ( It should give me the Boot-time menu for selecting option to boot into Windows and Linux )

I have Virtual Box installed on my Linux system.
Please let me know how I can run Windows on the top of my Linux system.
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 4 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
altair4
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 11426
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:27 am

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by altair4 »

I'm a little confused by your question.

Are you trying to use VirtualBox to access an installed Windows installation on an actual hard drive?

If so then it's not going to happen. Windows has to be installed ( again ) in a virtual machine, on a virtual HDD within the Virtualbox application on the linux host.

If I've misunderstood your question ( which happens to me quite often :) ) let me know.
Please add a [SOLVED] at the end of your original subject header if your question has been answered and solved.
proxima_centauri

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by proxima_centauri »

I'm not going to be much help; but I do believe it is possible using VMWare to create a virtual disk of an existing installation if thats what you might desire.
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

altair4 wrote:I'm a little confused by your question.

Are you trying to use VirtualBox to access an installed Windows installation on an actual hard drive?

If so then it's not going to happen. Windows has to be installed ( again ) in a virtual machine, on a virtual HDD within the Virtualbox application on the linux host.

If I've misunderstood your question ( which happens to me quite often :) ) let me know.
Hi Altair4,
Thanks for your reply, yes I'm looking for running the installed windows on my Linux box.
But please let me know if any other virtualization software would serve my purpose.
Last edited by vrk1219 on Fri Feb 06, 2009 6:55 am, edited 3 times in total.
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

proxima_centauri wrote:I'm not going to be much help; but I do believe it is possible using VMWare to create a virtual disk of an existing installation if thats what you might desire.
hi proxima_centauri,
thanks for your reply, could you let me know how I can accomplish that?
Fred

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by Fred »

vrk1219,

Reading between the lines and trying to discern what you actually have, I think you have Windows already installed on your hard drive. If this is the case you don't need a virtual machine in Linux to run Windows. That is a separate way of running Windows altogether and has nothing to do with your current situation.

If what I said above is correct, you already have Windows installed, post a screen shot of your partitioning scheme by opening Gparted, found in your menu. Also, in a terminal type:

gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

This will open your menu.lst file. Post a copy of it to the forum also.

Fred
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

Fred wrote:vrk1219,

Reading between the lines and trying to discern what you actually have, I think you have Windows already installed on your hard drive. If this is the case you don't need a virtual machine in Linux to run Windows. That is a separate way of running Windows altogether and has nothing to do with your current situation.

If what I said above is correct, you already have Windows installed, post a screen shot of your partitioning scheme by opening Gparted, found in your menu. Also, in a terminal type:

gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

This will open your menu.lst file. Post a copy of it to the forum also.

Fred
Hi,
Please find the screenshots attached.

Here is the content in file menu.lst

gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)
# grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),
# grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub
# and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

## default num
# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and
# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.
default 0

gfxmenu=/etc/grub/message.mint

## timeout sec
# Set a timeout, in SEC seconds, before automatically booting the default entry
# (normally the first entry defined).
timeout 10

# Pretty colours
color cyan/blue white/blue

## password ['--md5'] passwd
# If used in the first section of a menu file, disable all interactive editing
# control (menu entry editor and command-line) and entries protected by the
# command 'lock'
# e.g. password topsecret
# password --md5 $1$gLhU0/$aW78kHK1QfV3P2b2znUoe/
# password topsecret

#
# examples
#
# title Windows 95/98/NT/2000
# root (hd0,0)
# makeactive
# chainloader +1
#
# title Linux
# root (hd0,1)
# kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/hda2 ro
#

#
# Put static boot stanzas before and/or after AUTOMAGIC KERNEL LIST

### BEGIN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST
## lines between the AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST markers will be modified
## by the debian update-grub script except for the default options below

## DO NOT UNCOMMENT THEM, Just edit them to your needs

## ## Start Default Options ##
## default kernel options
## default kernel options for automagic boot options
## If you want special options for specific kernels use kopt_x_y_z
## where x.y.z is kernel version. Minor versions can be omitted.
## e.g. kopt=root=/dev/hda1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8=root=/dev/hdc1 ro
## kopt_2_6_8_2_686=root=/dev/hdc2 ro
# kopt=root=/dev/sdb7 ro

## default grub root device
## e.g. groot=(hd0,0)
# groot=(hd1,6)

## should update-grub create alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. alternative=true
## alternative=false
# alternative=true

## should update-grub lock alternative automagic boot options
## e.g. lockalternative=true
## lockalternative=false
# lockalternative=false

## additional options to use with the default boot option, but not with the
## alternatives
## e.g. defoptions=vga=791 resume=/dev/hda5
# defoptions=quiet splash

