Already in various articles we talked about VirtualBox without however never going to the bottom of this wonderful program that makes the operation of creating a virtual machine on your computer simple and easy for anyone. By the term virtual machine we mean the installation of an operating system within what we are already using, as if it were a simple program.
A virtual computer is absolutely independent from the real PC, has its own network connection, its own drivers and is also isolated, so you can try programs without problems without affecting the real PC.
In this guide we will show you how to install Virtualbox and configure it to install another operating system so you can use for example Windows 10 and Windows 7, or try a Linux or MacOS system to know how it works and to try new programs.
READ ALSO: virtual PCs and systems emulation: Linux Windows and Mac on the same computer
Where to download VirtualBox
Virtualbox is an absolutely free program that can be downloaded from here -> VirtualBox .
On the download page we have to download the file corresponding to the basic operating system: if we use Windows we download Windows hosts .
Together with the program, we also recommend installing the Extension Pack, useful for accessing some additional features also on the virtual machine.
This Pack is present on the same page where we download the Virtualbox installer, such as VirtualBox XXX Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack .
Once you have downloaded everything you need, we start the installation of VirtualBox and then the Extension Pack to obtain a free and powerful virtualization system.
NOTE: It is also possible to download the Virtual Box Portable version which does not require installation
Download a test operating system (Linux)
We can use any operating system to try VirtualBox in image format (ISO), but for convenience we can download the ISO image of a GNU / Linux distribution, a free operating system that does not require a license to operate.
We can download the most famous distribution, Ubuntu, from here -> Ubuntu .
Download the latest version available and get ready to create a virtual machine for this operating system.
On the VirtualBox website, the page that lists the supported operating systems.
Here on Navigaweb.net, we find where to download Live CD Disks Linux for Virtualbox.
How to configure the virtual machine
Now that we have everything we need, it takes just a few minutes to create a functional and ready to use virtual machine.
The procedure described concerns the installation of Ubuntu, but it is completely similar also when we install other operating systems (such as Windows for example).
Open VirtualBox and click New on the top left to create a new virtual machine.
A window will open where you can choose the name of the virtual machine; by typing the real name of the operating system the program will adapt accordingly, providing us with the best configuration (we can still modify the configuration by hand if necessary by acting on the Type and Version menus).
Now we click Next to find ourselves in the screen where we can choose how much RAM memory to reserve for the virtual machine.
The machine will use the resources of the basic PC, so we do not assign all the RAM present but at least the amount recommended by the program (for Ubuntu it is 1 GB).
We click Next again to find ourselves now in the screen where we can choose when to allocate space on the hard disk to the virtual machine.
This hard disk is virtual, that is, it is a simple file that is used as a disk by the program; we can choose the preferred size by trying to set a virtual hard disk equal to or greater than the recommended size (for Ubuntu it is 10 GB).
We click Create ; a new window will open where you can choose the type of file that will act as a virtual hard disk (by default it is VDI, but we can also choose other formats) and the type of allocation.
By choosing to dynamically allocate the virtual hard disk, the size of the disk will grow up to the maximum dynamically set, while with the specified size a disk of the actual size will be created immediately.
When finished, click Next; the program will ask us how to call the virtual hard disk and its size.
When finished, click Create to finish creating the virtual machine.
We can already start it like this, but to get the most from the performance point of view and to start the installation of the chosen system we select the virtual machine created, click on Settings at the top and go first to the Screen menu, where we have to raise it to the maximum allowed the Video memory parameter.
Now we add the ISO image of the operating system to be installed (in our case Ubuntu) by going to Storage -> IDE Controller -> Empty and clicking on the disk-shaped button, as shown in the image below.
Click on Choose a virtual optical disk file and insert the ISO image in the virtual reader, finishing the configurations by pressing the OK button.
Now we can start the virtual machine by selecting it in the VirtualBox interface and using the Start button at the top.
The installation of the operating system will start automatically and is completely similar to that obtainable if we installed the system on a real PC (excellent for making the screeenshot of this phase).
Access to real PC folders and clipboard sharing
Once inside the virtual machine we install the Guest Additions, files that can increase the level of integration between the virtual machine and the real machine.
To do this, start the virtual machine, then click at the top of the VirtualBox window on Devices -> Insert the image of the Guest Additions CD .
The virtual disk will start automatically and, depending on the system in use, will install additional system files; at the end we restart the virtual machine to make the changes effective.
Now we can share the notes or drag and drop files or folders between the real PC and the virtual machine by selecting the menu at the top of Devices and using the items Shared clipboard and Drag and drop .
If, on the other hand, we want to access some folders on the real PC even inside the virtual machine (however, being careful since the two systems will communicate, therefore viruses and malware can pass), just click on the top menu Devices -> Shared folders .
We click on the folder icon and at the top right to add folders to be displayed in the virtual machine.
The folders will be visible on the system as network resources.
How to use snapshots
We want to do dangerous tests on the virtual machine ">
To create an instantaea click on Create and choose a name. Now the system can be tested without problems: if it no longer starts or stops, just go back to this screen, select one of the snapshots taken and click Restore .
Remember that each snapshot doubles the space occupied by the virtual machine, because it is equal to the space occupied by the operating system in the virtual disk.
Useful tips
We don't know where VirtualBox saves virtual machine files and disks? Do we want to change the path where we save the cars?
We can change the saving path of VirtualBox by opening the program and clicking on File -> Preferences .
We choose the best path under Default machines folder .
For convenience, we recommend using a separate hard disk partition or a new disk, so that you always have the space needed to create new virtual machines (which can become very large).
Council to allocate at least 200 GB as space to host all virtual machines, but obviously more space we have more machines we can create.
On Windows operating systems after installing the Guest Additions we can enable hardware acceleration, so as to increase the graphic performance.
To do this, select the Windows virtual machine, click on Settings at the top and in the Screen we activate the Enable 3D acceleration item, maximizing again the amount of video memory (which will rise to 256 MB).
Finally here is the list of recommended settings for running all the main operating systems on VirtualBox:
- Windows operating systems: at least 4 GB of allocated RAM, at least 60 GB of virtual disk
- Mac operating systems: at least 4 GB of allocated RAM, at least 40 GB of virtual disk
- Linux operating systems: at least 2 GB of allocated RAM, at least 30 GB of virtual disk
