[Ma-linux] Converting Linux/XP Dual Boot to XP + VMWare/Linux

[Kevin Kitts]

Wow - I had never heard of WUBI - thanks for pointing that out. I was
reading up on it in wikipedia. It looks like it is essentially a way to make
a dual boot machine without making another partition - is that right? Also,
it seems a bit safer (at least for windows) since it just adds an entry to
the windows boot procedure. Looks very cool.

I have key files from my XP machine backed up. But I never took the time to
make an "image" backup of any kind - and I have everything configured "just
so" - if you know what I mean - just the way I like it - then "poof" the
machine dies ... darn it... I am going to try to boot another system with
that XP disk - even if I eventually have to reformat it... Just want to take
a final glance at it and make sure I have everything that I want off of it.

Thanks,

Kevin

On Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 8:32 AM, Igor Birman <igor_birman at yahoo.com> wrote:

> You can install Windows over an existing installation but I would not
> recommend it - if you want to save yourself from headaches later reformat
> the drive and re-install from scratch.
>
> Check out wubi instead of VM ware: http://wubi-installer.org/.  If you do
> go with VM ware, check out EasyVMX: http://www.easyvmx.com/
>
> Igor
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Kevin Kitts <kevin.kitts at gmail.com>
> *To:* Igor Birman <igor_birman at yahoo.com>
> *Cc:* ma-linux at calypso.tux.org
> *Sent:* Monday, November 17, 2008 4:52:49 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Ma-linux] Converting Linux/XP Dual Boot to XP +
> VMWare/Linux
>
> Thanks for the tips. I have grovelled to the Indian dudes before a few
> years ago - very painful - took almost an hour. I paid for a "full retail"
> version of XP years ago instead of getting an "OEM" copy so that I would be
> able to put XP on a new system if needed. I'm well aware that I'll need to
> re-activate - and I am just hoping for the best in terms of hardware/XP
> compatibility.
>
> If I have to re-install XP from scratch do I have to reformat the disk - or
> can I just overwrite the Windows XP related directories and then re-install
> my apps. I have a couple of apps that require a license key - but I have the
> license keys saved on a server and can re-install/key them later. I hate
> software with license codes!
>
> Ubuntu seems to be all the rage these days - I think I will install that
> with VMWare. At work I have a dual 90" LCD system. I can run XP on the left
> screen and SUSE on the right screen simultaneously - great fun... ;-)
>
> Kevin
>
> On Mon, Nov 17, 2008 at 4:13 PM, Igor Birman <igor_birman at yahoo.com>wrote:
>
>> You can make the windows CD bootable:
>>
>> Put the new drive in the new computer
>> Boot off the windows CD and select the Repair option
>> This will eventually bring you to a command prompt
>> Type: fixboot and press Enter, then type fixmbr and press Enter.
>>
>> You will now be able to boot into the windows partition.
>>
>> However, windows may or may not allow you to go further depending on how
>> much it wants you to pay for another copy that day.  If it does let you get
>> to the desktop, then you can install any new drivers and you are good to
>> go.  You will probably have to re-activate windows, and since you won't have
>> any network drivers installed, you will have to call the 800 number and
>> grovel to the bored Indian dude on the other end of the line.  It's possible
>> that you won't be able to get far enough to re-activate windows at all, in
>> which case you will have to re-install windows from scratch.
>>
>> You don't actually have the right to re-activate windows on a new
>> motherboard, but they will do it anyway for you because they are so nice.
>>
>> Or, you could pop in an Ubuntu CD and be up and running in 15 minutes :)
>>
>> Igor
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* Kevin Kitts <kevin.kitts at gmail.com>
>> *To:* ma-linux at calypso.tux.org
>> *Sent:* Monday, November 17, 2008 3:51:38 PM
>> *Subject:* [Ma-linux] Converting Linux/XP Dual Boot to XP + VMWare/Linux
>>
>> Hi Everyone,
>>   I had a very nice little system (a shuttle SN25P) which I'd configured
>> with 2 disk drives - one booted into SUSE Linux and the other drive booted
>> into Windows XP. SUSE 10.x controlled the bootup process. Recently, my house
>> had a "power sag/surge" - the lights dimmed briefly and then came back up.
>> When the lights came back up my APC UPS made a loud buzzing sound and the
>> Shuttle SN25P that was connected to the UPS just "blinked off". I've spent a
>> few hours trouble-shooting including contacting shuttle (the system is 3
>> years old and out of warranty) - I'm not sure if it is the power supply or
>> the motherboard - but I'm just planning to put the hard disks and video card
>> into a new system.
>>
>> I'd like to convert the Windows XP disk so that it can boot my new system
>> with only the XP disk and I plan to just put VMWare on the new system and
>> use it to run some new version of Linux. I don't really care if I recover
>> the Linux disk - I have all my documents/files on a server I can restore
>> later. However, I'd like to convert the XP disk so that it boots on it's own
>> without the Linux disk being in the new system. Is there any easy way to do
>> this? Incidentally, I have a "real" copy of Windows XP - I forget the name -
>> but it is *not* the version of XP that ships with someting like a Dell
>> system and can't be moved to a new computer.
>>
>> Incidentally, I contacted APC about their warranty to replace computer
>> equipment damaged while connected to their UPS. I've waited 30 days but my
>> case is still under review. I'm not sure if there is much residual value in
>> a 3 year old computer system anyway... will be interesting to see what they
>> do...
>>
>> Any advice most apprec.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Kevin
>>
>
>
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