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alyab 04-08-2014 02:05 AM

MintMade as a virtual OS on a partition on an XP PC-Tech Help Needed!
 
I apologize that this post involves windows. But I really need help getting a Linux OS side by side with my windows, if possible.

I got advice from a tech guy on a different website, to try installing a virtual Linux OS on my old PC with XP. The whole point is that due to personal issues, I really don't have money now to buy a new PC. It's POSSIBLE that I can upgrade to Win 7, according to windows upgrade thingy, but according to Dell, My PC can't do Windows 7.

So This guy suggested that I switch to Linux. I was afraid to make that jump, So he suggested an alternative: I downloaded something called vmware, which allowed me to make a partition on my hard drive and install a different OS there. The idea was that I would only connect to the web using Linux from now on. He was pretty adamant that my pc could do it. I was only using about 24 gb out of 232 gb on my hard drive.

He also highly recommended that I do this with MintMate-64 bit. My XP is only 32 bit, but he said it didn't matter. He has a bunch of Linux OS tutorials available, and he was helping me step by step. He definitely knows and loves Linux software, and thought this version would be best for me, as I'm coming from Windows.

We allocated 20 gb, and set up the virtual OS. This took a lot of coaching, and he really held my hand throughout.
But it's freezing up, crashing on many websites, etc. His response was that he never did this on an old PC, and maybe my processor isn't strong enough.

I started to like this set-up, and I don't want to give up yet. So I need help from someone familiar with Windows AND Linux, and hardware of course. The goal here is to see if I can do this, even if it means changing the Linux program to something besides the latest version of Mint Petra. I spent the last 1 1/2 weeks working on this, and I'm not ready to give up.

These are my Specs:
I have a
Dell Dimension E521

AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4000+

1982mb Ram ("2 gb")

NViDIA GeForce 6150 LE

SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC

Hanns G plug and play monitor

305W power supply unit

and a not too fast DSL connection (10mb\3Mb is what it says on my DSL provider bill). The connection speed has been working just fine for me. I have been using firefox as my browser, and was pleased that so much of my preferences are available in MintMate.

Since I have to connect through XP, I obviously could not allocate all my RAM to the new OS. So I could only allocate 1 GB. I was confused about how to prevent xp from connecting to the web, while allowing Linux to do so, but he apparently thought this was doable.

Seriously, this guy knew tons about Linux, and has made tutorials that people find very helpful on this other website. But it turns out he never did this with a processor this old, or such a small amount of RAM. I knew it was going to be a trial run, but I got so close...
I can really get into MintMate and set preferences, and connect to the web: until I try something that obviously needs more resources. Maybe it's RAM, and there are not options. But maybe it's Disk space, or maybe there's some other ideas out there about trying to install a different Linux OS.

I must say, that I used to be more tech saavy than I am now. A cognitive problem plus anxiety makes it a bit tedious to work with me. I did learn a lot from all the back and forth I had with getting MintMade installed on a partition as a virtual OS. So if you want to help me, you probably need to have a lot of patience!

The next thing he's suggesting I try, if I give up on this, is to install Linux MintMate on a bootable FlashDrive. This obviously would make my windows XP unavailable to me by simply toggling back and forth, But I could use all my existing resources for the Linux OS. I really want to try using Linux, and see if all my XP needs are met that way. But for now being able to switch from one OS to the other, was a really good trial plan. Albeit, a little late to be dealing with this as it is now April 8th: doomsday for XP. :(

onebuck 04-08-2014 05:01 AM

Member Response
 
Hi,

Welcome to LQ!

Your hardware is fine and would run Gnu/Linux. I provided information in this thread; #6 The listed Gnu/Linux are minimal or light. With your hardware, you can use most modern releases.

I prefer Slackware as my OS. Stable and not that hard to get loaded/configured. Don't listen to the FUD about Slackware, you will learn Linux and not just point & click. And when or if you have issue(s) you can post to Slackware forum for help from friendly and resourceful members.

When you are ready to download ISO image of choice then;
Quote:

M$Windows:
Windows Burn tutorial <- 'Nero' Live Video for the newbies who burn the iso instead of the image of the iso.
Imgburn <- 'ImgBurn is a lightweight CD / DVD / HD DVD / Blu-ray burning application that everyone should have in their toolkit!' + Freeware
-- MD5SUM:
M$Windows iso md5sum checking <- LQ Post on how too
md5sum.exe <- M$Win Application to perform md5sum checking.
winMd5Sum Portable <- FREE + Good for all M$ Windows
Once you have downloaded ISO image then check the md5sum to confirm a valid download then burn the ISO image with Imgburn.

Hope this helps.

onebuck 04-08-2014 05:11 AM

Member Response
 
Hi,

One other note is to dual boot XP & Gnu/Linux. You can also use a Virtual Machine with Xp as host with Gnu/Linux as a VM client. Or Gnu/Linux as VM host to a Xp client.

You are not going to run a 64 bit client on a 32 bit host. I think you did not understand correctly. That is if this guy knows anything about VM handling;
Quote:

He also highly recommended that I do this with MintMate-64 bit. My XP is only 32 bit, but he said it didn't matter. He has a bunch of Linux OS tutorials available, and he was helping me step by step. He definitely knows and loves Linux software, and thought this version would be best for me, as I'm coming from Windows.
Please provide the links to this information in the above quote.

You should be able to dual boot Xp & MintMate-64 or use VM as stated above.

Edit: Instead of starting another post. You will need to prepare the present system in order to install a Gnu/Linux. You will need to make room on the HD to install for a Dual boot. You can use a LiveCD;
Quote:

---- Disk Partitioning:

Parted Magic <- is ~30MB LiveCD/US + ' Parted Magic is a Linux LiveCD/USB/PXE with its elemental purpose being to partition hard drives.'

Partition Manager <- Ranish boot manager & HD partition tool + Dual Booting Partition setup Guide (pdf)

Qtparted <- 'QTParted is a Partition Magic clone written in C++ using the Qt toolkit.' + Qtparted Home
Once you have the Xp install shrunk then you can do a Gnu/Linux install of your choice. Or select the VM option. Here you would need available memory & storage for the client VM image. VirtualBox is a good choice;
Quote:

VirtualBox <- 'VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux and Macintosh hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), and OpenBSD'. + 'User Manual(pdf)' + 'VirtualBox Downloads Page' + 'VirtualBox User HOWTOs'

VirtualBoxSource <- LQ Post
Hope this helps.

jefro 04-08-2014 03:03 PM

There is nothing wrong with using vmware's product. I like the VMplayer myself.

To be exact, I kind of doubt you made a partition for linux. More likely that you created a file or set of files that act like a virtual hard drive to the VM application.

I use virtual machine a lot. It has many advantages to a new user and experienced user.

onebuck 04-08-2014 03:40 PM

Member Response
 
Hi,

Nothing wrong with VMware, I just prefer VirtualBox. Each to his own taste or choice. :)

alyab 04-09-2014 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onebuck (Post 5148650)

You are not going to run a 64 bit client on a 32 bit host. I think you did not understand correctly. That is if this guy knows anything about VM handling;Please provide the links to this information in the above quote.

Thank you so much for your posts, Onebuck.
If I understand you correctly, you are saying that I can't run a 64 bit MintMade in a 32 bit version of XP.

I am not comfortable linking you back to my long winded thread in the other forum! The instructions came about during the course of numerous posts, and I may have actually misunderstood him. A discussion about downloading a file called macrium recovery iso from his skydrive, may have been where he referred to the 64 bit, saying that the recovery disk can be 64 bit, according to my specs. He was trying to save me download time. However, I didn't actually do it that way. I downloaded the Macrium Recovery software, and made a rescue disk from there. Then I discovered that I needed external media to actually make the backup image.

Maybe I downloaded mintmade 64 bit and installed it with vmware player on my 32 bit version of xp in error due to our crossed conversations! If that's the case, it may be worth giving the 32 bit version another shot!

I am in the process of clarifying it with him. At the time I did not understand what vmware player is, with hosts and clients, and that XP would be running the entire time that I'm using Linux MintMade within it. He was more focused on me just trying this virtual thing out, by following his tutorial, and the link he directed me to was a 64 bit version of Mintmade.

Thank you for noting that error, and who knows, maybe the 32 bit will work successfully within the vmware player. That MAY solve a lot of problems!! Now that I've done it once, I understand what we're doing and my questions to him are more coherent.
Like how to prevent the xp host from connecting to the internet via my DSL, and yet still be able to use that connection for the Linux software within the VMware player? Because that was the original idea: Accessing the internet with Linux, without compromising my vulnerable windows XP going forward!

And thank you Jefro for clarifying the VIRTUALness of the partition. That certainly explains why I wasn't seeing it in "My Computer"! I'm sometimes a lot smarter than this. Sometimes not. A cognitive limitation that I have was making it really hard for me to process what I was doing, so I stopped trying to understand, and just followed the instructions. The only reason for me to switch from VMware player to VirtualBox is if somebody tells me that it uses less resources while it runs. Otherwise, I like VMware player just fine.

onebuck 04-09-2014 07:49 AM

Member Response
 
Hi,

Your processor is a 'AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4000+' which does support VT via AMD/V for virtualization. I see no reason not to use VMplayer if that's what you desire.

Have fun!

