Linux Emulation in Windows with CoLinux

[Trek186]

Okay. So I thought I'd install PuppyLinux on a flash drive, you know, to play around with it (I'm a Linux virgin). I've figured out how to boot into my live CD, navigate around PL, and I've figured out how to actually install to the flash drive.

Now I have gotten tired of rebooting constantly, and a thread in here recommended CoLinux as a good emulator which could run Linux on top of Windows. Except I have no clue what I am doing. The readme says I have to alter a file to point to the root file (on the CD at first I assume?). Then what EXE file do I have to use?

If it sounds like CoLinux isn't the best emulator for me, is there a good (free) GUI-based emulator which a novice like me could use?

Thanks!

[reed9]

I would install it in a virtual machine.

Installing Ubuntu inside Windows XP using VirtualBox

[Trek186]

Ok, so I like that interface a lot better. Now the question I have is will I be able to use that program to boot the virtual machine from my thumb-drive? I don't want any Linux install on my main HD (want to minimize the chances of screwing up Vista...).

[reed9]

You aren't going to screw up your Windows install from the virtual machine. The virtual machine can't directly modify your windows install. You could run Windows in a virtual machine, riddle it with malware and viruses, and you wouldn't affect the "real" install. (Caveat, if you network the virtual machine with the host OS, then you could conceivably transfer malware from the guest to the host machine.)

Virtual machine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Trek186]

You aren't going to screw up your Windows install from the virtual machine. The virtual machine can't directly modify your windows install. You could run Windows in a virtual machine, riddle it with malware and viruses, and you wouldn't affect the "real" install. (Caveat, if you network the virtual machine with the host OS, then you could conceivably transfer malware from the guest to the host machine.)

Okay, but once I install to the flash drive through the virtual machine, I cannot directly access the OS image which sits on the flash drive via the virtual machine, correct? To do that I have to boot to the flash drive.

[elija]

That's kind of the point of a virtual machine.

You install to the virtual machine which has as it's hard disk a file on your main machine. You may be able to boot the VM from a USB key but you can boot the VM from the image file by mounting it as a CD ROM from the machine configuration.