Arch system available as boot and VMWare

lawleagle · 2016-11-22 21:49:50

Hello!

I have an installation setup in my mind, and currently, I'm not even sure it's possible, but theoretically, it should be. Now I'm more of a newbie than an expert, so I'd like some guidelines. This is the setup that I envision:

1. Main operating system is Windows. Windows bootloader will not be affected at all at the end, because I don't want grub to add the extra 3 or so seconds to my boot time. (I have this OS installed).
2. I made a separate partition of 40GB at the end of my SSD. There is where I want Arch to be.

3. I want my Arch system to be available from windows, using VMWare. That way I run both OSes at the same time.
4. I want grub - or any other boot manager, I'm not set on any - on a USB, so when I power on my PC I'll be able to boot my Arch system.
5. Windows will boot normally, as if Arch never existed if my 'special'/'secret' USB is not connected to my PC.

Now I'll try it anyway, 'cause it seems possible and I want it, but I want to ask too.
Can you give me some guidelines and some things I should be careful about?

Thank you very much and hope to hear from you soon,
Emanuel

PS: As a note, I have 2 USB thumb drives and a laptop (running Windows) I can use besides the system that I want this to be installed on. One of the USBs will be the 'special'/'secret' one.

Trilby · 2016-11-22 21:53:56

This sounds needlessly complex. For #1 you say you don't want to add arch to the boot manager because you don't want to use grub. That makes no sense at all. You definitely do not need to use grub to boot arch. You can add the efi stub to your existing efi partition (use the existing efi partition as /boot) and stick with your windows boot loader.

lawleagle · 2016-11-22 22:22:14

Trilby wrote:

This sounds needlessly complex. For #1 you say you don't want to add arch to the boot manager because you don't want to use grub. That makes no sense at all. You definitely do not need to use grub to boot arch. You can add the efi stub to your existing efi partition (use the existing efi partition as /boot) and stick with your windows boot loader.

What I was saying is that if I have grub installed as a boot manager of a dual boot system, it'll stay 3 seconds or so before it starts booting into my OS, either windows or arch, 'cause I want them both installed. It'll be the same for any other boot loader as far as I know. What I want is to skip that step when I don't have my special USB in my PC and to have that step when it's plugged in.

Now you said something interesting: "add the EFI stub to your existing EFI partition". And with a quick search on google, I understand that an efistub makes my system bootable directly from my motherboard. I was not aware of the fact that I can dual-boot my system and choose directly from my motherboard which OS to boot when. I imagine I would set Windows as first and Arch when I explicitly boot Arch from boot options.

I'm not sure if I understood correctly, but if I did, what you said last doesn't make much sense: "stick with your windows boot loader". This would not be needed.

And in any case, it's bad for me to have the windows boot loader on a USB. And I have no idea how to do it. And Windows may no longer be using a 'boot loader'. Why wouldn't they just boot directly from the bios (if possible)...

Now I'm sorry if what I said in this post is utterly wrong (may be or may not be). I feel like I need help to achieve the task that I have ahead.
Thanks in advance,
Emanuel

Trilby · 2016-11-23 00:33:41

You are partially right, I used the term "boot loader" loosely. You referred to your windows "boot loader" saying you want it to remain as is. But now you are saying you don't have a windows boot loader. Which is it?

Most likely you don't technically have a boot loader but I didn't feel the need to pedantically correct you when your meaning was clear: you do have a boot manager. Semantics really. I'm not sure why the courtesy was not returned and you did have to pedantically correct me for being generous enough to work with your terms.

You can install the arch kernel to the same efi partition - this is the preferred method of dual booting. You would not need to change anything about your windows boot manager / boot loader / whatever. You also would not need to install grub.

There should be no 3 second delay. If there is, your boot manager just needs to be properly configured.

lawleagle · 2016-11-23 07:17:40

Trilby wrote:

You are partially right, I used the term "boot loader" loosely. You referred to your windows "boot loader" saying you want it to remain as is. But now you are saying you don't have a windows boot loader. Which is it?
Most likely you don't technically have a boot loader but I didn't feel the need to pedantically correct you when your meaning was clear: you do have a boot manager. Semantics really. I'm not sure why the courtesy was not returned and you did have to pedantically correct me for being generous enough to work with your terms.
You can install the arch kernel to the same efi partition - this is the preferred method of dual booting. You would not need to change anything about your windows boot manager / boot loader / whatever. You also would not need to install grub.
There should be no 3 second delay. If there is, your boot manager just needs to be properly configured.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to not return the curtesy. I'm not a Arch veteran and I don't have a lot of experience with Linux on the whole, and I see that my terminology is messed up. Given this, the way I asked the question in the first place is wrong. I want to rephrase it.

I have Windows. I want an Arch system that is available as a VM within Windows, using VMWare, and is available at boot, so I can give it 100% of my computer's resources. How should I approach implementing such a system?

And hopefully, boot times are will not be affected. And here, with 'boot times' I refer to the time that passes since I press the power button until I am on my desktop.

Arch Linux

#1 2016-11-22 21:49:50

Arch system available as boot and VMWare

#2 2016-11-22 21:53:56

Re: Arch system available as boot and VMWare

#3 2016-11-22 22:22:14

Re: Arch system available as boot and VMWare

#4 2016-11-23 00:33:41

Re: Arch system available as boot and VMWare

#5 2016-11-23 07:17:40

Re: Arch system available as boot and VMWare

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