Linux/Windows Dual Boot and Linux O/S with Virtual Box QEMU Windows virtual booted from other drive.

[zPuppy]

Hiya Peeps

Crazy long title. So, I have installed MX Linux on a SSD in a PC that had Windows 11 installed on another SSD (as main and only O/S). I have installed MX Linux onto a new SSD, and now can only boot into MX Linux.

Rather than configure bootgrub etc. which I will do later, I am wondering if I can install QEMU or similar onto my booted MX Linux, and simply point to the Windows separate SSD to load virtually. The idea of cloning the Windows O/S seems kinda redundant, yet I cannot find any tute's or advice on how this can be done? (or if I did, I was too confused to figure out what I was reading, more likely)

This seems like a solution that many people would benefit from, so it must have been done before, true?

I may add that I do have Windows Documents/Desktop etc. configured to a separate Data Hard Drive, so best case scenario would be to boot into Linux, use QEMU or similar to boot Windows virtually from other SSD, and save Windows data in real world to my separate HDD Data Hardrive

??? Am I supersizing my fries, adding a milkshake and apple slice and driving away from the checkout without paying here??? Thanks anyway, zPuppy

 

[zPuppy]

Update; for anyone following, with regards to QEMU I reached out to some #QEMU chat and got the following response;

Your Windows SSD has a Linux device name and you simply point to that in your configuration.

 

[Brickwizard]

Was the windows ssd connected when you installed Linux to the new one? If yes , then grub should have recognised it , and give you the boot option on the grub screen,try.
If not connected you need to re-set grub to recognise the windows drive ,try from the terminal sudo update-grub., with a multi-boot Linux will be default unless you change it