Linux within windows question

[Nosferatu]

I heard there was a version of linux OS that you could install as an application inside of Windows. I might have been mistaken but I believe that it was mandrake. I want to play with linux but I am kinda wary about dicing up partitions for linux.

Yes I know I am chicken!

ANyways, if someone has an idea of what I am talking about please post.

Thanks

 

[n0cmonkey]

http://www.phatlinux.com/

Personally I dont think thats a good way to do things, but it may not be as bad as I think it is. Also, if you want to spend a little money, vmware is a nice program. It will allow you to run a few different OSes on top of Windows.

 

[CTho9305]

VMware will let you run ANY x86 OS within windows

 

[KenCleanAirSystem]

Suse has a version that runs from a CD that you may want to try. You can download it here. It still probably wont be the best representation of how Linux runs in a normal installation, but it will probably be better than running it from a Windows partition.
I dont have any experience with either of them though, so that is purely speculation.

 

[Nothinman]

VMware will let you run ANY x86 OS within windows

Give or take a few, only a handfull are supported and some just work. But others like BeOS don't, I also don't believe Solaris x86 works either but that just might be because the VMWare emulated hardware isn't supported.

 

[LuckyTaxi]

phatlinux is awesome

 

[Nosferatu]

Ok I downloaded a trial of vmware down. How do I insdtall the new linux os?
just stick in a bootable linux cd? what versions of linux is supported? I appreciate all the input. after my last failed attempt at linux I want this one to be positive...

 

[n0cmonkey]

Install vmware. You will need a bootable cd I think with that. Its been a while since I played with it. You install linux through vmware. Check out the documentation.

 

[Nosferatu]

Ok I will download a version of redhat.

just outta curiousity, will phatlinux run on a Win2k machine with fat 32 partition? Or does it have to be win 98 /95?

 

[pcmark]

The VMware documentation is pretty good. Basically, you configure your new Virtual machine through their Wizard, power up the VM and install Linux. With the new version of VMware, you can use ISO's, so you don't even need a cd if you D/L a linux ISO from the net. Make sure you have plenty of memory in your system because the host and the guest OS need their own memory. I suggest 256mb ram minimum, 128 for the Host OS (Windows) and 129 for the guest (Linux). More is better, of course.

 

[Mitzi]

VMWare is excellent, I use it daily to run SuSE 7.0 in a window on a Windows 2000 host. I then use SUE to host a webserver to which the Windows 2000 machine can network too.

 

[Nosferatu]

when you install and it asks if you wanna format, do you just say yes? I assume its yes because the virtual drive is just that virtual right?