Interlude - Windows Wirtualization Woes

This series on creating a base Archlinux VM image has been awesome. As often as I've done an Arch install before, I've still learned a lot from writing the series.

They say that you never actually know something until you can teach it back; and writing about something -- say, choosing the best file-system -- has forced me to revisit all sorts of topics I had previously learned "just enough" about.

Anyway -- I had quite literally gotten to the last post in this series -- when my VirtualBox broke.

Or my Windows broke.

Or something broke -- I don't know which. Anyway, my VirtualBox doesn't work anymore.

(If I try to start an x64 VM, the "loading" message sticks around like a lazy child who won't move out of your basement. And I can't even load a 32-bit VM without getting "virtual kernal panic OMGeeeeeeee!!!!!!1" messages.)

I've tried re-creating the VM from scratch, I've tried the re-install cycle a dozen times, I've tried mucking around in the registry, -- no joy.


So -- unfortunately -- I haven't been able to get around to uploading this work-in-process VM image to Dropbox yet. It's still infuriatingly DIY.

On the other hand, it has given me a whole slew of ideas on how to Make My Stuff Better.

I'm thinking: 

• consolidate my antique server-box into my (high-power) desktop as a VM,

• split my monolithic server into a fleet of VMs dedicated to particular services,

• finagle my desktop's network to pass through my firewall VM, 

• ...

This and more coming up! Stay tuned!