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Re: [Xen-users] Bootable LiveDVD w/ Xen that boots Windows Image?

On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 11:05 PM, Joshua
Kinard<joshua.kinard@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> The tricky part is going to be the Windows install.  I figure I can install
> it on a read-write virtual disk, and later package that image up for booting
> off of the DVD.  The only curiosity is going to be how well Windows takes
> it, because it scibbles all over the place (Registry mostly) when it boots.

It'd be easier to use tap:qcow (or similar) so that the main image can
be read only, while the changing part is located in disk/RAM. Problem
is last time I check tap:qcow has some problems (like the fact that it
doesn't work with PV domU or Windows+GPLPV)

> There's a specific application I need to be available when this whole mess
> boots up.  I won't use said app very often (1-2 times/month), but I don't
> want to keep an entire Windows install around for it.  I'm thinking it'd be
> easier to somehow get this onto a bootable medium, and since Windows wasn't
> designed to boot off of CD and DVD media, I figured that this would be the
> next best idea.
>
> Or if people have better ideas, I am all ears...

Why not simply :
- buy a large enough external USB HDD (70G will do)
- install Ubuntu (or your favorite distro) on it
- install Xen (method varies, depending on distro)
- install Windows HVM domU

So instead of a bootable DVD you have a bootable USB HDD. This way you
can use domU as you usually do without having to worry about tap:qcow
woes.

If you want it to be even more generic, use Virtualbox instead of Xen.
That way you can have Windows guest even on non-VT/SVM hardware
(netbooks come to mind).

-- 
Fajar

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