Re: [Xen-users] can Xen coexist/cooperate with a windows/linux dual-boot system?

["Nick Couchman" <Nick.Couchman@xxxxxxxxx>]

Well, yes, but I think the larger question is why NTLDR ends up missing every 
time you install into a Xen VM, but, from presumably the same installation 
media, it succeeds without error when installing to a non-Xen environment.  
I've never run into this issue, so I'm kind of stumped as to what would be 
causing that.

-Nick

>>> On 2010/01/06 at 11:12, richard heade <richard.heade@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: 
> the XP VM fails to boot because NTLDR really is missing.  I used the xp
> recovery console to look at the xp installation, looking for NTLDR, and I
> found that there are whole directories missing (including the
> C:WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\ directory that has the NTLDR one directory
> lower).
> 
> 
> On Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 6:29 PM, richard heade <richard.heade@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
> 
>> I booted into the xp recovery console and ran fixmbr.  I got a lot of text
>> about the "computer appears to have non-standard or invalid master boot
>> record", but what do I have to lose - so I did it.  didn't make any change,
>> still fails on boot with "NTLDR is missing".  I also tried fixboot,  and
>> when that failed added another fixmbr - but boot still fails.  Would you
>> know where NTLDR is supposed to reside?
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 12:06 PM, Nick Couchman 
>> <Nick.Couchman@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>>
>>> Well, I can see why the previous attempts didn't work, with the partition
>>> being pushed through, but this one puzzles me - your config looks fine, and
>>> I've certainly had a lot of success running Windows using file-backed (and
>>> LVM-backed) disk images.  Doesn't look like you're doing anything wrong.
>>>  Can you try booting into the XP Recovery Console and using "fixmbr" to
>>> rewrite the MBR once you've done the install?  This shouldn't be necessary,
>>> but I'm stumped.  You can install grub on the MBR in the domU, but you still
>>> need NTLDR active on the XP Install - Grub just chain loads NTLDR, so I
>>> don't think that's going to help much.
>>>
>>> -Nick
>>>
>>> >>> On 2010/01/03 at 08:21, richard heade <richard.heade@xxxxxxxxx>
>>> wrote:
>>> > okay, figuring that maybe the problem was with the physical partition I
>>> > built another vm to a "file:", with the following configuration:
>>> > name="winxp2"
>>> > uuid="86764f24-88ae-a66e-44c4-45c10714efed"
>>> > memory=512
>>> > maxmem=1024
>>> > vcpus=1
>>> > on_poweroff="destroy"
>>> > on_reboot="restart"
>>> > on_crash="destroy"
>>> > localtime=1
>>> > keymap="en-us"
>>> >
>>> > builder="hvm"
>>> > extid=0
>>> > device_model="/usr/lib/xen/bin/qemu-dm"
>>> > kernel="/usr/lib/xen/boot/hvmloader"
>>> > boot="c"
>>> > disk=[ 'file:/var/lib/xen/images/winxp2/disk0,hda,w',
>>> > 'phy:/dev/sr0,hdc:cdrom,r', ]
>>> > vif=[ 'bridge=br0,model=rtl8139', ]
>>> >
>>> > stdvga=0
>>> > vnc=1
>>> > vncunused=1
>>> > apic=1
>>> > acpi=1
>>> > pae=1
>>> >
>>> > usb=1
>>> > usbdevice='tablet'
>>> >
>>> > serial="pty"
>>> >
>>> > Same experience as before, the "create" went okay, the vm console/window
>>> > opened, it brought up the XP install disk, it did the XP install, but
>>> when
>>> > it came time to reboot and finish the installation I got "NTLDR is
>>> > missing".  If I do a "direct" (non-Xen) XP install, it boots okay, and
>>> when
>>> > I had it set up for a dual-boot it boots okay.  What is the Xen XP
>>> > installation missing?  Is there an extra step, that everyone forgot to
>>> > mention, where you install NTLDR or some alternate boot loader (like
>>> grub)
>>> > to boot XP?
