Windows 7: Virtual Machine without Virtualization

Hey Nigel (and others that helped)

I have my Windows 7 Virtual machine up and running, and it works great! I am writing this post from there. Thanks for the Virtual Box program Nigel, it was really easy to use, and set up. Still is.



Though when I get my laptop, since that is where I will be working from, I will make sure to get one with a CPU that supports Virtualisation!

~Lordbob

glad you've got it working David, welcome to the virtual world

Its nice here.......
Reminiscent of the matrix.........

~Lordbob

Hi there
the title of the thread implies running a Virtual Machine without virtualisation.

This can actually be done - although not on most PC's. Some IBM mainframes have this which is done at the equivalent of the BIOS level -- you can split the machine up into say 4 different machines and then boot up (IPL in IBM speak) each of these as separate physical machines -- each one having its own OS, Network and hardware peripheral devices.

Another meaning is running an actual physical OS under some type of Virtual Machine software - this is known as using "RAW DISKS" but strictly speaking this isn't really running a Virtual machine without virtualisation since you've got the "VM" running as an application under Virtual Machine software.

The IBM mainframe example above is really running virtual machines without virtual machine software.


Note also that if your laptop DOESN'T have Virtualisation support you can still run 32 Bit Guest OS'es under vmware workstation (and virtual Box).

The Virtualisation feature is only mandatory for running 64 Bit Guest OS'es and if you want to run XP compatability mode using microsofts Virtual PC.

Cheers
jimbo

I named it such because of the new Virtualisation technology built in to some new processors. I do not have such a CPU, and so I meant using a VM without using the new Virtualisation from M$ in Windows 7. Sorry for the confusion.

~Lordbob