## altoption boot targets option
## multiple altoptions lines are allowed
## e.g. altoptions=(extra menu suffix) extra boot options
## altoptions=(recovery mode) single
# altoptions=(recovery mode) single

## controls how many kernels should be put into the menu.lst
## only counts the first occurence of a kernel, not the
## alternative kernel options
## e.g. howmany=all
## howmany=7
# howmany=all

## should update-grub create memtest86 boot option
## e.g. memtest86=true
## memtest86=false
# memtest86=true

## ## End Default Options ##

title Linux Mint, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic
root (hd1,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=/dev/sdb7 ro quiet splash
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
boot

title Linux Mint, kernel 2.6.22-14-generic (recovery mode)
root (hd1,6)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.22-14-generic root=/dev/sdb7 ro single
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.22-14-generic
boot

title Linux Mint, kernel memtest86+
root (hd1,6)
kernel /boot/memtest86+.bin
boot

### END DEBIAN AUTOMAGIC KERNELS LIST

# This is a divider, added to separate the menu items below from the Debian
# ones.
title Other operating systems:
root


# This entry automatically added by the Debian installer for a non-linux OS
# on /dev/sda1
title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
savedefault
makeactive
chainloader +1
Udi
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 46
Joined: Sat Dec 27, 2008 3:33 am

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by Udi »

It is possible to use a real drive as a disk of a virtual machine, and run your copy of Windows under Linux, but I wouldn't recommend this approach. Microsoft are very sensitive about their intellectual property rights and what you are doing is in fact sharing a copy of Windows on 2 machines (one real machine and one virtual...).

Windows will require a reactivation if it is suddenly run under a VM, which has completely different hardware and requires different drivers (Windows might also hang or crash, or both, if such drastic hardware changes happen after it has been installed). You might also have to call them on the phone and explain the situation, and hope that they will give you an activation key. Once you do the reactivation, I'm pretty sure you will never be able to run this copy natively anymore (you can't reactivate every time you boot into a real/virtual machine so many times).

In fact, for what you are trying to do, you have no choice but to go and buy another license for Windows...
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

Udi wrote:It is possible to use a real drive as a disk of a virtual machine, and run your copy of Windows under Linux, but I wouldn't recommend this approach. Microsoft are very sensitive about their intellectual property rights and what you are doing is in fact sharing a copy of Windows on 2 machines (one real machine and one virtual...).

Windows will require a reactivation if it is suddenly run under a VM, which has completely different hardware and requires different drivers (Windows might also hang or crash, or both, if such drastic hardware changes happen after it has been installed). You might also have to call them on the phone and explain the situation, and hope that they will give you an activation key. Once you do the reactivation, I'm pretty sure you will never be able to run this copy natively anymore (you can't reactivate every time you boot into a real/virtual machine so many times).

In fact, for what you are trying to do, you have no choice but to go and buy another license for Windows...
OK,
then can you suggest me how I can access Linux from windows.
altair4
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 11426
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:27 am

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by altair4 »

I'm still looking at your last post and hopefully there are more learned folks in these forums that can help you but I don't think this has anything to do with virtualization. Can you boot into Windows?

Can you just do one more thing please:
Open a terminal and type:
sudo fdisk -l
( that "-l" is a small case "L" )
The output will be a list of your partitions with additional information.

What you're saying and what your attachments are showing appear to be two different things. You say you have linux installed on sda but there are only FAT32 partitions shown. You say the MBR is on sdb, a partition that has only an extended partition containing the only partition formated with a linux filesystem -sdb7 while the gparted screenshots indicate that sda is the disk that's booting.

At the moment I'm very very confused. The output from fdisk -l will help.
Please add a [SOLVED] at the end of your original subject header if your question has been answered and solved.
Fred

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by Fred »

vrk1219,

Please clarify a couple things for me.

What partition do you have Windows XP on? You don't have Windows XP installed on a fat32 partition do you?

Fred
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

altair4 wrote:I'm still looking at your last post and hopefully there are more learned folks in these forums that can help you but I don't think this has anything to do with virtualization. Can you boot into Windows?

Can you just do one more thing please:
Open a terminal and type:
sudo fdisk -l
( that "-l" is a small case "L" )
The output will be a list of your partitions with additional information.

What you're saying and what your attachments are showing appear to be two different things. You say you have linux installed on sda but there are only FAT32 partitions shown. You say the MBR is on sdb, a partition that has only an extended partition containing the only partition formated with a linux filesystem -sdb7 while the gparted screenshots indicate that sda is the disk that's booting.