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 8:38 AM, richard heade <richard.heade@xxxxxxxxx
>>> >wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> okay, I accept that I'm not going to be able to use the same "image"
>>> for
>>> >> Xen, and to boot directly.  I've rebuilt my system, so that it now only
>>> >> boots to linux or Xen.  The disk is partitioned somewhat similarly:
>>> >> /dev/sda1 - windows xp
>>> >> /dev/sda2 - extended
>>> >> /dev/sda5 - /
>>> >> /dev/sda6 - swap
>>> >> /dev/sda7 - home
>>> >>
>>> >> I created a new XP vm, winxp, with the following configuration, using
>>> Yast:
>>> >> name="winxp"
>>> >> uuid="4c1c1e3d-dc7f-4c62-2467-688c64d77394"
>>> >> memory=512
>>> >> maxmem=1024
>>> >>
>>> >> vcpus=2
>>> >> on_poweroff="destroy"
>>> >> on_reboot="restart"
>>> >> on_crash="destroy"
>>> >> localtime=1
>>> >> keymap="en-us"
>>> >>
>>> >> builder="hvm"
>>> >> extid=0
>>> >> device_model="/usr/lib/xen/bin/qemu-dm"
>>> >> kernel="/usr/lib/xen/boot/hvmloader"
>>> >> boot="cd"
>>> >> disk=[ 'phy:/dev/sda1,hda,w', 'phy:/dev/sr0,hdc:cdrom,r', ]
>>> >>
>>> >> vif=[ 'bridge=br0,model=rtl8139', ]
>>> >>
>>> >> stdvga=0
>>> >> vnc=1
>>> >> vncunused=1
>>> >> apic=1
>>> >> acpi=1
>>> >> pae=1
>>> >>
>>> >> usb=1
>>> >> usbdevice='tablet'
>>> >>
>>> >> serial="pty"
>>> >>
>>> >> the "create" went okay, the vm console/window opened, it brought up the
>>> XP
>>> >> install disk, and it did the XP install to /dev/sda1 (the files are
>>> there),
>>> >> but when it came time to reboot and finish the installation I got
>>> "NTLDR is
>>> >> missing".  Is this because I went with a physical partition ("phy:")
>>> instead
>>> >> of an image ("file:")?  And how do I get this to work?
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 7:20 PM, Nick Couchman <
>>> Nick.Couchman@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >>> The point of full virtualization is that there are certain operating
>>> >>> systems that cannot run as paravirtualized VMs.  Windows, for example,
>>> must
>>> >>> run in a full virtualization environment - Microsoft has not provided
>>> (and
>>> >>> is not likely to provide) a paravirtual kernel for Windows.  Windows
>>> Server
>>> >>> 2008 has an "enlightened" mode that switches drivers from full
>>> emulation to
>>> >>> paravirtual mode when it detects a hypervisor like VMware or Xen;
>>> however,
>>> >>> even this "enlightened" version of Windows still requires a full
>>> virtual
>>> >>> machine.
>>> >>>
>>> >>> -Nick
>>> >>>
>>> >>> >>> On 2009/12/27 at 19:34, richard heade <richard.heade@xxxxxxxxx>
>>> >>> wrote:
>>> >>> > thanks for the response, but it leaves me wondering what's the point
>>> of
>>> >>> > full virtualization.  I can install the tweaked  OS for
>>> >>> > paravirtualization, or I can tweak the hardware configuration for an
>>> >>> > already installed OS for full virtualization.  Either way I can't go
>>> >>> > back to the original OS when I, as occasionally happens, get my
>>> linux
>>> >>> > system hosed up.
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> >
>>> >>> > Nick Couchman wrote:
>>> >>> >> The challenge in this sort of setup is that the hardware
>>> configuration
>>> >>> that
>>> >>> > Windows was installed onto and the hardware configuration that Xen
>>> >>> presents
>>> >>> > to HVM-based domUs is different - in some cases very different.  For
>>> >>> example,
>>> >>> > if you're running modern hardware, you probably have a SATA disk,
>>> which
>>> >>> is
>>> >>> > usually seen by O/Ss as a SCSI-type controller with SCSI disks.
>>> >>>  However, HVM
>>> >>> > domUs use IDE-based controllers and disks, which means booting is
>>> going
>>> >>> to
>>> >>> > have issues seeing the change.  There are also differences in the
>>> >>> chipset,
>>> >>> > network controllers, etc., that need to be seen correctly by Windows
>>> >>> before
>>> >>> > it boots.
