Installing VirtualBox

[Iphone4sinwhite]

I've installed the latest version of Virtualbox on my Yosemite MBP. I have windows 7 installed on bootcamp. When I run virtual box I get a fatal error that stating there is no bootable disk. Do I need to put in the windows 7 disk when first running the windows 7 virtual machine?

 

[drlunanerd]

As far as I have read it's much harder to make VirtualBox use your Bootcamp partition than Fusion or Parallels, but it is possible:

Read this thread for more info: https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=48704

 

[maflynn]

I was under the impression using BC along with VB is not possible.

 

[roadkill401]

I was wondering why you would want to have a VM that links to your bootcamp rather than just have Windows in a VM and get rid of bootcamp all together?


I use Fusion as I couldn't get Parrallels to work right for myself and it seemed to want to put apps inside my mack that I didn't particularly want. I have a 27" iMac with a second monitor running. I liked the idea of I could essentially have my Mac on the main monitor and Windows (or Linux, older OSX versions for testing) running on the secondary monitor.

The benefit of running windows in it's own VM is the snapshot function. In a true VM you can take a point in time snapshot of your OS and apps running and revert back to it later. You can't do that with a live directory like putting the bootcamp partition in a VM.

You save no real disk space with Bootcamp vs a VM. The only gain you get is if you effectively turn off your mac and boot into windows you will gain a bit more speed vs having it in a VM... But I have found even intensive apps like Photoshop run pretty fine for me in a VM.

I am just wondering what App you are looking to do? ie, is it a game?

 

[maflynn]

I was wondering why you would want to have a VM that links to your bootcamp rather than just have Windows in a VM and get rid of bootcamp all together?

Because you don't get direct access to the hardware, the performance isn't as good and sometimes I just plain old prefer to be in Windows natively.

 

[roadkill401]

Because you don't get direct access to the hardware, the performance isn't as good and sometimes I just plain old prefer to be in Windows natively.

I understand that you don't get direct access to hardware, but you do get direct access to your native Apple OSX so you could do things like cut and paste between the windows VM and an OSX app.

Performance hit is really only a bit thing when you start to deal with direct graphics card calls, not to say it's not there for everything else. But you are paying one hefty premium buying apple hardware to essentially forgo it to run windows natively. And Apple hardware really isn't a gameing system compared to what can and is done on the DIY windows type machines.

I was more curious why people bootcamp.

 

[Iphone4sinwhite]

I was wondering why you would want to have a VM that links to your bootcamp rather than just have Windows in a VM and get rid of bootcamp all together?

I am trying to use MathCad, a math software program. Is this something that can used in a windows VM (like you're suggesting) as opposed to a bootcamp VM which I had been using through fusion in the past?

 

[Iphone4sinwhite]

This link looks promising: http://phaq.phunsites.net/2011/03/05/sharing-windows-7-between-boot-camp-and-virtualbox/

http://luckyviplav.blogspot.com/2011/06/windows-7-on-mac-os-x-through-virtual.html

However, the sudo command gives a pretty stern warning in the terminal. Will the steps outlined in this link cause any loss of data in the bootcamp partition?

 

[maflynn]

I was more curious why people bootcamp.

Because I think it boils down to, because I want too

When I'm working in windows, its far easier to keep it as the native OS. Personal preference I suppose.