[Xen-devel] RE: [Xen-users] Effect of installing Xen on VT enabled machine

["Petersson, Mats" <Mats.Petersson@xxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:xen-users-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
> Praveen Kushwaha
> Sent: 06 March 2007 12:07
> To: xen-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [Xen-users] Effect of installing Xen on VT enabled machine
> 
> Hi,
> 
>  
> 
>            I have a  VT enabled machine on which windows xp 
> has been installed. Now I want to install xen on this VT 
> enabled machine on which windows xp is already. 
> 
>            Is there will be any effect on windows xp after 
> installing xen on it. If there will be any effect what will 
> be those. If anyone will have any information please reply, 
> it will be grate for me.

Well, you won't (successfully) be able to "install Xen on Windows". 

If you want to convert your machine to running Xen, you'll have to also
install Linux, which will be your "host operating system".

So let's presume that you have a free drive to install Linux on and you
do this, you will then have to set Linux to be your primary boot, instal
Xen on it (which is relatively easy if you go with one of the Linux's
that have Xen included from the beginning). 

Now you have Xen + Linux on the machine - and you could, in theory,
start your Windows as a virtual machine (aka guest or DomU) on that
machine. However, the hardwar that Windows sees will be different from
what the real hardware is, so drivers for hard-disk, network, graphics,
sound etc, would have to be re-installed. It's very likely that the
Windows you have on the machine at the moment would not boot with the
"new hardware". 

It's probably better to leave the machine in a dual-boot mode, where you
have Linux and Windows installed in parallel, and then install Windows
AGAIN for use with Xen. That way, you don't get any hardware problems.
The best way to do this would be to use a physical device (partition) as
your Windows install destination. That way, you could let your regular
"hardware" windows installation share documents by also mounting this
same partition. 

--
Mats
> 
>  
> 
>    
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Praveen Kushwaha
> 
> 



_______________________________________________
Xen-devel mailing list
Xen-devel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://lists.xensource.com/xen-devel