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    openSUS Linux Double install?

    Discussion in 'Linux Compatibility and Software' started by Isend2C, Mar 29, 2009.

  1. Isend2C

    Isend2C Notebook Deity

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    I burnt a DVD of OpenSUSE and I want to install it (obvious enough). I also downloaded Sun xVM VirtualBox so that I can run it in windows. I was wondering if I would be able to install it once and save my precious HDD space or if I would need to install it twice.

    I want to be able to boot directly into SUSE and be able to run it with VirtualBox in Vista. I hope that I won't need to use up 10GB to do this... then I would skip right back to ubuntu.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 8, 2015
    Isend2C, Mar 29, 2009
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  2. visiom88

    visiom88 Notebook Evangelist

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    So do you want to run OpenSUSE inside Virtual Box while on Windows, or do you just want to dual boot? In either way, it'll take HDD space as much as the installation needs.
     
    visiom88, Mar 30, 2009
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  3. proxima_centauri

    proxima_centauri Notebook Consultant

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    Yea, I'm going to say it's not possible to boot from a virtualbox .vdi file. Alsa, it seems pointless [to me] to install suse under virtualbox running Vista and install on your HD as well. Give it a run in virtualbox and if you like it and you are comfortable install it on your HD and get rid of the virtualbox image.
     
    proxima_centauri, Mar 30, 2009
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  4. archer7

    archer7 Notebook Evangelist

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    If I remember correctly, VirtualBox does include an option to install the client system into a physical partition instead of a virtual volume. However, I don't think that kind of setup would be bootable from the outside. The biggest problem would probably be the virtualized drivers, although there may be other more significant complications I'm not aware of. I do see what you're trying to do though, and it would be a nice setup for Vista if it was possible.
     
    archer7, Mar 30, 2009
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  5. jas

    jas Notebook Evangelist

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    Yes, but it's a bit complicated. You need to configure your Linux guest VM with raw disk access, to enable it to use an existing installation on your HDD. Your best resource for help in configuring this correctly is the Virtualbox documentation followed by help from the Virtualbox forums.

    Here's a forum thread describing running a Linux guest on a Windows XP host, using an existing Linux installation via raw disk access, and another thread describing it on a Vista host. Finally for a howto on the subject of raw disk configuration, you can read this post, which describes the opposite, and far more common, configuration. Running a Windows guest, on a Linux host, from an existing installation of Windows.

    Good Luck..
     
    jas, Mar 30, 2009
    #5