Run virtual desktops on Windows 10 using Linux environments.
Run virtual desktops on Windows 10 using Linux environments.
I currently dual boot Ubuntu and Win10. Is there a way to run the Win10 in a virtual window from inside the Ubuntu OS? I rarely need to run Windows and I hate having to reboot my PC just to do something in windows for 2 seconds. I will actually remote into a 2nd old pc when i need windows but that pc is close to 8 years old and falling apart and the lag is horrible. I'd love to just open a window in Linux and run the win10 partition in that window. Some games like Star Citizen or other programs like Blue Stacks won't run on Linux.
For gaming purposes it's not very straightforward and relies on the hardware, but for everyday apps like word processing and browsers, VirtualBox is quite user-friendly and can work through network cards and USB ports when set up properly. If you need to route specific hardware such as a GPU, the process becomes more complex and depends on the device.
This approach works in VirtualBox but isn't ideal. I've tried it before—it involves setting up a virtual machine and adjusting its virtual disk to point to a real disk or partition instead of a file. The challenge is running the same Windows installation on two different hardware setups: your actual hardware when booting directly, and the virtual hardware inside VirtualBox. This can cause Windows to repeatedly repair drivers each time you switch modes. You'll also face problems with VirtualBox tools, which aren't built for physical hardware. Plus, unless you have two GPUs, you won't get GPU passthrough needed for smooth gaming. For BlueStacks, consider alternatives like Genymotion, which runs well on Linux, or the official Android Studio emulator.
I handle this by running two virtual machines that share the same hardware resources. One runs in a standard window, while the other uses GPU pass-through for gaming. I don’t play games directly but used to do it successfully once. Running both at the same time could cause issues, so I’ve avoided that. I’m considering setting up a Windows VM with QEMU and Red Hat’s VMM tool for more advanced configurations. Once it performs well, I plan to allocate its own drive and explore GPU pass-through further. A tip: when moving from fixing one thing to building another, always create a configuration clone to prevent starting over. This approach helped me get the “Windows in a window” setup I needed.
Be mindful of AntiCheat's policies regarding VM usage as it might treat such actions as bannable. Have you thought about using Waydroid instead? It can also help you get started, see the repository here: https://github.com/casualsnek/waydroid_script. As mentioned before, you usually need a second GPU that can be passed through the VM for graphically intensive work. If that's not possible, KVM with Libvirt and Looks-glass are good alternatives. If none of these fit, VMware Workstation is the next best choice, and I wouldn't bother with Virtualbox at all.
I previously relied heavily on the entire VMware lineup, but since libvirt became common, I now think it’s superior. However, I’m still uncertain if the specific hardware I have is truly better or if VMware Workstation would work just as well today.
Depends on what your doing, for Windows Desktop Virtualization on Linux KVM (libvirt) has no 3D acceleration unless you passthrough a GPU, Virtualbox has 3D acceleration but it's so poorly implemented I can't recommend it, and VMware Workstation on the other hand works pretty well when you don't have anything super demanding.