osx - Run Windows in VirtualBox from Mac with rEFIt

04
2013-08
  • Julien

    I have a MacBook with OS X Lion, installed Windows 7 via Boot Camp, added Linux (Backtrack) using rEFIt.

    I now access OS X, Windows and BackTrack via rEFIt's boot menu. When I choose Backtrack or Windows I am routed to GRUB boot loader, Windows 7 being one of GRUB's options. If I choose Windows, it boots Windows properly.

    Output of fdisk /dev/disk0:

    Disk: /dev/disk0    geometry: 60801/255/63 [976773168 sectors]  
    Signature: 0xAA55  
    Starting Ending  
    id  cyl  hd sec -  cyl  hd sec [     start -       size]  
     1: EE 1023 254  63 - 1023 254  63 [         1 -     409639] <Unknown ID>  
     2: AF 1023 254  63 - 1023 254  63 [    409640 -  741694744] HFS+          
    *3: 07 1023 254  63 - 1023 254  63 [ 819032064 -  157741056] HPFS/QNX/AUX  
     4: 82 1023 254  63 - 1023 254  63 [ 742105088 -    1951744] Linux swap    
    

    Output of diskutil list:

    /dev/disk0  
       #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER  
       0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.1 GB   disk0  
       1:                        EFI                         209.7 MB   disk0s1  
       2:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD            379.7 GB   disk0s2  
       3:       Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP                80.8 GB    disk0s3  
       4:                 Linux Swap                         999.3 MB   disk0s4  
       5:       Microsoft Basic Data                         38.4 GB    disk0s5  
    

    I installed VirtualBox, created a virtual machine with the existing Backtrack install by doing the following:

    • Click "new" in VirtualBox
    • Input name and click Continue
    • Choose RAM size and click Continue
    • Change Backtrack partition permissions to 777
    • sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename backtrack* -rawdisk /dev/disk0s5
    • sudo chown <username> backtrack*
    • Select "use existing file" in VirtualBox, select backtrack.vmdk and click Continue
    • Finish

    The Backtrack VM works.

    I tried the same for Windows 7, using partition number 3 and 5 (for the vboxmanage command above). Does not work. The VM is created but I can't start it. When creating the VM with partition 3 it just hangs when I launch it.

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    Related Question

    osx - VirtualBox running Windows on Mac OS X on its own partition
  • J. Pablo Fernández

    To try to speed up my Windows VirtualBox in a MacBook Pro running Mac OS X I intend to create a hard disk partition, same as for Boot Camp, and create a partition for Windows there. Would that speed up I/O? Is that something VirtualBox can handle?


  • Related Answers
  • caliban

    Unfortunately VirtualBox has no support for partitions, and inasfar as I know VirtualBox does not allow you to use an actual hard disk partition - it only supports VirtualBox's own VDI format so far.

    I'm running 3.0.8r53138, the latest version now, and I've been hunting for awhile now for exactly what you have asked for, to no avail.

    In theory, it should speed up I/O operations, though the performance gains will be I suspect marginal (given my experience with VMWare Fusion + Bootcamp). Also, you might lose the ability to do snapshots, which is something I'd rather be able to do, then have marginally better performance.

    P.S VMWare Fusion 3 is out now - i'm running it, and it's smooth like butter. You might to check it out.