I'm considering setting up Linux as my main operating system on a new SSD while keeping my existing Windows 10 installation intact. My goal is to run Linux but have the option to switch back to Windows occasionally through a virtual machine. I'm curious if this setup is feasible and if the choice of Linux distribution affects this process. Any tips on how to achieve this?
2 Answers
For a simple setup, look into raw disk access for your VM. I've done this with VirtualBox, and it works across different Linux distros. The specific distro you choose doesn't really affect whether you can create a VM of Windows.
You can definitely run Windows as a virtual machine on Linux! However, do keep in mind that Windows activation is often linked to your physical hardware, so if you just switch it from one machine to another or change the setup, you might run into activation issues. A good approach is to remove the Windows drive during the Linux install, which allows the two to run independently. You can set Linux as the boot default and easily swap back to Windows when needed. Just make sure to check how your hardware setup will work with this!
That's interesting! I've heard you can contact Microsoft support to clarify license issues if hardware changes happen. Just not sure how a virtual machine fits in with that!