Run Linux on Windows, Simultaneously
Update: Please find direct links to OS.rar/Os.zip below. Care taken to provide the users with appropriate files as not all users have Winrar to unrar the RAR extension compressed files. You can now download RAR and as well as ZIPped files.
What more? You can choose from a variety of Linux flavors.
Many people are afraid of installing Linux, even though it’s free. Why? They think that the installation procedure is quite a complex procedure which would take a geek’s mind in order to get it right. But, that’s not the truth now a days. The installation is a piece of cake as Linux had been supporting GUI for years now. Using the below specified method, you can make Linux run like any other Windows program, just by a double-click.
This method is perfectly reversible and in order to go back to your previous state, all you need to do is, delete a folder and uninstall a program. Sounds quite easy? It is.
1. The first requirement is to download the free VMWare Player which installs just like any other program. No hassles. Just go to VMWare Homepage and download it. Be ready to take on a short survey form there which would take just a couple of minutes.
2. Now download your favorite Linux version. I will provide you with different flavors of Linux, but only one is needed. So, it’s all your choice. The Linux distros would vary by their version specifications and sizes, so the more the size, the more time it would require to download. I prefer settling on Suse Linux. If you prefer to first try on a smaller Linux distro, you can even do that. There are a lot of Linux distributions to test on. So, do not think that these versions are the only ones you can work on.
Suse Linux (680 MB)
Fedora (682 MB)
Damn Small Linux (51 MB)
Puppy Linux (85 MB)
3. Now setup VMWare to talk to Linux. How to get it done? Very simple. Download a little file from Wolphination. Here is a direct link to that file, OS.zip, which you can download OS.zip(ZIP file opens in new window)or a OS.rar file(You can downlaod WinRAR from 9 Essential Tools). Do comment on this post over how hard you have tried to obtain a valid OS.zip file as it had been obsolete from Wolphination Official website. Your comments are what keeps me encouraging. A comment takes less than a minute. 
Now unzip the file into your drive(Say C:\ ) , so now you have C:\OS.
Update: Please find the new links placed to download the required OS file from Wolphination. The earlier provided link had to be discarded as there is no resource there at present.
Place your downloaded flavor of Linux into your OS folder, that is, C:\OS. Yeah, place the .iso file into the OS folder. So, now I have OS.vmx, OS.vmdk and openSUSE-10.3-GM-KDE-Live-i386.iso in the OS folder. Now, you are nearly ready to run for Linux on Windows.
4. You need to setup your VMWare configuration file. This file is nothing but the OS.vmx. Now, open this file using Notepad. On a line that says ide1:0.fileName “C:\Your file” , you need to edit this line and make it point to the Linux version you downloaded. So mine changes to C:\OS\openSUSE-10.3-GM-KDE-Live-i386.iso. Now, save this file and You are ready to blaze your Linux and work on it.
Double Click on OS.vmx and in a min or less time, depending on your RAM, the Linux will start up.
There you are, running Linux like any other windows program. Create a shortcut of OS.vmx on your desktop and you can fire it up from there.
You are done now.
Increase your productivity by enhancing your skillset by working on Linux.
Let Us know if you do follow any other procedure to run Windows and Linux simultaneously. We are all Ears.
About the Point 3, there is no link to download the OS.zip file.
Can you provide the zip file to my e-mail address.
Rest part is very much informative and simple to learn.
A million ton thanks to you.
Thanks for the comment Prashant. Please provide your email address to get the OS.zip file in your inbox.
thanks for the steps above ,
however all the links given for os.zip are not valid….
is there any other link for direct download?
Collins, Thanks for the comment.
Please do check in the post for the valid links for OS.zip from Uploading(dot)com and rapidshare(dot)com.
Hi somebody,anybody,
i have downloaded VMware on my pc and also damn small linux/puppy linux…coz these were really small..
i have the required system specifications..
i have installed the VMware and when i try to run the DSL linux zip, it opens with nero 7 on my pc…
any body knows how i can install any of this linux type on my pc?
i was told to use os.zip file but the only available links are not good. the one on upload dot com has a password and the one on wolphination is nolonger available..
some one help….
are there other alternative links available to this os file, those ones provided all have problems….
some one help….
Hi there,
I’m trying to find the OS.zip file to set up Linux on Windows using VMware. The links don’t seem to work. Could you send the file to my email address.
Cheers,
Adam
Hi there,
Sorry if this is redundant but my messages don’t seem to be getting through…
As above really; where can I get that OS.zip file or could you send it to my email.
Thanks a lot….
Thanks for the comment Adam. I think the links are working fine in the post.
