Windows Virtual Machine in Linux - Google contained?

I’m looking to try installing VMWare in Linux to run Windows for job purposes. I have a couple of questions:

  1. Right now I have a dual boot situation. My desktop has 2 hard drives - 1 has Windows, and the other Linux. Will I be able to run Windows in a VM from within Linux on that drive?
  2. It stinks, but I am forced to use Google Chrome for work. If I successfully create a Windows VM in Linux, will all the bad things (tracking, etc.) from using Chrome be contained in the Windows VM?
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Hey @LibertyMom!
I’m gonna shoot the forum devs on the foot! Topics keep on sliding by without ever getting an “unread” notification - which I normally do for topics that I haven’t opened.

The simple answer to your first question is yes. You won’t have any issue running Windows there. If you have a single Windows license, however, I would recommend disconnecting your Internet when installing Windows on the VM - so that it relies on giving you the option to create a local account and not seek license. If you login with your normal M$ account, it will automatically license your VM copy. However, if you shift back and forth between the VM and your normal install - M$ may get rowdy and ask you for continuous activations (or stop altogether).

For your second question, you can always install Google Chrome as a Flatpak, which is sandboxed by default on Linux. Combine it with a commercial VPN and let Google try and find you!

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