Intuit Software (Quickbooks etc) under Linux?

[Fraser Campbell]

D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:

> I have always assumed that:
> 
> - the damn WinXP that is bundled with brand-name machines that I've
>   bought is not generic -- it is set up for the hardware I bought.
>   One hint is that it comes on a "restoration disk" or, more recently,
>   a "hidden" restoration partition.
> 
> - an MS Windows emulator emulates particular peripherals, usually not
>   those on the actual hardware.
> 
> - the installed or restored MS Windows would not run on the emulated
>   hardware.
> 
> - so a new copy of MS Windows needs to be purchased to run under the
>   emulator
> 
> Is my concern correct or is there a good way to run bundled WinXP
> under and emulator?

I expect you are correct.

My story ... I received no media with the computer and was told I should 
create a recovery CD. I inserted a blank DVD+RW and I'm told it's not blank 
even though it is, I then put in a blank DVD+R and after 4 hours it's still 
claiming to be finalizing the DVD  but the DVD lights are no longer on and 
there's no appearance of activity otherwise.

I kill the process and the DVD is a coaster, I try again same thing and get 
another coaster.  I install ubuntu, shrinking the Windows partition from 
200 Gb to 30 something Gb and try again, another coaster.

There is a windows install partition in addition to the actual system 
partition, I assume if I back that up I should be safe enough.  If I cannot 
figure out how to install it into a VM or reinstall it into a smaller 
partition at a future date then I will find a pirated copy and install that 
using my completely valid serial number.  More so though I'm hoping that I 
will have no need for Windows, I've done without it since 1995 so that 
shouldn't change ... I thought it might be nice to have in case there's 
ever some windows related troubleshooting I need to do.


> The best way, as far as I'm concerned, would be if I could run the
> pre-installed WinXP, in its existing partition, under an emulator.
> 
> Additional complexity: two of my three such machines are AMD64s
> running Linux natively but the WinXP installations are 32-bit
> versions.  Is this a problem?

I'm in exactly the same situation, one AMD64, one dual core AMD64 :-) I 
don't know this for sure but it sounds like qemu can run XP.  I expect that 
you will need a 64bit version of qemu but that it should be able to run 
32bit windows (it is emulating hardware after all ... and even if not AMD64 
can natively execute 32bit).


> PS: restoring WinXP always clobbers the whole disk.  WinXP restoration
> will not allow any existing partitions to be retained.  Reminds me of
> some of the nature shows showing cow bird chicks (hatched from eggs
> snuck into other birds nests by the mother) throwing other chicks out
> of the nest.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Bird

Reminds me of cow dung, windows is such utter crap.

-- 
Fraser Campbell <fraser-Txk5XLRqZ6CsTnJN9+BGXg at public.gmane.org>                 http://www.wehave.net/
Georgetown, Ontario, Canada                               Debian GNU/Linux
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