0

This is the situation. I have a Ubuntu system and a Win 10 syste, Currently I'm using dual-boot to switch between the two. Sometimes it is a hassle (have to switch the Bluetooth on the mouse and KB because they sync to only one machine) and various other issues.

There was a way to run the Ubuntu machine from Windows 10 using Virtualbox. I used this for a while but it can't transfer files between the guest and host (needed to install some other tools that wouldn't work).

I would like to give this a try with Hyper-V which is built into my Windows 10 Pro. In fact I bought Pro version because I want to try Microsoft's own virtual machine hoping it would interface better. Trying to setup my Hyper V machine I notice that I need to specify a VHDX drive, and I do not know how to point a VHDX file to my 8GB ext4 partition that sits in my 512GB mostly ntfs drive.

Thanks for reading.

1
  • I don't believe you can do that, though you may be able to convert an existing partition to a VHDX file and load the VM that way. Remember, the VM is going to be both software (on the partition that needs to become a VHDX) and virtual hardware (which will need to be configured in the VM). Jul 28, 2017 at 17:35

2 Answers 2

0

I'm currently doing something similar on my Windows 10 machine; however, I'm not using VMware, I'm using Virtualbox. I'm really only addressing the file sharing between the Windows 10 host and Ubuntu Virtual Machine. I created a share on Windows that had Read/Write access for the default windows user "everyone" on my entire network and then installed Samba on Ubuntu. I then had to make sure that the VM had its promiscuous mode set to "allow all" and set VirtualBox to use a bridge network adapter, so that the VM would be on the same network as the rest of my computers pulling an IP address from my DHCP router.

Just to note: If you're using a GUI with Ubuntu, you should just be able to go to the Network tab of Ubuntu file manager and connect to the Share from there rather than having to manage and install software from the terminal.

If you're using the terminal, then you will need to install samba and change the "/etc/fstab" file to connect to the share on boot.

10
  • I may explore this. Right now certain terms just escapes me like samba etc. I think that means networking right? Anyway, right now I'm looking to use HyperV for this.
    – Azrudi
    Jul 29, 2017 at 16:25
  • Yes, Samba is a file sharing tool for Linux between a Linux and Windows machine.Anyway, good luck! Jul 29, 2017 at 18:16
  • I think currently I'm using a similar setup to yours, except right now I'm syncing (transferring & updating) files using Dropbox. The problem is I'm always running into situations where I don't have networking (on planes). Yours it would seem is a much more elegant setup, assuming samba doesn't require the host to be connected to any network?
    – Azrudi
    Jul 29, 2017 at 19:06
  • All Samba does, in my example, is map the shared folder from Windows to the Ubuntu VM guest. What will matter is which operating system is the host and which is the guest. Because then Samba config file would look a little different. I'm a little confused on how you are setup right now with your computer. The OP stated dual-booting, and then Virtualbox with what sounded like a Win 10 host, and a Ubuntu guest on the same computer. So are you using dropbox to share files between two operating systems on the same machine? Jul 29, 2017 at 19:31
  • I think I may see what you're saying. The host computer would not need an internet connection. It is all local to the machine because the Windows shared folder is local to that machine, and if you're connected to a router, then any computer on that network. The only thing is we would have to make sure VirtualBox is setup with the right network settings on the guest, which would probably be host-only networking option. Jul 29, 2017 at 19:38
0

Now that we know a little more about your situation, lets decide what we want to do to tackle this problem.

  • Use a USB formatted as NTFS so Windows and Linux can read and write to this drive.

You would then be able to copy stuff to the drive with both operating systems, and they would be able to handle the mounting in the file explorer for you. This would give you the luxury of having each operating system use the computers hardware to its fullest potential without having to use virtualization, or change your current setup again all while never disconnecting the USB from the computer.

  • Create a partition that is formatted to NTFS on your hard drive.

That will allow auto mount in Windows and Linux while being about the same as the USB option, but without the USB. This would be useful if you have extra space on your HDD to create another partition.

  • Create a folder in Windows and share it on the network.

If you would rather do a virtualized environment, then I would personally create a shared folder on Windows, and have Ubuntu browse the network with the file explorer which should find the Windows share with ease. We could do this vice-versa and create a folder on Ubuntu that we will share on the network for Windows. We would have to make some small changes to make this work because you need this share to work even without an internet connection. The changes are small and will allow you to share with or without an internet connection no matter where you go.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .