virtualbox.org

Hello ...

Currently running Ubuntu 18.04.3 LTS.
I'm also have Win10 installed on another partition for dual boot (ubuntu/Win10).
I wanted to be able to run Ubuntu and Win10 simultaneously (in parallel) so decided to try and installed VirtualBox 6.1.0 r135406 (Qt5.9.5).

Can I configure VirtualBox to point the the already installed Win10 partition so that I don't have to install another copy of Win10 within VirtualBox to save space?

Thanks,

Practically speaking, I'd say no. Sure, you might find a howto somewhere, but it would require expertise and the first Windows feature update may corrupt it.

The problem: the VM runs on simulated hardware. That means a different hardware signature for Windows activation, so keeping two entirely different hardwar signatures active would be tricky, with a constant danger of one activation corrupting the other. You'd do better to install a separate image of Windows 10 as a pure VM. Some files can be accessed in shared folders.

Back in the day (XP era), the OS could handle multiple hardware profiles, but I'm pretty sure that is long gone.