I wish to use Qemu (which is completely portable without KQemu) with a couple OSes I'll install to my Portable HDD (namely WinXP Pro and Knoppix) but, I'm not sure what format I should use with the partitions. I'd also like to be able to load the partitions on my home computer like normal OSes but, I can't figure out what kind of boot manager to use for it.
The main points behind using partitions instead of virtual disk are: easier for me to organize, easier for me to transfer files, if I can figure out that last part it will be quicker on my home machine yet, fully compatible with the library computers I'm usually stuck using.
I was also curious as to if order mattered, I'm going to create a partition for universal stuff and portable apps but, I want it to continue registering on my home computer as K and I want access to it (so I can actually use qemu) when I'm on library/school systems that block admin access. I'm thinking I'd probably have to put this partition first but, then what about the boot manager? Can I put the data partition first so long as the boot manager is before the other OSes (or part of the first partition with an OS)? Or perhaps put the bootmanager on the same partition as the data?
P.S. If this isn't the place I'm sorry and I am sorry for the long OP. Just really need to know.
Visit the Community page
Join our forums
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Subscribe with RSS
Follow us on BlueSky
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Mastodon
Follow us on Twitter
Well XP only recognizes one partition on removable drives. I don't know if Vista does better. And while ther are filters that can be installed on XP that allows it to see multiple partitions on removable drives there is little chance you will find machines with these filters installed other than your home machine.
So plan on putting QEMU on the 1st partition if you want it to run under Windows. And put your data files there also.
If you make the drive bootable and use GRUB4DOS with it you can use QEMU to boot it and have it bring up a GRUB4DOS menu allowing you to select which OS to boot. That might allow you access to 2ndary partitions.
Although if you have Windows and Knoppix in folders on the same partition as the data everything would be accessible regardless of system booted via GRUB4DOS under QEMU or the host machine's OS.
An interesting project. Please keep us posted as to how it progresses.
Or the USB drive boots to DOS and one of the CONFIG.SYS menu items is GRUB4DOS's GRLDR which allows you to boot XP or Linux, now you have access to all your files and 3 OSs. This last concept is similar to a USB stick setup that I have.
Ed
>Well XP only recognizes one partition on removable drives. I
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
connect it with one of those usb adaptors
Can you elaborate as to what "usb adaptor" allows Windows to see multiple partitions on a removable drive? A link to a particular brand/model would help.
Ed
and they do not have any special name on it, since I got them from different local stores.
one of them I have from our local online supplier : https://www.distrelec.ch/ishopWebFront/search/luceneSearch.do;jsessionid...
the next one is from pearl online shop:
http://www.pearl.de/a-PX3130-1339.shtml?query=ide%20usb
My brother has some Lacie and my collegue here in the office has one from the iOmega.
I have so far not found any that dont show any partitions. Al those things work also under linux etc.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
My image of a USB hd is different than yours. You refer to a standard hd connected to a USB converter, I think of a completely encased USB drive like http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/aa/d2/65f8225b9da0e0bcc2e... which I don't think anyone would want to disassemble to use with a USB converter.
Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Ed
there no special hard drives for usb existing, simply nothing like this on the market, not worth for any manufacturer to bother with it. This is just a box and the adaptor inside. The harddrive is just normal hard drive as used in any computer. Can be IDE or SATA nowadays. Also the adaptors are the same inside. My third one came with aluminium box, and works as any other usb adaptors for hard drives. There I have 500g drives with 4 partitions and no problem to see them in windows.
Also the Lacia of my brother is the same, he has 2 fat32 partitions on it and the small Iomega of my work collegue was just a gadget of some 40 USD , nice aluminium box, takes up smaller 2.5 inch drives as they are used in laptops and also he has 3 partitions on it and he is very happy with that.
Anyway: the electronics inside here are the same,believe me, there is nothing magic about it. All such drives can be partitioned and will work under windows.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I partitioned my portable HDD with 2 partitions of which both show up on Windows XP without problem.
Also I actually created an USB Flash drive with 2 partitions of which both show up on Windows XP machines as well, although I used specialized software to create the partition and, well, I don't have a real use for partitions besides the bit experimenting I did with it.
I'm going to put the data in the first partition but, does GRUB4DOS run like a separate system or do I have to install a DOS partition and configure that to start GRUB4DOS? I also want to make sure that GRUB4DOS is only on my External. My home computer is actually my mothers and she doesn't like it when I mess around to much with the system (that's one of the main reasons I'm doing this, I can mess all I want and not tic her off.)
Don't let the name fool you. GRUB4DOS does not need to run only from DOS. It runs on my XP machines and allows me to boot alternate partitions and drives. And it runs on my DOS USB (U3) stick and allows me to boot XP. It can also be used in place of the drive's MBR record. Lots of options.
It's biggest disadvantage, too many options.
See this site for more information: http://diddy.boot-land.net/grub4dos/Grub4dos.htm
You could also use a QEMU Manager, that would give you a menu to choose which system to boot also. http://www.davereyn.co.uk/download.htm
Ed
I'll let you guys know how it turns up as soon as possible.
To Do List:
Compress files to move to local computer (with much less memory).-May finish today
Move the files-Started
Format and Partition Drive
Copy files back and begin decompress
Install Windows
Install GRUB4DOS on that Windows
Download and install Knoppix
Finish Efficiency Batch (a mini project that will move Qemu to the local machine to minimize access to my External and raise efficiency.)
Since I know some of you are probably wandering the efficiency batch I'm thinking will use 2 batch files, 1 to xcopy the everything except images and media to the local computer (since that would take too long and won't be used in excess anyway) 2 will xcopy the settings files back (gotta figure out exactly which files to move back) then will delete (and hopefully gutsman) the files from the local computer to erase all signs of my activity.
For those that don't know gutsman in a secure deletion protocol used by Windows Washer, CCleaner, CEraser, ect.
Edit: I just want to double check, if I put WinXP on the second partition and install GRUB4DOS to that then will it read as such or is there another method that will allow me to have my data on the first partition and put GRUB4DOS there as well. No one really makes a guide for just this so it's kind of confusing. I'm also going to check I believe there's a way to tell Qemu to use a specific partition instead of assigning drive letters.
now the library computers are giving an insane amount of trouble. I used NTFS which is nice because of the partition mounting ability but, now the library computers keep telling me I don't have sufficient write access and can't remove the read only attributes it assigned my files. I'm thinking I'll have to reformat at least Data Partition as FAT32 and just assign actual drive letters to the drives. Unfortunately that means I have to deal with 4 auto play screens whenever I plug myself in. I wonder, can GRUB4DOS emulate a disk image if I just put an image on one of the other partitions. That would allow me to use the partition system to separate my files still but maybe be more compatible. I was also thinking of shrinking the partitions I actually use for the OSes and installing to an external location whenever possible (so instead of the emulated C:\Program Files I'd install to say K:\Program files) That would allow me to just keep the data files in the folder tree as the programs that I usually access them with and still access them without the emulated system.
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
P.S the library computers do actually recognize all the drives hint the 4 autoplay screens.