Install ReactOS into a file which is filesystem image: Feature and its 'upstream codes'

All development related issues welcome

Moderator: Moderator Team

Post Reply
Mna.
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 3:13 pm

Install ReactOS into a file which is filesystem image: Feature and its 'upstream codes'

Post by Mna. »

I have an idea for a long time for a feature for ReactOS which will allow easier installation of ReactOS on ordinary computers,
avoiding repartitioning the computer disk and related problems.
The code for this exists for Linux, it is win32-loader of Debian [2][3] (or wubi of Ubuntu [1])
The code can be ported directly from these projects.

User experience is very smooth: click on URL, download .exe and run it, it installs some file, and after restart - voila - you have new operating system in you menu to choose during boot.

win32-loader is a specialized installer of Debian Linux which can install linux into a filesystem image and run it from there after installation,
via selecting new entry in Windows bootloader.
This was done for easier changing to another OS, avoiding MS Windows. Network version even entitled "Goodbuy Microsoft" [5]

But Debian version has no such smooth GUI app as wubi of Ubuntu had and wubi is much better documented - compare only Wikipedia articles [2][1].
Particularly win32-loader does not emphasize its feature of installing linux into the ordinary file, while wubi explicitly and noisy advertises that everywhere, and wubi still is just thin yet more beautiful reskin of win32-loader GUI app.

Wubi to regret was discontinued in 2013, but I believe it is possible to find the sources.
There exists more recent and active reincarnation for newer partitioning standard, wubi for UEFI [4].

-I am writing this here with (small) hope that some developer could take this idea and implement it,
and until recent I had hope I will do it myself

Thanks for attention

= References =
[1] Wubi (software) - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(software)

[2] win32-loader - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Win32-loader

win32-loader description
http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/tools/w ... loader.txt

[4] wubiuefi: fork of Wubi (https:// launchpad.net/wubi) for UEFI support and for support of recent Ubuntu releases
https://github.com/hakuna-m/wubiuefi/

[5] Say goodbye to Microsoft. Now.
https://people.debian.org/~rmh/goodbye-microsoft/
hbelusca
Developer
Posts: 1204
Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2009 10:36 pm
Location: Zagreb, Croatia

Re: Install ReactOS into a file which is filesystem image: Feature and its 'upstream codes'

Post by hbelusca »

Hi, that's a nice idea, but that would require amongst others to be able to boot from a virtual hard disk (which is what win32-loader/wubi uses for "installing" linux and booting from it afterwards). This is not implemented yet in ReactOS.
Mna.
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2010 3:13 pm

Re: Install ReactOS into a file which is filesystem image: Feature and its 'upstream codes'

Post by Mna. »

hbelusca wrote: Sun Feb 09, 2020 11:54 pm that would require .. to be able to boot from a virtual hard disk - This is not implemented yet in ReactOS.
Yes, somehow, the loading processes of ReactOS are nailed down in the code to boot exactly from disk C:/first volume of first disk/

So as intermediate thing, before this, probably, should be feature to boot from say disk D:, or, say, second partition of second disk
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests