is there a way to get MS virtual machine to run on ubuntu? if so how do i go about getting it to work.
i have the trial edition of VMware but its going to expire soon, i still need the use of XP and i know MS virtual machine might not be as great as VMware but it will help.

thanks

I use this http://www.virtualbox.org/ great piece of FREE software.

ive downloaded and installed virtual box but how do i run xp in it? how do i install xp in it?

Read the manual - or help; same thing.

my problem is that ive installed it but cannot find anything to do with virtualbox. so i have no way of reading the help.

Download the user guide from the download page - has a section on installing on Ubuntu. And Windoze guests, not that I've done that.

again that requires that the application needs to be open. i cannot find the application in the first place and therefore cannot view anything. iv tried searching but nothing comes up.

Nope - it's a pdf available for download.

where can i find that? do you have an address?

Part of asking good questions is showing what efforts you took to address your problem yourself.

How have you "installed" it? I clicked the link above and looked at the documentation, a 223 page PDF document. Section 2.3 explains installation on Linux.

Nope, the application doesn't need to be "open". I got the PDF without downloading or installing anything else. As the manual is included in the VirtualBox binaries, you should already have it somewhere in your computer. As for finding the application / finding anything to do, see Section 2.3.5 "Starting VirgualBox on Linux". It starts like this:

Disclaimer: I use Vmware, and if I'm not mistaken, Server/Console is free.

Good luck
/Quigi

thanks i managed to find the pdf.ill read it and take it from there, will get back to you guys if i got anymore problems.

I install using "rpm" files, but since you are using Ubuntu you are installing using "deb" files. Assuming that the files are all correctly installed you will find a new group called vboxusers (in /etc/group) and you should be a member of that group. To run VirtualBox from the command line, just run the command "VirtualBox &".

If it all fires up ok, all you have to do is to create a new "machine". edit its settings, and install WinXP from your WinXP CD. You can also install from an iso image of WinXP if you know how to do this.

Good luck.

PS. VMWare is almost exactly the same as VirtualBox, in the sense of installing new virtual "machines".