But, anyway, I have mailed you the file which is needed.
Hope it serves the purpose.
yes the link is ok…but i the OS.vmx file seems doesn’t work. Hope you can email me the zip file to. TQ
Hi there,
I have followed all the steps but when I try to run vm by clicking on os.vmx, I am getting the following error message.
Error while powering on: Check for missing files failed:
Insufficient permissions to access the file.
I am running vm on windows xp.
Please let me know.
Cheers
@pankaj:
The same thing happened to me and the only thing you have to do is right click the folder where everything is in and make sure the read only box isn’t ticked
hope this helps…
Thanks a lot!!!
You got openSUSE running for me!!!
Thanks again…
To perform all these actions, you need to be logged in Administrator privileges without which you can not install. As you have followed the steps and arrived until ‘running vm on Windows XP’, I assume your problem lies in required permissions and the Read-Only hindrance that might have been working on the file.
Please follow the tip by Oboeman to find a solution.
Thanks Oboeman for suggesting this tip.
hello
…
thanks for this topic to get a linux os running inside windows with wmware , but there are other simple ways to do it like the virtualbox or virtualpc .
my preference is virtual box for the easyness to configure with a little of good sense , many oses are supported like many linux , BSD others windows (from 98 to 7 64bits) and you can transfer some files from the virtual machine to the host machine
and there’s another very easy way to have a linux system side-by-side with your windows but only for the Ubuntu distro .this can be made with WUBI , a windows installer for Ubuntu you can find at this page : http://wubi-installer.org/ with a comprehensive FAQ explaining you how to install (and uninstall) it.
I would also like the os.zip file if possible. Could you CC so that my filter doesn’t catch and I miss the email? Thanks!
Justin
Hi,
Could you give me the correct link for OS.zip ?
Thanks in advance.
The RapidShare link is specified in the post itself Mike.
RapidShare is operated by greedy crooks who want to charge money for letting you download files they got for free. They make you wait a couple of minutes before they let you download os.rar (not os.zip, but no problem since the free and excellent program 7Zip will open os.rar) unless you give them money. Slimy scumbag filth. If someone will post a free site I can upload os.zip to so everyone can access it for free, I’ll gladly upload it there. I expect everyone to check my uploaded os.zip for malware since the internet has really become a haven for anthropomorphic entities who should be sent to Guantanamo and waterboarded with pig poop 18 times a day. BTW, the article above is included in the RAR file as a PNG image and I’ll put the PNG in os.zip. You can get 7Zip at
http://www.7-zip.org/download.html
Try this link
http://vmcreator.com/virtual-machine.html
Thanks for providing the link Brian. The future readers will be using this for sure.
thanks a lot for the os.rar link.
went down the “oh, no! the wolphination link doesnt work anymore ” route.
@Yukita: Happy that I had been of some help to you Yukita.
It was so very dificulty get OS.zip file, I’m thanks a lot by your help..
@Titan: Yes Titan. when I installed this file on my system and then backed up, I thought I would not need this later on. But, after a few months when I searched I could not find the required Wolphination OS.zip file online. So, had to search again in the DVDs and put it back for the people who are in need of it. Thanks for your comment.
Thanks a lot for this post…
It is extremely useful and dummy-proof to execute even for a beginner like myself.
The only obstacle is the OS.zip which is hard to be found.
=)
Bravo to the poster ^^
Thanks for the direct link to OS.zip as it's really tough to get from other websites.
Thanks, it was a pain in the neck trying to find OS.zip. Your article and link are very usefuly
That OS.zip is almost impossible to find!
OS.zip/rar was a pain in the arse to find: Great job relinking a relevant location and keeping this tutorial alive for those of us three years too late to the original (followed from: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/beginners-guide-run-linux-like-any-other-program-in-windows.html, found this blog from googling the OS.vmx file)
Thanks for the file….
Thanks a lot for the OS.zip dude, I cudnt find it anywhere else.
thank you for os.zip!
Thank you for posting os.zip, I was searching for all over!
thkx for os.zip
cheers hav been looking for this all over net, didnt think u cud get it still !! Awesome !!
thanks for the os.zip, i was looking everywhere for it
AWESOME! I’ve been rusty setting up a virtual machine and this brought it alllll back. Great. I am going to write a post tomorrow on this and I will link out to this tutorial on step by step…great work!!!
.-= Sean´s last blog ..Dreamweaver CS4 Shortcuts =-.
btw…thanks a million for the os downloads…if you need me to host some files for you I will so you don’t soak up a ton of bandwidth if this gets popular
.-= Sean´s last blog ..Dreamweaver CS4 Shortcuts =-.
