Installing Linux in an image file?

Question

linux

Windows 7 introduced the ability to install directly to VHD.
I would like to know if it is possible to install Linux in this way (let's say Ubuntu). Interested not so much in the possibility of further connection to the VM, but in the installation to a file and the ability not to bother with partitions.
I would also like to know about the performance of such systems (it is also interesting about Windows).

Answer 1

It is not entirely clear what the goal is ...
To read the system from the file later, you will need a cunning boot manager that understands the system boot from this very VHD file.
In principle, the encapsulation of a file system inside a file of another file system should not degrade in speed.
Linux can be installed in a file of a virtual machine, then transferred to the host and, with a smart boot manager, booted from this
file those. if you suddenly the system does not have enough space, you will have to connect additional files. You can run into hemorrhoids.

Answer 2

I don't know if I understood the question correctly, but the Ubuntu LiveCD works with an ISO image on the screw. True, with all the limitations inherent in LiveCD, primarily read-only. There are tools for customizing the installation.

Answer 3

Wubi Ubuntu? Or am I hopelessly behind the times and this is no longer the case?

Answer 4

Wubi can do that.

Answer 5

Maybe it's easier to put in a virtual machine and not bother with partitions?
By the way, once upon a time in Linux there was a driver that could store POSIX file attributes on FAT.

Answer 6

Nothing really complicated at all. The idea is this: GRUB reads the kernel and initrd from the FAT partition. Initrd mounts the FAT partition, finds the filesystem image, mounts it, chroots it. That's just to design it from under Windows is unlikely to succeed, LiveCD with Linux. Create an empty image, create a FS on it, install the OS there (for example, via debootstrap), take the kernel and initrd from the image, build your initrd with the necessary magic (and this is not so trivial), install GRUB.