Emulate Windows XP on Linux
 

I've tried searching around for something on this topic but I haven't come up with anything. I'm looking to emulate (I don't want to use Wine for this or Crossover Office) WinXP Home on my Kubuntu 5.04 install. My question is is there a good freeware app to do this job (I've seen Win4Lin Pro already), such as QEMU or Boches? Are there any others? Also I've tried to set up both of them in the past and its proven quite difficult, are there any good guides or tools to make it easier? If XP won't run on any of these are there any that will run 2000 or 98?

Thanks

why don't u just use windows then? :S
i don't understand why ppl wanna have linux installed but then want to use windows applications... everything that u have in windows u have in linux os but with other names :S good luck with your bill gates emulation

I understand the desire to use proprietary applications for which no Linux alternative is available. I have used QEmu to run Win XP (though it was slow, this was on a crappy testing machine) and Win 2k with no problems.

@ nostracosa

nostracosa, you're wrong. There are many equivalent applications, but not all Windows apps have a Linux substitute. If you have to use these for work booting Windows is not just fun but is necessary for earning your money. I have found no *real* substitute for my OCR app as well as my speech recognition software, for example. And I'm still looking for a macro automation tool that is able to send keystrokes to applications and simulate manual inputs.
And even the substitution most people use, i. e. OpenOffice for Microsoft W'ord, isn't 100 % compatible (using 1.1.4) . If you get for example a Word document with enumerated lists it's annoying that OpenOffice changes the layout of these lists (and no, it doesn't look better for me).
So there may exist good reasons to install Linux and Windows.

I personally would cut a small chunk of your hard drive and install Windows for specific applications. I do this, and it has worked better for me, as far as not having to mess with buggy programs doing something they aren't supposed to, and others I use like Photoshop CS2 are not supported by ANY crossover programs. If you have to run Windows on Linux, and it is imparitive that it runs well, I would suggest VMWare. I have used Linux in Windows, and Windows in Windows with it, and it works great.

Do you use KDE ?, if yes there is this possibility, seach for hotkeys in KDE control center

That would work for programs and actions, but for commands couldn't he just write shell scripts?

Yes, of course :)

Could you help me get XP installed on QEMU? It seems quite complicated and the guides on the website aren't very clear. I do have a dual boot with XP/Kunbuntu but I would prefer to not have to restart everytime I want to use a windows app.

Thanks!

I agree with the others ... this does not sound too productive to me.

If you need Windows-XP, then by all means buy it. You can have several computers, each one running the "appropriate" operating-system for whatever it "does for a living," and that, when the end of the day is reached, is the only name of the game.

well if u prefer to spend houndreds of €s in software... just install windows.... u can work in everything with linux.. just have to know how.. there are millions of alternatives... i'll post here a link with the similar programs between wxp and linux when i get home.. i didn't memorized it.

Is this what you're talking about?

http://linuxshop.ru/linuxbegin/win-l...en/table.shtml

oh yeah.. thats it!

Thank you for your answers. I'm not sure if I got it right, but I think hotkeys are not the proper way -- if you can tell me how to use shell scripts to do the following task please do so :)

Where I need my macro is a RDP connection to another computer. When the connection is established I have to to some inputs on the distant computer. So I wrote a macro that
a) waits until the window with the connection is in the foreground
b) sends the about 40 keystrokes, simulating that I type them in by hand

If you have any suggestion to do this, please :). And if you know of a program under Linux that is able to do this PLUS mouse movements and actions, your help would be highly appreciated :D

titopoquito

There's expect (yes, it's ugly):
but may well be what you need. Wouldn't be waiting for
a window to get focus, but you get the general idea.


Cheers,
Tink

Something like that maybe :)
http://www.gnu.org/software/xnee/

Yves

To answer my own question: I found a software called xmacro (http://xmacro.sourceforge.net). According to it's description it might be capable to perform the things I want, but I have to compile and test it the next days.

THANK you very much Yves, yes, that looks quite right. That could result in booting my Slackware install some more times if I get it to work. And it looks like xnee might still being developed, not like xmacro :)

Wow, it must be christmas time :p Thanks, that looks interesting. I have to admit I can't say if it works with the connection program I use (a Citrix Metaframe client) but I will surely save your suggestions on my harddrive and look into it.

titopoquito

EDIT: typo

It just so happens that I started messing about with Qemu last night.
I untarred the thing creating the directory - /home/foo/qemu-0.7.1.
I then untarred kqemu into that dir.

cd to qemu-0.7.1
./configure
make
su
make install (checkinstall for me)

You will need to modprobe kqemu, as root:

Now create the directory - /home/foo/Qemu
cd to Qemu
give this command:

This creates a blank hard drive of 3.5GB called hd.img

You can now boot to a windows floppy like so:

Run fdisk to create a partition, reboot and format.

Boot to your install cd:

When your ready to boot to the hard drive (hd.img):

Here's the instructions I used:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=39513

Of course
will give you more details.

It's not perfect but I just started on it, so, we'll see.

Here's some "screenies" (check out 95 and ME at the same time!):

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/johnve...r=9779&.src=ph

I wrote this little thingy, made it executable, and put a link to it in my Kmenu and
on the Kicker as well.

I got 98SE installed on mine but I would like to install XP (which I have on this machine) onto the Guest OS so I can use iTunes. Unfortunately my XP copy only will install on specific hardware, the hardware that is in this computer - but the emulator interferes with that and won't let the install start.

BTW how do I set up a folder that I can share files between the Guest and Host OSes?

Also I've read about how some people have made a sym link to their actual windows installation and then tried to boot it through QEMU - and actually been partially successful. Has anyone here tried that?