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If you have a dual-boot system and want to configure a virtual machine to boot from an existing partition, see Configuring a Dual-Boot Computer for Use with a Virtual Machine. However, it is important to be aware that an operating system installed in this setting probably cannot boot outside of the virtual machine, even though the data is available to the host. It is possible to use either an unused partition or a completely unused disk on the host as a disk in the virtual machine.
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In some situations, you may want to install a guest operating system directly on a physical disk or partition even if you do not need to boot that disk on the host, outside of the virtual machine. Installing an Operating System onto a Physical Partition from a Virtual Machine
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