‘Erase’. Or Not.

[player0]

I’m afraid I am about to ask a stupid question but at the same time I am paranoid that the answer will NOT be obvious.

My new laptop runs Windows 10 of course and I am using Workstation to install Linux Mint as a VM.

Warning lights flash for me when I get to the actual point of installing. Several options are offered but one in particular

is ‘Erase’ which is already ticked and cannot be unticked.

  Now once upon a time when I installed Linux via a USB stick I actually used that ‘Erase’ option ( although not via VMWare )

which effectively wiped out the Windows partition entirely as was intended.

  I obviously hope that an erasure of Windows will NOT occur this time. Please tell me it will not.

And meanwhile what, if anything will it actually erase ?

Thanks.

[Alex_Romeo]

Hi,

DO NOT delete anything. Follow this tutorials on how to install a Linux Mind vm on Vmware Workstation.

https://www.vladan.fr/installing-linux-mint-in-vmware-workstation-easy-way-to-test-other-oss-on-your...

https://www.tolgabagci.com/en/install-linux-mint-vmware-workstation/

ARomeo

[RDPetruska]

As long as you are using a typical virtual hard disk (and not a physical disk or partition), then what the Linux installer sees inside the virtual machine appears to IT to be a blank hard disk - but on your Windows host is merely a set of files.  You aren't going to be erasing any Windows data.

Note that if you are using a raw partition, this may not be the case!  But if you followed the "Create a new virtual machine" wizard, you should have been guided to create a virtual disk drive.

[player0]

What I see from that video relevant to my question, first,  is that after 5 minutes it gets to that 'Erase' step.

On clicking on it, a couple of messages appear relating to the formatting etc. of certain partitions but nothing about erasure as such.

( The video takes 22 minutes because it wants to show in 'real time' how long the installation will take especially in terms of copying various files. )

In other words there is actually no need to worry about that erasure.

Please tell me if I am still missing anything.

Thanks.

[Alex_Romeo]

Hi,

I'm afraid it erases everything.

You can give me a picture on the screen of the situation.

ARomeo

[player0]

Thanks for the warning. Must admit I am surprised.

By coincidence I recently upgraded my Windows 10 to Pro meaning I can now use Hyper-V instead.

[wila]

Yes installing a Linux guest in a VM will "erase everything already on that disk".

But as you are installing a VM, the VM only sees a virtual disk, where the virtual disk is actually mapping to a file at your host.

IOW, you are not erasing ANYTHING at your host, only in the guest.

It is not even possible to erase a disk at your host from within the guest. (*)

(*)

Yes, you can setup a link directly from the guest to a host disk. But you cannot use that disk from host and guest at the same time.

So it is impossible to wipe a disk from within a guest that you are using at the host.

--

Wil

[player0]

Now I have a completely separate problem. If I need a new thread please say so.

I have now deleted the VM I called Mint19 and recreated it. But each time I try top start it I get this message :

VMware Player and Device/Credential Guard are not compatible.

VMware Player can be run after disabling Device/Credential Guard.

Please visit http://www.vmware.com/go/turnoff_CG_DG for more details.

I visited the link provided and it said I should enter the following command :

Set -VMSecurity -VMName Mint19 -VirtualizationBasedSecurityOptOut $true

I did so via running PowerShell as an administrator. The Powershell error message was :

Set-Variable : A parameter cannot be found that matches parameter name 'VMSecurity'

[wila]

The steps there with powershell are for Hyper-V not VMware.

You have to disable credential guard at the host, not at the VM (it's not a Linux feature either)

--

Wil

[player0]

First I neglected to mention in my previous post what had changed recently.

I have now upgraded this laptop from Windows 10 Home to Pro.

I then activated Hyper-V but had problems there also installing a Linux VM so I de-activated Hyper-V again.

Having said that I am surprised that you say that ‘The steps there with PowerShell are for Hyper-V not VMware’

since  the link provided with the error message was to  the VMware site ( www.vmware.com/go/turnoff_CG_DG ).

How exactly do I  ‘disable credential guard at the host’ ? A Dummies Guide to that would be much appreciated.

Thanks.