Thread: How To Run Windows XP And Linux At The Same Time [On a PC with XP installed]

Hello everyone. This is my first guide. Constructive criticism is appreciated.
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If you know what VMWare is, that is how I run both XP and Linux at the same time and this tutorial will probably not have anything new for you in it. For everyone else, VMWare is a company that produces virtual machine software. Virtual machines are very complex emulators. They are basically a program that acts like an entire computer emulating both the hardware and the software.

Why is this useful? Because it allows you to have multiple virtual computers on one physical computer. Think about the possibilities of running XP, Linux, and OSX all from the same physical computer simultaneously. I find it very helpful because I use both Linux and XP. Having a dual boot configuration is a pain in the a** because you have to reboot every time you need to switch between operating systems. Using VMWare I can switch between operating systems without waiting to reboot. Without waiting at all, in fact.

Ok, on to the guts of this guide.

I assume that you have a PC. This will not work on a Mac.



1. Install Windows XP on your physical computer. If this is already done, move on to the next step.

2. Download the free VMWare Player from the official VMWare site:
Download VMware Player, Free VMware
You have to register to download. They are a very legitimate company that I trust.

3. Install the VMWare player. Very simple.

4. Download a VMWare image of your favorite linux. I use the Backtrack distro. that can be found here:
Remote-Exploit.org - Supplying offensive security products to the world
I prefer version 3.
Alternatively, when you run the player there is a button to download virtual appliances. Search the 'operating systems' category to find your favorite linux distro. and download for free.

5. Run the VMWare Player, hit the big Open button, navigate to the linux VMWare image you downloaded, and open it. It will start to boot up in a window just like it was booting up on another machine.

That's it! A few things to note: The linux os image will have an emulated hard drive. That means it is basically separate from your physical hard drive. Also you will not be able to see your physical hard drive from the linux image unless you enable an option in the VMWare Player -> Shared Folders menu. VMWare will capture your keyboard and mouse when you are using it. To get back to XP, hold ctrl and alt. That will release the mouse and keyboard back to the host computer. You can run an image full screen or in a window. Even if it is in a window, treat it like an actual computer. Use the shutdown command, don't just close the window.

Now you can switch between operating systems as simply as switching between applications.

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That's it! Simple yet powerful.
If anyone is interested in learning how to run multiple instances of XP in VMWare please post here and I will make a new guide for that. It is a little more involved.

My main source for this was the official VMWare web site.

Hope this was helpful,

Mr_Up.

I prefer it the other way around.
Linux with a virtual box running windows :).
Good post nonetheless.

Originally Posted by konVILEuted

I prefer it the other way around.
Linux with a virtual box running windows :).
Good post nonetheless.

+1. Well to the Virtual Box part at least, it's way easier to use than VMWare and is less buggy.

thats how i have mine setup, but will tyr the other way around..