On 10/11/15 01:47, Patrick Bartek wrote:
On Mon, 09 Nov 2015, Alan Chandler wrote:
On 09/11/15 18:58, D&P Dimov wrote:
I need to install MS Windows 7 as a Virtual Machine on a computer
that is running Debian 8. To do that, I'd like to use software that
is not proprietory (I know, I know - this may sounds a bit
ridiculous...). This Debian page:
https://wiki.debian.org/SystemVirtualization recommends Qemu, KVM,
VirtualBox, and Zen. Does anyone have recommendations for which one
is easiest to install for a novice? I tried the first one, Qemu,
but didn't really find a good guide how to install MS Win 7 with it.
Thanks!
Up until last April, I ran Windows 7 under virtual Box on my Debian
machine for my daily work almost every day for about 2 years. I have
cut down now to one day a week, and generally do that on a Macbook
Air, also running Virtual Box. It worked perfectly.
I updated to Windows 10, through the upgrade program, and that was a
little dodgy until I updated Virtual Box to version 5 and removed 3d
Video acceleration.
The only issue to be careful of, is that the drivers get properly
rebuilt when the linux kernel changes.
Installing dkms (Dynamic Kernel Modules Support) and the appropriate
kernel headers will take care of that auto-magically. Never had it
fail. Of course, you need the gcc compiler and its related files, too.
Also, I'd suggest the OP download VirtualBox directly from their web
site, and NOT from the Debian Repo. When you do the former, the
VirtualBox repo automatically is set up and configured.
B
I have switched back and forth between the virtual box debian repository
and the normal repository at various times. Currently using the normal
Debian repository (testing), but a few months ago I was running Debian
stable and trying to get Windows 10 to work and had to switch to a more
recent release - so then used the virtual box one.
I do have dkms installed and most times (with either repository) the
drivers are built automatically, but I have had it fail, and that left
me without a system for a few hours whilst I figured out what had gone
wrong.
Despite all of that, I have always managed to get it sorted, and have
never lost data.
--
Alan Chandler
http://www.chandlerfamily.org.uk
