I have a hdd with WindowsXP that I'd like to install on Virtual boxe.
The hdd is currently in use, but can put in enclosure to perform operation.

To do the planned operation, what is the best way?
Do I need make iso image of hdd?
Or can I install directly to vboxe?

you may find this thread helpful.
http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33899

1 members found this post helpful.

I think that will do it.
Just looking at it at first, I thought it wasn't because I want to put hdd back on occasion, but after reading thoroughly it does exactly what I'm trying to acccomplish.

The correct way would be to use a P2V application.

You are kind of using the wrong term. You don't want an ISO you simply need a copy of the entire hard drive to some image that a VM can use.

VMware has a converter that not only converts to vmdk it makes the vmx file and can correct the hardware.

I have used linux dd (g4u) to make an image. Then use qemu using that image as -hda.

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The host machine is Debian Squeeze, with Virtual Boxe, I've been reading P2v is this for converting windows os to put in VB on Debian machine?

Does linux dd (g4u) support fat32?

try to use burning software..
do not insert cd in dvd rom. ok

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Right now it's on hdd.

This doesn't address the OP's question in any way, and provides no information to help the OP. Read and understand the question before posting.

EDDY1, the "dd" option posted should work for you.

1 members found this post helpful.

dd makes a file that is an (hopefully) exact file version of the bits that are on a drive. It has every bit from start to finish. So, some programs can use that file just as if it were the original drive.

Second is the p2v. There are many out there. They can perform little to every task needed to take your system and recreate it in some VM application form.

If you want you could even create a vm that uses the actual drive but again any sort of hardware to vm means the MS operating system will not like it. You may have to convert or repair or add in drivers first. This is where the converter come in. They can repair "some" versions of the OS. NOT 98 though, pretty sure, you'd have to fix it yourself.

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Thank All Of You for this information.
Ihad installed VB over a month ago and coulodn't get it working, but I think with the information that I received from this thread I will actually get my first 1 working.

I forgot that during restoration of my laptop, I actually cloned my drive.

I cloned my acer32 bit drive on Debian Amd64 machine can I just point my virtual machine to that drive?
Would it be easier?

I decided to install ubuntu directly from cd got errors, my machine also started updating it kind of scared me.
I thought update was due to Ubuntu.
I was reading VB and it says that even cd's have to be changed to vdi.

I have ubuntu10.10 presently installing it's been running about 2 hours on installation
My processor an intel celeron 1.6G
Memory 2gigs
Is it normal to take this long?

Way too long.

By the way. Consider editing a single reply instead of one after the other. May be easier for us to read.

1 members found this post helpful.