CoLinux is a wonderful tool for users who would rather run Windows NT (XP) as their primary OS but would also like to access linux. Unlike virtualization products like VmWare, CoLinux is more efficient because the linux kernel has been ported to run directly under the Windows kernel. It's seriously cool technology that gives developers like myself the best of both worlds. This guide was created because coLinux's wiki is pretty scattered – important information is often lost in the sheer weight of the millions of different ways to configure the software.
Before I start I really need to point out a MAJOR source of problems with CoLinux. CoLinux's developers have been working on making CoLinux more user-friendly (i.e. generally easier to deal with). In doing so, their wiki, and mailing lists is filled with now incorrect information. (Or worse, version specific instructions with no indication of which version the information applies to.) This is mostly the result of tinkering with the interfaces such as the XML configuration file, but extends to other things like the initrd image and the mechanism for loading modules. In the development branch, for example, XML is no longer supported, and thus you now need to specify the arguments on the command line. This wiki, unfortunately, started on the stable build using XML and switched to the development branch half way through. (I had problems specifying the Ubuntu kernel arguments for the installer on the command line.)
Important: Any time I reference “new versions of coLinux” I mean any version of CoLinux which doesn't support XML. For me that's 0.8.0!
On this wiki I will document the steps for installing and setting up CoLinux. I will also discuss integration of both Windows and Linux with the least amount of pain. (CoLinux isn't known for ease of use.)
I'd like to thank all the contributors and developers of CoLinux for working on a great tool, and maintaining the colinux wiki.