How to Dual Boot Android with almost any OS

Hey guys this tutorial will show you how to install Android as a dual boot to most OS. You do not need a touchscreen for this, all you need is a mouse and keyboard. Wifi works brilliantly as do most features.


Latest Build:
Feb 27, 2012 3:38 AM android-x86-4.0-RC1

Features:
  • Kernel 2.6.35.7, KMS enable
  • Wifi support with GUI
  • Ethernet configuration GUI
  • Better disk installer
  • Power Suspend/resume (S3 mode)
  • Battery Status
  • Software mouse cursor
  • Mouse wheel
  • Support netbook native resolution
  • Audio (ALSA)
  • V4l2 Camera support
  • External monitor support
  • External storage auto mount support
  • Support external keyboard
  • Debug mode with busybox
  • Bluetooth

For this particular job you need:
A Laptop or PC
A blank Disc or USB at least 512Mb in size
An Internet Connection
The latest build of the x86 Android (can be developer preview or a release candidate) Downloaded from http://www.android-x86.org/download
A harddrive with at 5Gb of space.
Unetbootin
A Windows PC, or a Virtual Machine, or Wine, or a program that allows you to open .exe files on other OS

Step 1. Download the x86 Android from the website. Preferably 4.0, for most laptops and PC's, use the download with ASUS in its name.

Step 2. Download UnetBootIn if you are using a USB from here http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ or IMGburn from here
http://download.imgb...urn_2.5.6.0.exe

Step 3. Place the ISO file you have downloaded in a folder on your desktop.
If you are using a USB follow step 4A, If you are using a Disc follow step 4B

Step 4A. Run UnetBootIn and select diskimage at the bottom of the program. Click the ... to choose the .iso file we saved to our desktop remember? Select USB drive at the bottom of the page and choose the directory letter. We don't have to worry about anything else for now so press okay.

Step 4B. Run IMGburn, Press write to disc and select the .iso file on our desktop by pressing the folder and navigating our way there, for destination choose the disc drive with your blank CD/DVD inside it and press the .iso to disc button under it. Allow it to do it's thing.

Step 5. Open up your start menu for windows users. Open my computer and right click your C: drive. Storage --> Properties . Check that it has the space we need and that it is formatted to NTFS. This should be done by default but be sure just in case.

**I reccomend you back up your important files at this point, just in case :) **

Step 6. Insert your disc/usb into a drive and restart your computer.

Step 7. Open your Bios/Boot Options and set your USB/CD or DVD to first priority.

Step 8. Allow the computer to read the file and you should see a dialogue appear, choose install android to hard disk
.
Step 9. Choose your partition, this is where it gets tricky as linux doesn't show the names of partitions, my C: drive is always the third, but yours could be anyone one of them, It can only be an NTFS drive so try one.

Step 10. Now it should ask you about format options select don't format.

Step 11. It will ask to install Grub Loader, Select yes (this is our multiboot utility)

Step 12. Now if it is the correct drive it should say a The installer found a Windows Partition. If It said that skip to Step 14. If it hasn't go to step 13.

Step 13. Restart your computer and repeat steps 8 - 12 but select a different NTFS drive until the program tells you it found the windows partition.

Step 14. It will now say "do you want to install /system directory as read-write?" Select Yes. It will now begin installing Android.

Step 15. It will ask you to create a disc image, select yes, this allows it to save your apps/work/android setup

Step 16. It will prompt you to set the space in Mb the image can take in MegaBytes. I reccomend 1Gb, so type 1024 or any other amount of space you want. This may take a while, feel like a break? Go have one.

Step 17. Now you can select create a fake sd card, to store your system files in, type 1024. I haven't figured out how to access this in windows yet but, create one anyway to store phone files I suppose.

Step 18. Now reboot your PC/Laptop

Step 19. Now you can choose your boot options. This will happen everytime you boot your PC or Laptop. Upon first boot android may take a small time to load.

Step 20. Set up your Google account. And away you go.


Known Bugs Within Android 4.0 Release Candidates:
Yay! Bugs in The Release Candidate!
Known Models of PC That Are Compatible:

Known Models Of Laptop That Are Compatible:
Acer Aspire One
Asus EeePc Series
Dell Inspiron Mini Duo
Samsung Q1U
Viewsonic Viewpad 10
Lenovo ThinkPad x61 Tablet


Have questions?
Feel free to ask.

Also If you used this be sure to rate it. This will have pictures added soon.
 
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Zerosuit connor

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hey there ,
I just wanted to say thanks for the tutorial !
But i am facing some difficulties First here are my specs :

Laptop
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Pa 1510
AMD Turion â„¢ 64 x 2 Mobile
Technology TL-50
798 MHz , 1,37 GB

Windows XP Media Center Edition
Version 2002 Service Pack 3
Made by Pliek

I have an HDD wich i splitt up in two parts C-Disk has 30Gb ( 6GB free space ) D-disk has 45 GB ( 10 GB free space ) . And i've got an USB flash drive with 1GB .

hope that gives you enough data

I've followed your tutorial and this is the story :
offcourse i've selected the USB flashe device as first priority in the bios
2012-05-11%2021.25.10.jpg


I've tried almost everything , and the first problems i encounterd and resolved where the format of the USB drive , first i tried FAT32 , that gave me problems , then i tried just FAT and that worked for me and gave me the menu . i've tried then many of the ISO's and then i saw an black BIOS screen with white lines etc . wich stopped at the line [ 0.140000] Performance Events : .

