[NTLUG:Discuss] VM Ware Questions

[Robert Pearson]

Thanks to---

Bryan Smith
Ed Coates
Chris Cox

for the great answers. All help is appreciated.

The problem I'm trying to sort out is this---
I have an existing Windows 2000 PC. It looks like my options are---
Option-01:
(1) Leave the Windows installation untouched
(2) Add VMware for Windows
(3) Add the Linux of my choice
This would be running Linux under Windows. Not the preferred way.

Could I ?---
Option-02:
(1) Leave the Windows 2000 installation as is?
(2) Add the Linux of my choice in a dual boot configuration with Linux
as the primary OS
(3) Install VMware for Linux
(4) Run the existing Windows 2000 installation under Linux VMware?
(5) Is there conversion required on existing installations?
(5) Would this be running Windows under Linux which is the preferred way?

Option-03:
(1) Back up the Windows 2000 installation
(2) Do a Linux Install (wipe the disk)
(3) Install VMware for Linux
(4) Restore Windows under VMware

This looks pretty ugly to me because of the applications and the
customization I have done to Windows 2000. I have had this
installation a long time.
Of course, that might be a good reason to blow it away and start over.
Good training for the hard disk crash scenario. It might get the
"little grey cells" working.

The Information (Data) is not a problem. It is all stored externally
on FireWire or USB connected drives. These drives are all formatted
with NTFS.

If I select Option-03 I would have questions about Windows backup and
restore under VMware. Anyone done this?
The last time I tried to create Image files and restore them, in an
all Windows environment, I got clobbered by the software I was trying
to use. I got clobbered even worse when I tried to clone my Desktop
hard drive to my new laptop hard drive. It was a long night.

Thanks,

Robert