At the moment I'm very very confused. The output from fdisk -l will help.
Hi,
Sorry for the confusion, and inconvenience caused to you.
Windows is on sda1, as you assume. :)


Here is the O/p
rk@rk-desktop:~$ sudo fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 80.0 GB, 80026361856 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9729 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x01230122

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 973 7815591 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda2 974 9729 70332570 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 5340 9729 35262643+ b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda6 974 5339 35069832 b W95 FAT32

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000e13ac

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb2 1 19457 156288321 f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sdb5 1139 3945 22547196 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sdb6 1 249 1999998 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb7 250 1138 7140861 83 Linux
/dev/sdb8 3946 6754 22563261 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sdb9 6755 9443 21599361 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sdb10 9444 14464 40331151 b W95 FAT32
/dev/sdb11 14465 19457 40106241 b W95 FAT32

Partition table entries are not in disk order
Last edited by vrk1219 on Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:15 am, edited 2 times in total.
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

Fred wrote:vrk1219,

Please clarify a couple things for me.

What partition do you have Windows XP on? You don't have Windows XP installed on a fat32 partition do you?

Fred
Hi,
I have windows on sda1, and it is a FAT partition.
Fred

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by Fred »

vrk1219,

In a terminal type:

sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

This will open your menu.lst for editing. Scroll down to the bottom of the file and look at the boot stanza for Windows. Remove the line "savedefault". The stanza should now look like the below.

title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Save and close this file. Now reboot and tell me what happens. Do you get the nice Mint boot menu? Can you see the Windows entry in that boot menu? If so select it and press "Enter". Tell me what happens? If it doesn't boot windows, what error number do you get?

Fred
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

Fred wrote:vrk1219,

In a terminal type:

sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst

This will open your menu.lst for editing. Scroll down to the bottom of the file and look at the boot stanza for Windows. Remove the line "savedefault". The stanza should now look like the below.

title Microsoft Windows XP Professional
root (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Save and close this file. Now reboot and tell me what happens. Do you get the nice Mint boot menu? Can you see the Windows entry in that boot menu? If so select it and press "Enter". Tell me what happens? If it doesn't boot windows, what error number do you get?

Fred
Hi Fred,
I made changes as you suggested.
After rebooting I got the mint boot menu, and in that I was able to see the Windows XP boot entry,
after I selected and pressed enter on the entry, I was able to get into windows without any problem.
Fred

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by Fred »

vrk1219,

If I have understood this thread, that is what you have been trying to accomplish. Is that correct? Is your problem solved now?

Fred
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

Fred wrote:vrk1219,

If I have understood this thread, that is what you have been trying to accomplish. Is that correct? Is your problem solved now?

Fred
Hi Fred,
This is not what I have been looking for.

I have a dual boot machine from a long time.
But I'm thinking of running Windows on the top of Linux (simultaneously) or Linux on the top of Windows (simultaneously), may be using Virtual Machine software.

Please give me a way to accomplish this.
Fred

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by Fred »

vrk1219,

Ahhhh... sorry, I misunderstood what you were trying to accomplish. Looking at your partition table, you will not be able to do either of the scenarios you mentioned without freeing some space somewhere. You do not have enough space on either your Windows partition or your Linux partition to run a virtual machine.

Having said that, after you free some space, if you follow the instructions I gave in the thread referenced below, you can install VirtualBox on your Linux install and load Windows into that. You will then have Windows running on top of Linux in a virtual machine.

Making space on your system will be a bit tricky with all the data you obviously have and the limited free space in your current setup, so be careful.

http://www.linuxmint.com/forum/viewtopi ... ox#p116611

Fred
altair4
Level 20
Level 20
Posts: 11426
Joined: Tue Feb 03, 2009 10:27 am

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by altair4 »

vrk1219 wrote:Hi All,
Now I want to run windows, installed on my HDD, after getting into Linux. ( It should give me the Boot-time menu for selecting option to boot into Windows and Linux )
vrk1219 wrote:
altair4 wrote:I'm a little confused by your question.

Are you trying to use VirtualBox to access an installed Windows installation on an actual hard drive?

If so then it's not going to happen. Windows has to be installed ( again ) in a virtual machine, on a virtual HDD within the Virtualbox application on the linux host.

If I've misunderstood your question ( which happens to me quite often :) ) let me know.
Hi Altair4,
Thanks for your reply, yes I'm looking for running the installed windows on my Linux box.
But please let me know if any other virtualization software would serve my purpose.
Fred, is this what's called an infinite loop?
Please add a [SOLVED] at the end of your original subject header if your question has been answered and solved.
vrk1219

Re: Virtualization Issue

Post by vrk1219 »

Hi Gurus,
I don't know weather it is appropriate to ask this question here...but let me ask you
"If I want to run my Linux on my windows....(I have a dual boot system of Lin, Win) how can I accomplish the task?"
Locked

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