virtualbox.org

Hello, I'm new to VirtualBox. I've always been able to use WINE to run my Windows programs on Ubuntu, but I ran into trouble with one and heard VirtualBox might be able to make it work. I've got it installed and up and running and am just about to begin installing Windows XP...but I have a few questions about the installation process. My apologizes if this is a n00b question; I google'd a few things before resorting to asking, but didn't find anything addressing this in particular.

When I go through the install process, it asks me if I want to install XP onto my unpartitioned space. I said yes, and the next step was that it would need to format. Again, I'm new to this...any time I've had to install a new OS on my computer, it's been new or newly formatted and had nothing else on it, so I don't know much about installing a new partition on a computer where I'm already happy with my Linux OS. And I assume installing to VirtualBox isn't going to be exactly the same as installing a full-fledged dual boot OS onto my machine. So I'm thinking the most obvious answer is that no, installing XP onto my unpartitioned space isn't going to result in formatting my computer and losing my Linux OS (currently the only operating system on this machine). But I figure better safe than sorry...I'll ask and make sure before I just wing it and end up losing the setup I'm very happy with.

So in short, when it tells me it will have to format that space, is this going to affect my Linux installation in any way? If that's the case, I may as well just set up an entire dual boot with XP on a new partition...but I don't need to run XP for enough programs that I think that's necessary. I just want to make sure that formatting to install my VirtualBox isn't going to affect my existing OS. It shouldn't, I'd assume, because it's installing an OS within an OS and without my Linux there will be no way to even run the VirtualBox...but I'm an admitted newbie when it comes to things like this, so I want to make sure I'm not going to ruin a good thing by installing this.

As long as you are sure that you are running the install from within VBox you will not effect the linux OS.
Just follow the instructions and continue.

@Fernando :

Remember that the messages which obviously have you worried are coming from inside the VM, from a conceptually independant, simulated PC. So the hard disk and partitions it refers to are the VMs virtual hard disks, not the real host ones. Within reason (e.g. except when you deliberately set up a network which includes the host), nothing you do inside the VM can affect the host. Even with a network the possible effects are limited to files in shared folders, and only if you give write access to these to the guest.

In other words, make sure it is the VM you are talking to, then go ahead and install an OS inside the VM with confidence. On the host it will only appear as a big file.

When you install Windows XP on top VB (VirtualBox), say on a 10GB hard drive, then VB will create a 10GB large file on Linux. On the 10 GB large file, the whole WinXP will be stored. So when VB asks you to format your drive, it actually formats the 10GB file.

So answer is yes, it doesnt harm your linux partition. Everything is ok.

Thank you very much for your help. I just didn't want to set up a virtual machine if it would cost me my regular setup.

That's why they invented virtual machines, so you don't mess up whatever you already have.