I was bored, Here is a little example of what VirtualBox can do in Ubuntu Running Windows And Linux Mint Side by side.
I only have a 3.0 ghz with 1 Gig of ram running XP/Mint on Ubuntu Gutsy and I can switch through Os's without any slow down at all, I dont have any reason to run XP or Linux Mint, to me Ubuntu is far better than both.
1-Click Install Innotek VirtualBox:
Add this apt repository to your Software Sources:
deb http://www.virtualbox.org/debian gutsy non-free
The innotek public key for apt-secure can be downloaded here. You can add this key with
apt-key add innotek.asc
Then update repo's:
Click Here to install
Press right Crtl-L and it will go into seamless mode! Or you can use the machine menu at the top.
ReplyDeleteYou just see the startmenu and any applications running with gnome underneath. No windows background.
I had trouble with compiz fusion in that the bg goes funny if no windows are open, so to fix this I set the calculator to open in startup programs.
Please tell me if I'm right about this. If I understand correctly, VirtualBox saves VMs as a single file. So XP would be saved in a single file, right? That being said, it seems you could install Windows only once, and make backup copies of that file. If Windows gets corrupted (I should say WHEN it gets corrupted) you can ditch it and open a clean install, all without even rebooting.
ReplyDeleteI'm asking this because my current PC can't run a VM with its low memory. I'm shopping for a new one now.
Anyway, if Windows can be saved as a single file, then backed up, it seems like even Windows lovers ought to run it on top of Linux to quickly get back to a pristine state, or to have several installs on hand, each with its own settings and various combinations of software.
Failing that, they should at least run Linux on top of Windows for their web browsing to avoid malicious code and viruses while online.
Thoughts?
Yes once you install a vm to a file you can run it within any host os. Although if you run windows in a vm you can still get virus's/malware, the only reason to run windows is if you have to run proprietary programs or if you do not see an application available for linux that exists for windows. The only limitation I see with virtualbox running windows os's is the ability to run direct x/3d video games. btw 512 meg ram is enough to run ubuntu/linux and xp at the same time very efficiently, just allocate 128 meg ram for xp and your fine. You can make limitless copies of the vm and run it on any virtualbox on any host
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response.
ReplyDeleteI currently have only 256MB, and have bought 512 second-hand on eBay. When it arrives, I'll give it a try.
Curious about what you said about running the virtual machine on other hosts. That surprises me. I know that Windows configures itself to your hardware when installed. If you move it to a system with different specs, it still works OK?
Sorry for asking so many questions. Within a week I'll have my 512MB cards and can figure it out for myself.
Jeff
All copies of virtual box provide the same pretend hardware to the guest, so windows doesn't notice the difference because it can't see the real hardware.
ReplyDeleteIf you had enough RAM you could run 8 versions side by side and they wouldn't see each other. Then if one fails you can kill it without affecting the others. This is why they are popular on servers. If the real hardware breaks you can move the virtual machines to another pc without downtime.