Hello everybody. Very advanced question I think. Please help me - might be URLs or filepaths where to find the answer, which scripts and where to find and how to change, and how it works on conceptual level. Of course You know what is VmWARE, so I will not give much details. I have Windows XP and VmWARE 3.1 (for Windows). I have also normally installed SuSE Linux 8.0 on separate partition using Ext3, without VmWARE, just from scratch. I am using XP's boot loader + 512-byte sector image to be able to start Linux when starting PC. When I have also lilo running from that partition's boot sector, but I do not need lilo in this case because using XP's boot loader. Lets say it runs, in general, fine: both network interfaces, Internet access through one of the interfaces using TV-Cable, sound card SB Live 5.1, video card ASUS v7700 Deluxe with 1280x1024x100Hz desktop, other NTFS and Fat32 partitions are visible, SCSI Tekram DC-395UW with SCSI CD-RW and DVD-ROM - everything is detected and working fine when I start the Linux itself. I did not recompiled default installed kernel. The motherboard is Intel 815EP. The hard disks are only IDE, CD-RW and DVD-ROM are the only SCSI devices I have. 2 x NICs, one with public IP connected to the Internet directly, one with internal IP cross-connected with my wife's PC. After that, I am about to be able to run THIS Linux installation under VmWARE, from "host" Windows XP. I configure VmWARE to allow the virtual machine read-write access to that partition. Lilo is up and running, so I always have an option how to start Linux, using real PC or virtual PC. First I have installed "VmWARE Tools", provided with VmWARE, under Linux. It was successful. If I understand correctly - these is some small daemon running when booting Linux to detect, how the Linux is going to be started: under the real PC or under the virtual PC. Am I right?.. Also need to know how it can be detected? Because virtual PC and real PC use the SAME Linux installation. But after that I have a lot of questions - the main is: how to implement DIFFERENT hardware configuration on THE SAME Linux installation, depending on the some king of trigger? This is not related only to VmWARE, but in this particular case: the trigger is "if booting the real PC or the virtual PC?". This is very important because when strating Linux from VmWARE window - of course no REAL hardware is present, because the real hardware are on the low level maintaned by the Windows XP + VmWARE 3.1. I only know that after VmWARE Tools installed I have some stuff during the boot, which can detect it, for making the appropriate X-Server configuration. So when I running Linux in the Windows XP's VmWARE windows - the screen resolution is Ok, using "virtual video card" instead of the real NVidia card Linux has detected when being installed. I am going to use THE SAME Linux kernel for both hardware profiles, bit I am not sure I am right. On the other side - how I can CHOOSE which kernel to boot, I can do it only using Lilo when Lilo started, of course it is easy to compile another kernel and include it separately in Lilo config, but AFTER I made choice in Lilo - when the trigger "real or virtual PC" runs - I have no choice anymore which kernel to use? Because I am already booting one of possibly installed kernels I have at the moment the trigger works. Am I right? Now - the hardware profiles I want to use. 1. IDE UltraDMA mode 5 (UDMA100) hard drives (one on primary channel, one on secondary channel). For the real PC - use real DMA mode, UltraDMA-100 for both IDE channels. It seems to be actually Ok, but how to check DMA mode used by Linux? For the virtual PC - use something like generic IDE controller/harddrive, with maximum DMA mode possible. 2. (seems to be already implemented) Asus v.7700 Deluxe (NVidia GeForce 2 GTS). With TV-out, S-Video. For the real PC - "as is", detected by SuSE install Ok; but how to use TV-Out? (this is another question, not related to hardware profiles) For the virtual PC - anything with 1028x1024x100Hz, like Windows XP host system runnung, and do not load kernel modules if any. Seems to be working already. 3. SCSI controller, and CD-RW with DVD-ROM connected to For the real PC - "as is", detected Ok, CD-Writing working, both drives are accessible, data DVD CD reading Ok. But how to play DVD movies, which software is recommended? (also another question) For the virtual PC - no SCSI controller needed, do not try to detect it when starting Linux, do not load its module/driver. Use both drives as "IDE CD/DVD-ROM", as VmWARE can be configured for, no CD-Writing needed, the only needed is just data access to both drives. VmWARE can do it. 4. NIC eth0, public IP, direct internet connection using TV Cable For the real PC - working Ok For the virtual PC - do not load its kernel module/driver, but use the other "driver" provided by VmWARE with exactly the same IP configuration. 5. NIC eth1, private IP, cross-connected with second home PC For the real PC - working Ok For the virtual PC - do not load its kernel module/driver, but use the other "driver" prodided by VmWARE with DIFFERENT IP address/mask/gateway e.t.c. settings. Another question - how to implement Windows XP's "Internet Connection Sharing" for the second PC using internal LAN under Linux? I mean just connect second PC to the internet using this cross-connection and connection on eth0. 6. Sound card For the real PC - "as is", detected Ok, Sound Blaster Live 5.1, works, but how to use 5.1 channels (subwoofer and 5 speakers)? Now it uses just stereo. Which kind of "mixer" or software can turn SB Live 5.1 to sound on 5.1 speakers? For the virtual PC - do not try to detect/load the module/driver, but use "generic" Sound Blaster 16 driver instead, using VmWARE's virtual sound device. Of course no special features needed, just stereo playback, as SB 16 does. 7. Un-named external analog Modem V.90, on Cirrus Logic chipset (not detected by Windows XP, but have driver from manufacturer) on normal COM-port. Does NOT detected by the real PC - how to set-up? Need just basic dial-out possibility. Would like to be able to access from virtual PC, using VmWARE's com/lpt ports sharing (so COM ports visible from virtual PC). So. Who can help how to do all the mentioned above?.. The goal is logical I think: just use Linux both from real and virtual PC. Of course I have experience to install SuSE 8 inside/from VmWARE, using "virtual disk", located on host's file system, but this is not so good: I have no option to use REAL hardware's features and to start Linux normally, without VmWARE. Solution to have real Linux installed is much better: it can be accessed in BOTH ways, with, however, this question very actual, how to implement the profiles. Please answer both to the list and to my private e-mail, g.roubchinski@chello.nl . Thank You. George