Can you dual boot inside a virtual machine?

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MrF

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Is it possible to install for example Vista as a guest in virtualbox. Then, run the just-installed Vista guest and use its disk manager to shrink its partition to end up with some unallocated space. Then, put for example a Windows 7 DVD in and reboot the virtual machine and install Windows 7 in the unallocated space?

This would allow one to experiment with different dual-boot setups if this was possible.
Is it?
 
Not sure (might as well try it and see), but isn't one of the main points of VM's to eliminate the need to dual boot? Seems kind of counter-productive.
 
Let me give you one example why this may be useful.

Your buddy, or customer, asks you how he can recover his boot loader after removing one of the two OS from a dual-boot.
You know the answer but since you have done it a while back you are not 100% sure.
If you want to be 100% sure, you can set up the same dual boot on a test machine and try it out before giving advice.

If you could run this experiment inside a virtual machine, it would be convenient.
 
MrF said:
Let me give you one example why this may be useful.

Your buddy, or customer, asks you how he can recover his boot loader after removing one of the two OS from a dual-boot.
You know the answer but since you have done it a while back you are not 100% sure.
If you want to be 100% sure, you can set up the same dual boot on a test machine and try it out before giving advice.

If you could run this experiment inside a virtual machine, it would be convenient.
Click to expand...

Or you could ask the source of all knowlege Google.
 
Google is not the source of any knowledge.
Repository may have been a better word.
And definitely not all knowledge.
And just because something is on Google does not mean that it is 100% correct.

Anyway, the original question remains and any and all comments are appreciated.
 
I've never done it, but I can say with 99.9% confidence that it will work fine. The VM doesnt care how many os's are on a virtual disk, it's just reading the MBR of said disk and booting it (be it linux, windows or a boot menu)
 
Last edited:
dr.stevil said:
I've never done it, but I can say with 99.9% confidence that it will work fine. The VM doesnt care how many os's are on a virtual disk, it's just reading the MBR of said disk and booting it (be it lunux, windows or a boot menu)
Click to expand...

That makes sense.
I went ahead and tried. But, when I am installing the second OS, I get an error message. It is not a virtualbox error message.
it is a Windows 7 (second OS) message.

I then remembered that when I create a new virtual machine, in virtualbox, I have to select if it is Linux or Windows and if it is Windows, whether it is XP or Vista or ....
So, I thought may be that is the problem because I am selecting what the OS is going to be but then i attempt to install two different OS in it.

So, I posted this to see if I can get any hints.

Thanks
 
hmmm, good point.

don't quote me, but I thought the reason they ask you which OS you're using is so it knows which file system to setup for a quick "wizard" guide... could be wrong on that though.

I know that in the past, I've been able to install linux fine under a 'windows' VM (vmware and virtualpc). What error is windows giving you?
 
I had to set the option "Enable IO APIC", which is not set by default.
My second OS was 64 bit.
I am not getting the error anymore and the installation of the second OS is in progress.

Thanks dr.stevil. Your post gave me the hope that I was on the right track.

Thanks
 
It worked perfectly.
After the installation, got the dual boot option at boot time.
Could boot to either OS.
Removed one OS and confirmed the recovery procedure (as I had suggested here).

All this inside a virtual machine. Beautiful!
 
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