Thank you for your post. I am new at this and am trying to figure out how to get the final step to work. I put the ISO file into the OS folder, but I don’t see this.
4. You need to setup your VMWare configuration file. This file is nothing but the OS.vmx. Now, open this file using Notepad. On a line that says ide1:0.fileName “C:\Your file”
I can not find the ide1:0…. anywhere. I clicked on the virtual machine config and it gave me two more files in the OS folder but the VMXF file did not have anything major in it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Please disregard the last comment. I figured it out. Thank You for all of your careful and insightful instructions!!!
Thanks for the OS downloads, yours is the only tutorial with the correct link. The tutorial was great, and thanks to others posts I got the permissions thing figured out.
Hi, Thanks for post, is it possible to install Linux in vmplayer using above mentoned steps.. am using OEL5. It consists of 5 .iso images, so how can I setup vm player to install this, after that I want oinstall Oracle.
Is it possible?
Please reply ASAP.
Thanks,
Bhargava
Thank you so much for the os.zip!! I spenta alot of time looking for it! Thank youuuu!
Thanks for the links!
Help me, please.
I tried to do step by step as your instructions.
First, I install VMWare player, unzip OS.zip at C:\ and put Suse Linux (openSUSE-11.2-Addon-Lang-i586.iso) into the same address “C:\OS\”.
Then I open “OS.wmx” to change “ide1:0.filename = C:\OS\openSUSE-11.2-Addon-Lang-i586.iso”.
However when I started running “OS.wmx” the program annouced an error “Error while powering on: Unable to open file “C:\OS\OS.vmdk”: Insufficient permission to access file.”
I realized that my computer was installed on Windows XP Professional x64 Editon.
Do you know how to correct error?
Thank you for your posts and your attention.
Hi,
I have problem in installing the VMware player, which I downloaded from the link given in your article.
At the end of the installation, I get this message:
Error 1402. Could not open key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. Verify that you have sufficient access to that key, or contact your support personnel.
Any clues on this??
I just about to join as coder under Linux environment. Thanks for the link to obtain OS.zip
Dude! Great! Thanks a million. Searched a lot to finally get to your site. Need to be on top of google search for Linux on Vmware!
Hello;
I did all the instruction and now I can see the Linux installation menu, which obviously prompted me to install Linux as I am installing it in a separate hard drive, am I right? if so which menu I should use:
1- install a new system or upgrade an existing system
2- install system with basic video driver
3- boot from local drive
4- memory test
1-Install a new system is the most viable option to choose while installing Linux on a new hard drive.
Before installing do not forget to format the hard drive to ext3. Hope I had helped.
Hello;
Thank you a lot. However, it worked just fine without partitioning the hard drive to ext3, I am not sure if this is good or not? all what I did is having a small NTFS partition and VMware did the job????? now I have fedora 13 working in my windows platform, thanx to you.
I have a question please,
I am trying to share files between windows XP pro. and Linux (fedora 13), I did the Windows part but in linux when I double click on windows netwrok I am getting the follwing message:
unable to mount location
failed to retrieve share list from list
Again, Thank you a lot, it is really great tutorials.
Talla
Talla, You can try the following link to share files between Windows Vista and Fedora Linux. http://tinyurl.com/yc3fvvh
I think most of the network configuration in Vista would be similar to XP Pro. You need to download another simple application called SAMBA in order to share files between the two OSes.
Thanks for the comment. Do post any question if you need help.
Thank you a lot,
I just figure it out, in addition to installing samba, firewall should be disabled and everything should work just perfect. Anyways, I am not sure if this is a dum question but I am going to ask it anyways, My question is how to use VMware to control a computer cluster, can I do that using Linux virtual machine? i.e. is it possible to run a computer cluster in my work using my home PC using this setup? I know about using windows based software’s like x server, Exceed.. etc. but my objective is to use secure shell and any virtual x server impeded in Linux platform to run the cluster from home. if it is possible, please I need to know what is the x server (Linux version) I can use?) as I never used Linux to run Linux.
Cordially
Talla
I tried several frustrating times to get the os.zip from wolinator, and it was NIRVANA to successfully get it from here!
THANKS VERY MUCH!
Larry
I understand the trouble you might have gone through to get this file Larry. I hope you can make use of the file that I have provided.
Do let me know if you have any doubts.
Thanks a ton for the OS.Zip file. it is difficult to find those
You are welcome Tarun. Make use of what you have downloaded.
Dude you rock,thanks a bunch for the OS file.
And thanks for the write up,this works awesome for messing with the Google Android OS since Linux is native for it.
Sure, it does Mike.