Habitual 04-09-2014 12:24 PM

Gary/onebuck:

I "stole" the 2 links in your signature and added them to my Various Linux Guides I have collected blog entry.

Hope you're okay with that! If not, PM me and I'll remove them. :)

Have a Great Day!

onebuck 04-09-2014 02:29 PM

Member Response
 
Hi,

No problem, it will help other members too useful information.

Habitual 04-09-2014 02:57 PM

Thanks Gary.

alyab 04-09-2014 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alyab (Post 5149319)
Thank you so much for your posts, Onebuck.
If I understand you correctly, you are saying that I can't run a 64 bit MintMade in a 32 bit version of XP.

I am not comfortable linking you back to my long winded thread in the other forum! The instructions came about during the course of numerous posts, and I may have actually misunderstood him. A discussion about downloading a file called macrium recovery iso from his skydrive, may have been where he referred to the 64 bit, saying that the recovery disk can be 64 bit, according to my specs. He was trying to save me download time. However, I didn't actually do it that way. I downloaded the Macrium Recovery software, and made a rescue disk from there. Then I discovered that I needed external media to actually make the backup image.

Maybe I downloaded mintmade 64 bit and installed it with vmware player on my 32 bit version of xp in error due to our crossed conversations! If that's the case, it may be worth giving the 32 bit version another shot!

I am in the process of clarifying it with him.


So this is what I asked (among other things!)



"1. Are you sure that it made sense to try running a 64 bit mintmade within the vmware that's on my 32 bit windows?? If not, step one would be to get rid of 64 bit mintmade, and try again with 32 bit. Or am I not understanding that whole thing altogether?"

Well here's what I got in response to that particular issue:

From a different elite member:
"Hi alyab, let me address a couple of things here, *** is the authority on VM and Mint Mate among other Linux systems."

and from *** himself:
"Now to your questions:

1. It does not matter. The Mint system has nothing to do with the Windows system that is installed. Your CPU is 64bit capable, and that is all that counts."


So your opinion is, to sort of quote you, "this guy [doesn't know] anything about VM handling" ?

Hmmm.

onebuck 04-10-2014 01:12 AM

Member Response
 
Hi,

I said your processor will/does support VT via AMD/V. You must have it enabled. Your selected 'PLAYER' is VMplayer and should run on the 64 bit system when enabled. I stated you will not run 64 bit client on a 32 bit host machine without virtualization technology.

From wiki x86 virtualization
Quote:

it is possible to run a 64-bit guest on a 32-bit host OS if the underlying processor is 64-bit and supports the necessary virtualization extensions. Hardware-assisted ... It requires support for new device capabilities to configure multiple virtualized configuration spaces.
Please read the above wiki. :)

Hope this helps.

fpmurphy 04-10-2014 02:32 AM

If you do not need a 64-bit Linux OS, use a 32-bit version. It will run faster and require less memory. A good minimalistic Linux distro to try out is Puppy Linux.

alyab 04-10-2014 02:33 AM

OK, Onebuck - Thank you. So I misunderstood Both of you!!
Since I'm still hoping for a free or extremely cheap solution (due to circumstance), perhaps that is the reason he ultimately agreed that perhaps it's worth a shot to install the 32-bit version. The 64-bit isn't working enough to use as a way of circumventing using xp on the internet. It's freeizng up etc.

I went to your link, and it appears that 64-bit should be more efficient, not less! But hey, for free, why not give it a shot, I guess. You never know why something isn't working, and it's pretty easy to check it out.

The next step, assuming this does not work without freezing etc., is to put the OS on a stick. That's not a big investment, and I can always use an extra flash drive if the solution doesn't work for me. I'm going to stick to MintMate as a Windows refugee, for now.

I'm having trouble understanding something, though, and perhaps you can explain it in layman's terms. For now, when I tried MintMade in VMplayer, despite how unstable it became, it is visibly obvious that XP is still running. I can simply click back and forth in and out of VMplayer. According to the "LAN or High Speed connections", there's a Local Area connection status that is connected to the web with my Broadcom controller - I only have an ethernet connection - and it remains connected the whole time. VMplayer installed two "additional" connections called VMware Virtual Ethernet adaptors. They also are always listed as connected, regardless if vmplayer is in use or not.

My whole goal here is to prevent XP from connecting to the web now that it is vulnerable. Am I really preventing xp access to and from the internet?? It sure doesn't look like it! If I disable that first Local Area Connection in XP, I'm pretty sure Linux can not connect either! Am I missing something?

(Meanwhile, I'm listening to all the techies who are telling me not to panic that I'm still using XP with internet, although it's a good idea to stop as soon as possible).

alyab 04-10-2014 02:38 AM

Thank you fpmurphy!
That is extremely hopeful information!!


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