>>> >>> >>
>>> >>> >> One of the basic things is to try converting the SCSI-based disk
>>> setup
>>> >>> to IDE
>>> >>> > - there are instructions on Microsoft's support site for doing this.
>>> >>>  The
>>> >>> > downside to this is that you probably won't be able to boot Windows
>>> back
>>> >>> on
>>> >>> > the original hardware outside of the VM after this change - Windows
>>> is
>>> >>> not
>>> >>> > very flexible in terms of differing hardware configurations outside
>>> of
>>> >>> your
>>> >>> > basic docked and undocked laptop modes.
>>> >>> >>
>>> >>> >> Note that this also may pose licensing issues - usually machines
>>> that
>>> >>> come
>>> >>> > with Windows are installed using an OEM license, which licenses
>>> Windows
>>> >>> to
>>> >>> > run on the original hardware only.  Using this same copy of Windows
>>> to
>>> >>> run in
>>> >>> > a domU is likely a violation of the OEM license - you need another,
>>> full
>>> >>> > retail or volume license for Windows to run as a VM.
>>> >>> >>
>>> >>> >> -Nick
>>> >>> >>
>>> >>> >>
>>> >>> >>>>> On 2009/12/27 at 07:52, richard heade <richard.heade@xxxxxxxxx>
>>> >>> wrote:
>>> >>> >>>>>
>>> >>> >>> I have a dual-boot setup, using grub, that I'm attempting to
>>> convert
>>> >>> to
>>> >>> >>> a dual-boot plus xen setup. I'm running openSuSE 11.2 with the
>>> >>> >>> 2.6.31.5-0.1-xen kernel and Xen 3.4.1.  The hard drive is
>>> partitioned
>>> >>> as:
>>> >>> >>> sda1 - xp (ntfs)
>>> >>> >>> sda2 - extended partition
>>> >>> >>> sda5 - /windows/D (fat32)
>>> >>> >>> sda6 - swap
>>> >>> >>> sda7 - / (ext4)
>>> >>> >>> sda8 - /home (ext4)
>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >>> I've configured the windows xp vm as:
>>> >>> >>> name="windowsxp"
>>> >>> >>> uuid="b3a2c424-7df7-94f6-79a8-c641e412f68d"
>>> >>> >>> memory=512
>>> >>> >>> maxmem=512
>>> >>> >>> vcpus=2
>>> >>> >>> on_poweroff="destroy"
>>> >>> >>> on_reboot="restart"
>>> >>> >>> on_crash="destroy"
>>> >>> >>> localtime=1
>>> >>> >>> keymap="en-us"
>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >>> builder="hvm"
>>> >>> >>> extid=0
>>> >>> >>> device_model="/usr/lib/xen/bin/qemu-dm"
>>> >>> >>> kernel="/usr/lib/xen/boot/hvmloader"
>>> >>> >>> boot="c"
>>> >>> >>> disk=[ 'phy:/dev/sda1,hda1,w', ]
>>> >>> >>> vif=[ 'bridge=br0,model=rtl8139', ]
>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >>> stdvga=0
>>> >>> >>> vnc=1
>>> >>> >>> vncunused=1
>>> >>> >>> apic=1
>>> >>> >>> acpi=1
>>> >>> >>> pae=1
>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >>> usb=1
>>> >>> >>> usbdevice='tablet'
>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >>> serial="pty"
>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >>> When I attempt to run the windows xp vm the console shows "booting
>>> >>> from
>>> >>> >>> hard disk...", the cpu usage goes to 100%, and that's as far as it
>>> >>> gets.
>>> >>> >>> (I've tried multiple different "disk=..." combinations, this is
>>> just
>>> >>> the
>>> >>> >>> latest, but I get the same results from all of them.)
>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >>> Any ideas on how I might fix this? (it would seem that however xen
>>> >>> tries
>>> >>> >>> to boot windows xp, it's not as effective as grub's chainloader.)
>>> >>> >>>
>>> >>> >>
>>> >>> >>
>>> >>> >>
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