Setup Tri Monitor on 1 PC using Virtualization

[ideas]

Hi.. first let me say, am not sure if am in the right post - so please bear with me. A friend of mine has 1 PC QX6700, 2 dual dvi nvidia video cards, 2gigs of mem, raptor 150 gig and 3 monitors.

We are experimenting to see if we can install and run Win XP or Vista, Ubuntu and Mac OS X simultaneously using virtualization, but running all these OS to each monitors(3). so monitor 1 will be running xp or vista and monitor 2 ubuntu & monitor 3 mac os x.

[_Erik]

I'm not sure if I see a question in that post? Or isn't there meant to be one. (it's late here so bear with me)

[ripken204]

I'm not sure if I see a question in that post? Or isn't there meant to be one. (it's late here so bear with me)

there really is no question but he basically needs help on getting it set up. it would be very interesting if you do.

[bonestonne]

hmmm beat you to it almost?

i only have a little over a gig of RAM, and i can emulate Vista Ultimate and XP at the same time, and i'm running Ubuntu Linux. As soon as i get Mac OSx86 [next marketpro visit] i'll throw that in the mix. Vista is terribly slow, however in XP i'm running my external hard drive, Adobe Audition 2.0, Office 2007, and Winamp. in vista, i have changed anything because i can barely get it to work [it took a good 5 minutes just for it to disable aero glass].

Use Linux, and VMWare. don't try to use windows and emulate linux, the default screen size for linux is 1600x1200px so don't think that'll fit anywhere easily.

one tip that i have, is to not use different physical monitors, use the different workspaces in linux. it makes it that much easier. when i installed vista [and i do have an old computer, so it could just be for me] it had Aero Glass enabled first boot, so the thing was disgustingly slow. also, if you've got a dual core CPU, VMWare will only use one core, so make sure its quick. my machine has two processors, and each virtual machine only uses one processor. but that leaves plenty of room for linux to still work.

if theres something specific you want to know, just ask, i can boot into the systems fairly quickly, and will be moving into a faster rig hopefully next week. [gig of DDR2, 3ghz dual core]. i wouldn't advise emulating vista though, it really does run like crap.

i also have this old version of darwin from before the actual project was dropped because they didn't reach their goal in 6 months, if i can ever get it to work, i'll be sure to let you know. the darwin i have is on CD, not DVD, and is very different from OSx86.

[ideas]

hmmm beat you to it almost?

i only have a little over a gig of RAM, and i can emulate Vista Ultimate and XP at the same time, and i'm running Ubuntu Linux. As soon as i get Mac OSx86 [next marketpro visit] i'll throw that in the mix. Vista is terribly slow, however in XP i'm running my external hard drive, Adobe Audition 2.0, Office 2007, and Winamp. in vista, i have changed anything because i can barely get it to work [it took a good 5 minutes just for it to disable aero glass].

Use Linux, and VMWare. don't try to use windows and emulate linux, the default screen size for linux is 1600x1200px so don't think that'll fit anywhere easily.

one tip that i have, is to not use different physical monitors, use the different workspaces in linux. it makes it that much easier. when i installed vista [and i do have an old computer, so it could just be for me] it had Aero Glass enabled first boot, so the thing was disgustingly slow. also, if you've got a dual core CPU, VMWare will only use one core, so make sure its quick. my machine has two processors, and each virtual machine only uses one processor. but that leaves plenty of room for linux to still work.

if theres something specific you want to know, just ask, i can boot into the systems fairly quickly, and will be moving into a faster rig hopefully next week. [gig of DDR2, 3ghz dual core]. i wouldn't advise emulating vista though, it really does run like crap.

i also have this old version of darwin from before the actual project was dropped because they didn't reach their goal in 6 months, if i can ever get it to work, i'll be sure to let you know. the darwin i have is on CD, not DVD, and is very different from OSx86.

sounds good and thanks guys for your replies

but can u walk me through the process of setting this up

[bonestonne]

ok, i'll give you the best run through i know and can give, as i have to wait for a file to be saved to my external drive on my other rig.

heres the basic run down:

1) install Linux. any build will do, however i recommend 7.04 [the newest release of Ubuntu. available at www.ubuntu.com]

-reason for ubuntu, its the one i'm most familiar with, as well as being most popular distribution. if you want to dual boot its all possible. while installing you find this out. the CD you burn is both the install and live CD, so no worries, you'll understand that when you install it.

2) install VMWare. VMWare is a type of Virtual Machine. there are other ones available, however VMWare is the easiest that can be set up from what i've researched, and through the websites i've found.

-you need to be connected to the internet for this, as when you go into the Synaptic Package Manager, you will search for VMWare, and the package needs to be downloaded from the internet. you don't need to worry about any repositories for this, whats installed first is everything you need.

3) you need a .vmx file. this is the virtual hard disk file for VMWare, and it allows you to install the OS of your choice on it.

-to get one, i've found a website called www.easyvmx.com use that website to create your .vmx file, which will be downloaded as a .zip file. Linux has support allowing you to extract them right to the desktop, which makes it easiest.

when starting VMWare, you get a box asking you to find a .vmx file, which you can, through the file you've extracted from the download from www.easyvmx.com

-on www.easyvmx.com, you need to use the middle, or left side options, as they give you plenty of options. were it asks for a GB size, thats the size the virtual hard disk will be, you can make it up to 500gb, and as small as 500mb. 40GB is about average, and if you plan on emulating XP, Darwin and Vista, you'll want two 40GB ones, and a 60GB on for Vista.

-theres a menu that asks how much memory to allocate it. it can be changed later, however both Darwin and XP should get about 256MB each, however with vista, you need no less than 512MB. 768 is a better number, and will give more room for Vista.

4) capture the VMWare image ASAP, and press F2, so you can get into the BIOS of it. there, you need to change the boot order so that CD comes before HDD, which will allow you to install it properly. if you don't press F2 fast enough, just hit Esc fast enough, and you will have a boot menu.

from there, you should be able to do everything you need.

now, i've never used Linux on multimonitor, so i'm not sure how easily that will go off. I've used Linux on a 64" TV, but not more than one screen. linux should be able to adapt to multiple monitors, however you'll want to experiment with that first.

when it comes to Darwin, i'm unable to get my version working on my workstation, so i can try it on this box, but no promises. it didn't work on most computers, i'm just SOL, others get lucky. doesn't work here either, so oh well.

with just what i've put in so far, this should be enough to get you started with XP/Vista

[Zxian]

Just a note... VMWare5.5 supports giving the virtual machine two CPUs. Maybe you're using a legacy machine or VMware 4?

[bonestonne]

i've been putting off getting 5.5, bad i know, but i don't have the time to update until tomorrow...mother's day is such a bummer when i have other stuff to do.