2012-05-11%2017.02.27.jpg


That problem got resolved after i took the : android-x86-4.0-RC1-amd_brazos.iso . that one worked for me and gave me the menu i was supposed to get .( i also tried every other AMD .iso version and they all give me the same )

2012-05-11%2021.26.06.jpg


After i pressed the : install Android-x86 to harddisk i've got the second menu . But it did not show me the NTFS disk of my laptop , it just showed me the USB flash drive ,

2012-05-11%2021.26.20.jpg


Here's an Youtube film i made from the beginning to the end
[VIDEO]http://youtu.be/EZA2Q9656aM[/VIDEO]

even though i knew i couldn't installed it to that , i still tried it and it did not work gheghe . I've tried another USB flash drive and it gave me the same problem . I even tried other USB ports and that didn't gave me the solution I even tried an 8GB microSDcard wich i formatted to FAt and Fat32 but the menu did not saw the SD card .

I found an old .ISO which i burned to an CD an few months ago and it gave me this screen after i boot my laptop from an CD/DVD :

2012-05-11%2021.45.02.jpg


But unfortunately it gave me the same Line [ 0.140000] Performance Events . I know this .ISO isn't for the AMD , but i cannot burn the android-x86-4.0-RC1-amd_brazos.iso to an CD right now But i am confident that it will give me the same menu-window as the USB method .

Do you have an solution for me other then buying an Android tablet or laptop ?

Many thanks !
Dave
Can you boot without install?
It can often be the USB, I had to try 2 to get it to work or try another version and see if that works ie Honeycomb. Unfortunately I don't own a laptop or a PC to test it on anymore. If all that fails post it on the android x86 forums.

http://groups.google.com/group/android-x86/topics
 

DaveDH

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Sorry,
Forgot to mention that ! I've tried that two ! It gave me an warning that my system maybe unstable ,it keeps on that menu screen with that message .
Also I tried two different USB flash sticks on different USB sockets but to no avail :(

thanks for the quick reply !:)

After the weekend I shall post my difficulties on that site you gave me.
 

Zerosuit connor

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Nice guide Zerosuit Connor!
Thanks :) Unfortunately I no longer have a netbook to do anything like this on as I've switched to a Pc, im currently building piece by piece to get it the way I want. So anyone who I cant help google the problem with android-x86 on the end or take it to their forums. :) iOS users might see a guide on running android via openIboot or Bootlace. And maybe compiling android from source for AOSP roms.
 

Zerosuit connor

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Im also hoping to see some more interest in android on this forums as it's a very diverse gaming platform especially if you own an Xperia Play

...Or a Gametel Pad

fa69500a804abfce9bc3b4cda5d9036b_med.jpg
God :O Anyway im upset with Sony after the recent broken promise to owners of the Xperia Play and I've spoken to consumer affairs about the misleading advertising and im waiting for them to get back to me. On topic I've decide a how to root a number of android devices tutorial is on its way with pictures and a ton of other stuff and maybe a tut on creating a "hello world" app
 

c825w

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First of all. Many thanks Zerosuit connor for providing this useful information. I have been through the forum but cannot find a similar case like me.
Laptop Spec.
Asus - M6N
Hard disk - 40gb (20gb free space) on single partition.

X86 Android version -

roid-x86-2.2-r2-asus_laptop.iso
View
Android-x86 2.2-r2 live & installation iso for ASUS laptops/tablets


Nov 23, 2011 4:41 AM
Chih-Wei Huang

I am using CD-Rom installation. Successfully burnt downloaded iso to disk and boot from the disk. Every step was ok until Step 14 - It will now say "do you want to install /system directory as read-write?" Select Yes. It will now begin installing Android.

I selected Yes on Step 14 and it will starting installing and in the windows saying Install 120Mb. But it popped an error message telling me insufficient disk space with options - Retry or Reboot.

I selected Retry then this time on Step 14 - I selected NO to install /system directory as read-write. Then the next screen is installing with 75Mb system file. Then the next screen Step 15 asking for creating disc image. Click Yes and specified 1024 and it wrote till 100% then pop up error message - 'Write image error'.

I remove the installation disc from the DVD drive and boot my laptop. Selected to boot Android. It starts with detecting X86 Android installed with “.............” then loaded the next line ANDROID.

Left the laoptop for 15 minutes still nothing happen.

Please help.
 

air2004

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cant remember which one I got to work .... I was having trouble getting it to load after the install but I could run it off the cd with no problem .....these are the 2 I have downloaded
android-x86-4.0-asus_laptop-20120101
android-x86-4.0-RC2-thinkpad

maybe the asus was the one I got to work , will have to check tomorrow. Dolphin went sideways on me , so I tried that ninesky , it starts out sideways for about 2 secs then fixes its orientation. I have to say it is fun playing with android on the laptop
 

Henry Eilers

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Hi, i've gotta little problem.

when it ask me what to boot i have 4 choices:
1.Android HD something
2.Android MD something
3.Android (Debug)
4.Windows

when i choose debug it opens some control menu or something like that but like the old computers(tipe what you want it to do).after i understood what is debug (thanks to wikipedia) i knew that this is not the right choice.

when i choose the hd or the md thigs it's just not working ot opens something and after that screen become black (for both choices)

for windows haha :D how do you thing i write to you now haha.

The question is: What i have to choose or probably what i have to do at all?
 

Ash boy

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Hey
I'm trying to install Android Kitkat on my desktop pc booting from the Usb,so it gives me the first screen to choose boot without installation or othr options,so i choose the 4th option install,for now everything seems ok.
But...when it gives me the next screen,surprise! i can not use my keyboard or mouse anymore! i suppose it's normal since android is made for touchescreen things,but i am asking this anyways : Do you have any solution for this? :/
 

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