Virtualization software question.

I am currently using Windows XP, but now am wanting to learn more about Virtualization software (such as VMWare, QEMU...) to run Linux (Kubuntu).

VM = Virtualization machine

Questions:
1) I figured out from the resources I found on the Internet, that if I want to run an operating system inside a VM. Must I create an disk image? or can I run an operating system from a partition inside the VM

e.g. I have Ubuntu installed on another hard-drive or partition, and Windows on another hard drive. And from within Windows, I open VMWare or whatever and it will let me use Linux from that other harddrive WITHOUT first creating a disk image of the Linux installation...

2) If I DO create a disk image, when I run it inside VMWare will any changes made during the session be saved back to the image, or will it all be lost?

 

1. You dont have to create a disc image. You tell VMware how much disc space it should allocate for the new OS. The OS resides in that space. The OS is actually a file on your host operating system.

2. All your changes will be saved when you turn off the VM.

I have Windows Vista beta, Ubuntu and Mandriva Linux 64bit installed in VMware. My host system is Windows XP Pro 32 bit.

 

Awesome Thanks!