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Problem? What problem?

Company acquires new PC from OfficeWorks for $388.00.

PC includes MS-Windows 7 Home Edition.

Company requires PC to use MS-Windows XP.

No problem. Push in Windows XP Black Edition CD, reboot PC, tell BIOS to boot from disc.


Installer bluescreens before asking any questions. Bummer!

Push in a Kubuntu Oneiric Ocelot DVD, reboot.

Fully functional PC five minutes later, set to auto log in.

Now select VirtualBox in the packages installer, & install. Start VirtualBox. Add an XP instance. Push in XP Black Edition CD, installer works flawlessly.

Add icon to desktop, including the option --fullscreen. Duplicate the windowsXPblack virtual disk file, mark the duplicate as read-only for the user.

From now on, user presses power button. Uses all facilities under Kubuntu. If they desperately need the MS-Windows XP feel, they double-click an icon, & 30 seconds later are facing XP. By tapping a LeftCtrl-S they can save a complete screenshot of whatever they're doing into the Kubuntu instance.
When XP guts itself (as it inevitably will one day), user copies backup disk image over primary disk image. Done.

Comments

Jeremy said…
Performance hit? What performance hit?

Oh yeah, that big gaping one.
24 November, 2011 19:06
austux said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
24 November, 2011 20:33
austux said…
Since the machine has 2GB of memory & I allocated ½GB to the XP instance, it performs very well... perceptibly more responsive than Win7 native... unless I flip it out of full-screen mode.
24 November, 2011 20:33
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