Installing Debian Linux on Virtual PC 2007

[randersontt]

I'm running Vista as primary OS, and am installing Debian Linux as a Virtual PC under Microsoft Virtual PC 2007.

I have two physical drives in the PC and would like to know where to put the GRUB boot loader.

I'm guessing I don't want to install GRUB to the master boot record on the first physical drive, correct?

If I put it on the second physical drive by specifying "(hd1)", will that allow Vista to still boot properly off of the first drive, and Debian to boot off of the boot record on the second physical drive?

And since I'm fairly new to Linux I'm curious, why in a Virtual environment Linux needs to touch the boot record on any physical device?

And, in theory, could I have the install put GRUB on a flash drive by any chance?

Thanks for any help.

[techieMoe]

I'm running Vista as primary OS, and am installing Debian Linux as a Virtual PC under Microsoft Virtual PC 2007.

I have two physical drives in the PC and would like to know where to put the GRUB boot loader.

I'm guessing I don't want to install GRUB to the master boot record on the first physical drive, correct?

WHOA! Back up there. If you're installing Debian in Virtual PC, you should not have to do anything at all with your physical harddrive. You should be installing it into a harddrive image within the Virtual PC program.

If you're messing with the Master Boot Record you are installing a physical copy of Debian in a dual-boot configuration. Directions will be very different depending on what you want to do. Which is it?

And since I'm fairly new to Linux I'm curious, why in a Virtual environment Linux needs to touch the boot record on any physical device?

Exactly, it doesn't. If you're getting something about touching your physical drives something is wrong.

[coopstah13]

I've never used microsoft virtual PC, but I have used vmware and you can use physical disks for your virtual devices, so technically you could modify the boot sector of that disk

[randersontt]

yes..I am installing Linux in a virtual environment, so technically it is being installed to a file, but ...

when I get to the part in the installtion that says, "Install the GRUB boot loader on a hard disk" there is some wording and then the prompt says, "Install the GRUB boot loader to the master boot record?" y/n

This makes me think that it might actually access the PC hardware directly and actually install to the master boot record of the physical drive.

Am I wrong, and will it actually just modify something within that virtual file in which it is being installed? If that's the case then I can just select "Yes" and there will be no problem.

But I had a couple of guys here render an opinion and we all agreed that the wording was "scary" enough that I should research a bit futher before answering that prompt.

[techieMoe]

yes..I am installing Linux in a virtual environment, so technically it is being installed to a file, but ...

when I get to the part in the installtion that says, "Install the GRUB boot loader on a hard disk" there is some wording and then the prompt says, "Install the GRUB boot loader to the master boot record?" y/n

Oh, okay. I see what you're talking about. Provided you're installing to a virtual harddrive image don't worry about that. Tell it to install to the MBR. It will only install to the MBR of your virtual disk.

But I had a couple of guys here render an opinion and we all agreed that the wording was "scary" enough that I should research a bit futher before answering that prompt.

I totally understand, and it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't believe MS Virtual PC is capable of mapping physical drives, and even if it is you would have had to set that up manually yourself. I think you're safe.

[coopstah13]

i've installed a number of virtual machines to virtually made disks with vmware, and they've always asked "install to mbr" and I've done it and it installs it in the virtual machine's virtual MBR, if that makes sense

[randersontt]

Okay, I allowed it to write GRUB to the MRB, and in fact it does write it to somewhere within the Virtual disk, so it doesn't mess with the primary OS.

Thanks all.