Important Things 1999

First, I have changed my laptop.

Second, my iPad has been jailbreaked which version is IOS3.2.2, and I installed applications with iTunes 10.0.1.22.

So, the problem is coming.

When I connected iPad with my new computer, iTunes wanted to wipe all applications in my iPad, because it found the iPad has been synchronized with another computer.

It’s a trouble, if I change my computer in future, iTunes will do the same thing again.

It’s a GREAT invention by Apple, enough to disgust me.

It’s also a GREAT reason to JB it. In fact, the next work proved JB is the right thing I haved done again.

As WMware supports USB device now, why not use it for iPad?

I tested iPad/iTunes in VMware 7.1.3, it works.

So, I created a Virtual Machine for Apple only which purpose is to finish sync with iTunes.

In the VM, connected with iPad, confirmed to wipe all applications in iTunes.

iTunes began a very long time sync, enough to watch a movie.

When it finished, my books in iBooks were lost, except ones bought in iTunes.

But, all applications are still there!

why?

I don’t understand, the reason may be the JB.

I haven’t tested VM for Apple in another computer, in theory, it should work.

Jailbreak is a kind of happiness, my words.

I will not upgrade IOS3.2.2 and iTunes 10.0.1.22 as Apple suggested. They are suitable with me.

Don’t think iPad is a computer, it’s just a toy which can do some compute.

To start a virtual machine in VirtualBox directly without its management GUI, you can use this command,

“c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe” startvm {344deca7-3272-454a-b845-77777777777}

note: 344deca7-3272-454a-b845-77777777777  is uuid which can also be checked with command vBoxManager.exe. This is an example output.

C:\Users\it1999>”c:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe” list vms
“Ubuntu 10.10 VirtualBox” {344deca7-3272-454a-b845-77777777777}

VirtualBox is not stable as VMware, If you want add/remove usb device frequently. Except it can’t recognize the device correctly, it can’t shutdown normally when detect an unknown device.

But VirtualBox V4.0.2 is suitable for simply application now.

I don’t like its virtual device management of this version. It makes you feel nothing you can do, just accept it gives.

The advantage of VirtualBox V4.0.2 over VMware V7.1.3 is summarized as following,

1. Faster boot and reboot, 10 seconds less than VMware in most tests. Fast application response.

2. 2D/3D support

3. support most poplar virtual disk formats, such as vmdk, vdi, vhd and hdd.

4. Free

5. Windows partition auto align. My test shows, the offset of Windows XP in VMware is 28KB.  When the same vmdk opened by VirtualBox, it is changed to 32KB. VirtualBox follows the best practice.

The virtual machines I used need add/remove usb device every day, even several times in a day. The best choice for me is still VMware V7.1.3, to continue bearing its long boot time.

Compatibility, Availability and performance is my standard to choose V-applicatons.

VirtualBox for Windows is lost in my test, again.

I will test VirtualBox for Linux today, wish it win.

Error loading operating system, VirutalBox, Why?!

The reason is very simple,

If vmdk use a SCSI disk interface, it will make VirtualBox don’t know how to boot, because it want a IDE interface in Windows.

So, we change SCSI disk to IDE disk, it should work.

I chose the slowest and the simplest way, VMware: IDE–>Ghost–>Del SCSI, VirtualBox: New OS

1. create another disk which has a IDE interface, having the same size as SCSI disk.

2. using a boot ISO image which also can run ghost.

3. Ghost, disk to disk

4. Delete SCSI disk in VMware’s settings.

5. Reboot Windows in VMware, and shutdown, to test it can work.

6. Add a new Virtual Machine in VirtualBox using the IDE vmdk cloned by Ghost.

7. Boot Windows in VirtualBox, now the Windows is coming.

:)

To test Windows’ vmdk can be immigrated to VirtualBox took me about 5 hours.

The solution isn’t perfect ,but it works.

When using clone of vmdk from VMware, VirtualBox is defeated by VMware.

“Error loading operating system” , the error for Microsoft Windows OS hasn’t been solved  for a long time.

I have tested that VirtualBox can use clone of vmdk in Unbuntu 10.10.

But, in Windows 7, when using clone of VMware, it always shows “Error loading operating system” whatever you have tried.

And, there is no solution in Internet.

Why ?!

It shouldn’t be the reason to discard VirtualBox, when you want to convert all of your VMs to VBs.

I have read several articles about Chinese fonts setting under Ubuntu, the solutions they suggest are not suitable for me.

This is my setting for Ubuntu 10.10, the effect of Firefox is almost the same as IE6 under Windows XP.

I have tested ObjectDock V2.0 under Windows 7.

It’s the best dock application I have tested.

At last, I even removed the task bar of Windows 7.

This is my setting,

1. Create a dock in the middle bottom with the most used application.

2. Create a tab dock in the middle right(to avoid VMware and VirtualBox in middle top) with almost all application, and classified with several tabs, such as General, Documents, Internet, Multimedia, Others, and the most important, a taskbar and a system tray tab.

3. remove Taskbar of Windows 7.

4. Create a shortkey for ObjectDock “Ctrl+Alt+D”

Now, the desktop is clear, and all for application.

I dislike title bar of application, want to delete or hide it. This will be another challenge.

I don’t believe VirtualBox is slower than VMware.

So, tested again tonight.

The process is following,

1. copy WinXP Guest from NTFS to EXT3

2. For VirtualBox, add Extension Pack, and reinstall new guest additions under safe mode. also, remove VMware tools.

3. boot VMware guest os

4. boot VirtualBox guest os

5. compare boot/reboot/shutdown time

The result is VirtualBox V4.0.2 is a little faster than VMware Workstation V7.0.2.

The reasons may be

1. In the first test, guest os was in NTFS, not local EXT3(my Ubuntu filesystem, not EXT4)

2. VirtualBox guest os had VMware Tools.

3. VMware is slower, because it used a longer time in BIOS.

VMware give me the feeling of real boot, slow, wait, see Windows, wait, wait, then you can use it.

VirtualBox is booting…., and ejected Windows XP, then it’s OK.

In fact VirtualBox is faster than VMware about 10 seconds during test of reboot.

sudo vi /boot/grub/grub.cfg

find      set default = “0″

in my Ubuntu, it’s line 13.

Change the number to number you want. For example, my Windows 7 is number 6(count from 0).

save

OK.