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[LUG] 20140828 help please to visualise XP on bricked laptop

 

To DCLUG,
Dear folk,
20140828 help please to visualise XP on bricked laptop.
1.A colleague wants to get rid of old desktop due space ( dump monitor,
desktop etc) and use a laptop HP Compaq 7620s from his son.
2. The colleague's son 'bricked' his laptop by trying to wipe data from
his Windows Vista Business (CoA) laptop (running XP) and return to
factory install, before giving to my colleague. The machine would not
then boot or show any disc. GParted showed a completely blank disc. It
appears his old firm (it was a redundant machine used by his son when in
his old firm) had locked the BIOS so attempt to return to factory
install  was successful, not permitted by BIOS lock, and then ((F10?) he
blanked the disc. I could not load any Windows systems or reformat
inside a Windows DVD.

3. I reformatted and installed a) OpenSUSE, it works ok. b) Dual boots
with other Linux Distros as well.
However as colleague needs a copy of MS Money to run (he has 18 years
records in MS Money) or I suggested use MS's sunset MoneyPlus.
I would like to virtualise colleague's MS XP from his old desktop and
transfer to a virtual machine in one of the Linux systems on laptop.
Use one Linux off line with virtual MS Money , and other on line as
normal Linux OS.
4 Any hints as to how to do this?
5. I looked at RoboLinux but this is a commercial method to make the
virtual copy which can then run in any linux.
Any experience of RoboLinux?

6. Ultimate way out is to buy another laptop with a MS Windows system
and load MS Money or MS Money plus, and not to connect this MS OS to
internet but use off line, and  dual boot with an up to date Linux for
his email and internet browsing etc.

7 This is first time I have had a machine with BIOS Locked by a
forgotten or unobtainable BIOS password, and disassembly to remove CMOS
battery is a very long and complex job, I would not want to do.

Any comments or help.
-- 
regards
Eion MacDonald

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