I know this is an old post, but hey, I'm a n00b, and I want to reply to it...:)


It's very easy to install Linux as a dual boot solution, that's for sure. I've been running with Ubuntu and TPC for about two years now. That's all well and good. The real issue is, as you hinted with your statement ...

What I mean by that is, as you know, the Tablet functions (other than the pen itself) and Tablet specific software don't function in the Linux environment.

The answer to that, it would seem, is obvious...just install the WinXP/Tablet PC OS in a "Virtual" machine, like VirtualWare or VirtualBox, right? Wrong. Most Tablet PC's come only with a "restore" CD, if that, and are locked to the machine they were sold with, usually, via the BIOS.

Therein lies the rub. Virtual machines "emulate" the hardware, so the installed machine doesn't have access to it. I've tested this with three different Tablet PC's., and three different restore CD's. None will install in a VM.

I love my Ubuntu, and I certainly do love my Tablet PC. I use it for business and rely on it. I really need a reliable platform and I prefer using Linux for most everything, except Tablet PC stuff like OneNote (my favorite TPC app.). And then there is the multitude of Win apps I need that won't work under Linux w/Wine, and have no Linux equivalent.

I've tried setting up a "raw" partition, as well. A raw partition is where you have both OS's installed directly on your hard drive. The, in Linux using a VM (I prefer VirtualBox-and it's free), you create a VM, and "link" (for lack of a better simple term) the partition it's on to your VM, as opposed to running it on a "virtual" partition. This, in theory and practice, allows both OS's to have full access to the hardware including the BIOS, and now you have Tablet PC running inside of a VM on Linux.

The downside to this is (you knew there had to be one, right?), it's not reliable. For some reason I keep corrupting the files on my HD. Both the Linux and Windows files, as well as, the Win boot partition. It shouldn't so this, it's not supposed to do this. Yet it does. Others using Tablet PC OS have the same issue, and yet, none of us can figure out why, not even the gurus over at VirtualBox. It just does.

So, it's back to the drawing board.

Has anyone had any success using an unbranded OEM version of Tablet PC in a virtual machine? That is probably the last possible solution that appears that it may work. I would love to try it.

I saw a post on this forum, some time back, from someone asking if anyone wanted an OEM copy to use with their own key. Has anyone taken him up on his offer, and did it work for you?

Thanks for your interest.