Virtualization Question

MRD · May 27, 2008

I'm finding I want to / need to boot into Windows 2k less and less, but I do still keep a dual boot machine.

My question is this: Is there a way to use virtualization technology to run a windows app, using the windows kernel etc., while the rest of the system is still in Linux, but have the windows app just function like a window on my X desktop? I'd prefer not to have all of Windows, desktop and all, in the window, but rather, just the app. This may not be possible, but I figured it was worth asking.

Alternatively, if I had one PC running windows, could I use that, over a network, to display apps to a different PC in a window?

dropadrop · May 27, 2008

Vmware Fusion does this on the Mac, maby they have added the feature to Vmware Player (I admit I have not looked in a while)?

edit:

Seems the feature is coming to Vmware Workstation (called "Unity")

http://www.chipx86.com/blog/?p=237

Shelnutt2 · May 27, 2008

WINE*

(*compatibility may vary)

Windows being itself I'm not sure if its possible to load just parts of it needed to run an app, but you might want to send and email on the ReactOS mailing list about this, because while ReactOS is not that far along, they devs might have some ideas that you could use to hack into booting minimally windows.

MRD · May 28, 2008

Wine isn't an option, it doesn't work.

Shelnutt2 · May 28, 2008

MRD said:
Wine isn't an option, it doesn't work.

When WINE 1.0 is released you might want to give it another shot, and also email on the dev mailing list your problem your having.

Also my WINE comment was more of a joke, but I still think ReactOS guys might have some ideas for you, they are big on VM's.

Cheator · May 28, 2008

Virtualbox does this with seamless mode. Not only is it great and stable, its open source...

virtualbox.org

MRD · May 28, 2008

Thanks, I will check that one out Cheator.

Cheator · May 28, 2008

MRD said:
Thanks, I will check that one out Cheator.

I figured that might peak your interest

MRD · May 28, 2008

It's building in Gentoo.

mepis · May 28, 2008

Just curious, but what are you trying to get to run that wine wont work? I know a lot of people dont like wine but the only thing I have never got workin with it was IE and java together for my wife and some website she uses.

MRD · May 28, 2008

Almost anything really...

khiloa · May 28, 2008

I've had the same experience with Wine myself, very little luck at all using it. Coincidentally, I just discovered VirtualBox myself a few days ago and so far I'm quite impressed with it.

Misfit138 · May 28, 2008

khiloa said:
I've had the same experience with Wine myself, very little luck at all using it.

Same here. Quite disappointing really.

Shelnutt2 · May 29, 2008

Misfit138 said:
Same here. Quite disappointing really.

I have yet to run into a program that didn't work. Well most don't work out of the box but with a little tweaking you've got it.

So for those that say its a complete failure, how about you post up the app you are trying to use and any error messages you get and we'll see if you can't get it to work.

MRD · May 29, 2008

Every time it crashes to references of unimplemented dll's.

Cheator · May 29, 2008

Shelnutt2 said:
I have yet to run into a program that didn't work. Well most don't work out of the box but with a little tweaking you've got it.

So for those that say its a complete failure, how about you post up the app you are trying to use and any error messages you get and we'll see if you can't get it to work.

No one is saying its a complete failure. Some people just don't find it that usable. I know I don't. I got wow to run on it, but at the same time I couldn't install any MSIs, and any of the games I tried on it mostly didn't work like it said it would in the wine HQ DB. Besides, there is no real substitute for the OS itself, trapped in a little virtual machine.

MRD · May 29, 2008

I can usually get small apps to run (notepad, my scanner copier utility, etc.) I have had basically zero success with games (I don't play WoW, although I hear it runs well) and with larger scale productivity apps. Some die horribly, but lots are just too buggy to use.

I think Wine is a fantastic idea for a project, and I am also cheering on the ReactOS guys, but we're not there yet. It's understandable, as it's an enormous piece of software, and they must painstakingly reverse engineer everything (which Microsoft tries to make as difficult as possible).

ihrsetrdr · May 29, 2008

VirtualBox or VMware server will work nicely.

Captain Newbie · May 29, 2008

MRD said:
I can usually get small apps to run (notepad, my scanner copier utility, etc.) I have had basically zero success with games (I don't play WoW, although I hear it runs well) and with larger scale productivity apps. Some die horribly, but lots are just too buggy to use.

I think Wine is a fantastic idea for a project, and I am also cheering on the ReactOS guys, but we're not there yet. It's understandable, as it's an enormous piece of software, and they must painstakingly reverse engineer everything (which Microsoft tries to make as difficult as possible).

Indeed. Making a WinAPI implementation is hard because of the undocumented and other brain-damages and kludges built in for Microsoft's own products.

MRD · May 29, 2008

Is it possible to make Virtualbox work off an existing Windows partition, or is one forced to create a virtual disk? I was hoping it could just read my other partition.

Virtualization Question

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