Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsunami
I have been thinking about going dual boot for my next computer.
256 GB SSD running Windows 10, for games and the CD-ripping software (and any stuff for which I need Windows, often only temporarily), and one 128 or even 64GB SSD running Debian Linux, built from a netinstall for daily usage.
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I have purchased this notebook three years ago with Windows 8. After two weeks I have updated it to Mint Linux. I wanted to have Windows as a dual boot or a virtual machine. I have paid for it, after all. I did not have a choice [of not purchasing the OEM windows] when I wanted THE best Black Friday deal for a notebook with processor better than Core i3.
The problem was:
- I strongly disliked Windows 8, so I had no motivation to piss against the wind to install it. I am also very fortunate that all software I need to use at home has Linux equivalent available.
- I did not get installation media with the notebook, just a recovery partition. Do not get me started on the topic of providing only recovery partition, without even means of backing it up in many cases
- The serial number for Windows for this notebook isn't on a sticker on the underside, but burnt in the BIOS
- at the time Windows 8 demanded an UEFI and I needed to switch to the legacy BIOS for installing of Mint Linux. So using separate partitions for dual boot would be a major PITA.
So, I have finally taken a plunge now that Windows 10 can be installed with a valid serial number from older version on a clean machine without updating previous installation
I have installed Oracle Virtual Box for Linux, set up a machine with 32GB virtual disk, 2 processor cores and 4GB RAM assigned to it. The computer has 12GB ram (updated since I purchased it) and a large SSD disk.
I have downloaded an installation ISO for 64bit Windows 10 and pulled windows serial from BIOS. (*)
The installation in the Virtual Box took about 15 minutes [using installation image on the SSD]. The activation was performed seamlessly - no questions asked, I just used my Windows 8 serial number.
After installation I activated the Virtual Box additions - a virtual CD with drivers for Virtual Box stuff, such as graphics. With this the resolution for Windows is changed when you resize the window with Virtual Box. Everything is recognized and works seamlessly.
The Windows 10 inside Virtual Box is very smooth with quick responses and boots in about 7 seconds. Even things like 3D modeling in Google Sketchup are smooth and seamless. This is thanks to an SSD, and visualization support in modern processors. I have an older generation of Intel core i7 processor with 4 hyperthreading cores and enough RAM, so I can run browser with several hundred tabs open and Calibre with large library and other resource-hungry programs alongside the Virtual Box with Windows 10 running light tasks - I do not plan to use it for anything substantial at the moment.
I hope that there will be an update that lets us to change the color and decoration of active and in-active windows.
(*) - getting the serial from Bios is much easier than I thought, just have a look at the contents of the [virtual] file /sys/firmware/acpi/tables/MSDM . The serial number is there as a string, easily recognizable.