Running Windows in Linux
A common question from people who dual boot Linux and Windows is whether the two operating systems can be used concurrently.
This is possible by creating a virtual machine (VM) that uses raw disk access.
I have used raw disk access a few times. A couple of years ago I converted my sole Windows 10 physical system to virtual and wanted to emulate the hardware to avoid reactivation.
There are two caveats.
- Windows is designed to detect the difference between actual physical hardware and virtual hardware.
- Windows is designed to detect the difference in certain hardware parameters and trigger reactivation.
With VirtualBox both issues are resolvable by emulating the underlying hardware and BIOS.
If going this route then best not to boot directly into the physical side because of the way Windows detects and manages hardware.
Posted: Category: Usability Tagged: Windows, Virtual Machines
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