VirtualBox, RAW-disks and boot0

[Eugene Grosbein]

Eugene Grosbein wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> I've built FreeBSD 8.0-STABLE "LiveUSB" image using nanobsd script,
> it works with real hardware. I'd like to test it with VirtualBox
> to avoid rebooting too often. So, I've installed
> virtualbox-ose 3.1.4 from ports and tested it:
> 
> - it boots Windows XP guest installed to VDI-disk just fine;
> - it boots FreeBSD "LiveCD" I've built as ISO image fine too;
> - virtual machine hangs just after reading first 512 bytes
> from RAW-dist made this way (/dev/da0 is USB flash drive):
> 
> # VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk \
> 
>    -filename $HOME/.VirtualBox/HardDisks/usbdisk.vmdk \
> 
>    -rawdisk /dev/da0 -register
> 
> I've copied first 512 bytes from VDI image containing WinXP

Well, not directly from VDI image but from /dev/ad1
while running FreeBSD guest booted from LiveCD with WinXP VDI disk
attached as secondary HDD.

> to file 'mbr' and installed it to USB flash drive
> using 'fdisk -B -b mbr da0' command and now VirtualBox
> boots and runs this "LiveUSB" with FreeBSD from real USB flash
> just fine too.