OS installation in a virtual machine. Virtualbox installation Windows XP
How to install a virtual machine on your computer and most importantly, which virtual machine to choose? Before asking you this question, I wandered around the Internet and realized that the easiest to install and configure are VirtualBox and Virtual PC, but there are also Hyper-V and VMWare. I understand that now you will ask me: “Why do I need a virtual machine?” My answer: "I want to install different operating systems and experiment with them, I'm very interested: Windows XP, Windows 7, but especially Windows 8!" The Windows 7 I have installed works fine with all the applications installed in it, but the hype around the new Windows 8 is only growing and I don’t want to stand aside, so you have already written two dozen articles about the eight on your site and continue to write. I’m thinking of installing a virtual machine (but I won’t choose which one) to install Windows 8 into it and slowly study it like that, and then you look in October, when the final version of Windows 8.1 comes out, I’ll install it as a second operating system. Mark.
Hello admin! on the Microsoft website and wanted to install it on my VirtualBox virtual machine, but the installation fails with the error “ VT-x/AMD-V hardware virtualization features enabled but not functional". What to do?
How to install a virtual machine
Friends, if you have never dealt with a virtual machine, then I will explain to you in a nutshell what it is. A virtual machine is a real computer created inside your main operating system and in this computer you can install other operating systems (several!) and not only Windows. You can, as you wish, experiment with the operating system installed in the virtual machine, go out to the Internet, install various software without fear of infecting your computer with a virus, in short, connect your imagination and you will find a use for it.
For example, one of my friends learned to reinstall the operating system and divide the hard disk into several partitions only using a virtual machine.
As for the choice of a virtual machine, an article will be written on our website about each of the existing ones. Recommend to you install virtual machine VirtualBox, its capabilities are enough not only for a beginner, but also for an experienced user, besides, it is free. Start with her. Simple and intuitive settings, stable operation, made it one of the most popular.
What are the virtual machines?
Virtual PC is free, very easy to install in Windows 7, follow the link to the Microsoft website, download and install.http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=3702
paid, costs 222.53 €, but there is a 30-day trial period. This virtual machine is needed primarily for system administrators and software developers.
So it's decided, install the VirtualBox virtual machine. We go to the site https://www.virtualbox.org/ , click "Downloads", select
VirtualBox 4.2.16 for Windows hosts x86/amd64.
The installer of the virtual machine is downloaded, we must run it as an administrator, otherwise in the future you will be plagued by various errors when working with the virtual machine. Right click on the installer and select "Run as administrator"
The program is very easy to install on our computer.
We start the virtual machine as an administrator.
Click on the "Create" button.
First of all, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that if you decide to install Windows 7 64-bit on a virtual machine, select Windows 7 64-bit from the list. If you decide to install another operating system, for example Windows 8.1 64-bit, then be sure to select Windows 8.1 64-bit in the drop-down list and enter a fictional name for the virtual machine, for example Windows 8.1, then click Next.
In this window, you need to specify the amount of memory that you can allocate to the virtual machine. Friends, you must understand that the RAM allocated to a virtual machine will not be available to the operating system installed on your computer. If you have only 2 GB of your own RAM, then you cannot allocate more than 1024 MB to a virtual machine, your operating system, when working with a virtual machine, will slow down a lot. If you are installing Windows 8, then the optimal size for it is just 1024 MB. As you can see, my computer has 8 GB of RAM installed, which means I can allocate more than 1 GB, for example 2 GB.
Create a new virtual hard disk.
File type select VDI
At this stage, we need to specify the format of the virtual hard disk. If you check "Dynamic virtual hard disk" This means that the space on your hard disk allocated for the needs of the virtual machine will not be taken immediately, but as files accumulate in your virtual machine. I recommend that you use this option.
Specify the size of the virtual hard disk. If you are creating a virtual machine for the first time, specify 50 GB, this is enough to install Windows 8. But I personally indicate for myself a larger volume. Why? In the process of working with a virtual machine, I will install many operating systems, so I will indicate the amount of 240 GB.
You can create a virtual disk on a disk other than the system disk, it's very simple, click on the yellow folder and Explorer will open, specify any partition on your hard drive to place the virtual hard disk.
We see the outcome. So, we have created a virtual machine, now we need to configure it and finally install Windows 8 into it.
Select our virtual machine and click "Configure".
System. Remove the checkmark from the "Diskette" item. We leave the CD / DVD-ROM as the first boot device, since we will boot the virtual machine from the installation disk or Windows 8 image, we leave the Hard disk as the second device.
The "Processor" parameter is left as is.
"Acceleration" Hardware virtualization must be enabled, for sure you will install a 64-bit operating system.
Display. Video. "Enable 3D Acceleration" and "Enable 2D Acceleration"
Video memory 128 MB
Media. A little of your attention!
Your physical disk drive will be available in the virtual machine, in my case Drive "I" and if you have a Windows disk you can use it to install the operating system, check the Live CD/DVD box.
There is also a virtual drive here, let's connect an image with the Windows 8 operating system, which we downloaded in yesterday's article, to it. In the "Media" option, select "Drive" and "Select optical disc image"
File Explorer will open where you can select the downloaded Windows 8 image, then click Open.
The Windows 8 image will attach to the virtual drive.
What is a USB filter? Imagine such a situation, all USB devices connected to your computer will be detected in the operating system that is installed on your virtual machine. Naturally, you don't need this. USB filters will determine which USB device should be defined in the virtual machine, and which one in your main system. To see how it all works in practice, you must first install the Windows 8.1 operating system in our virtual machine, and then everything will become clear to you, read on.
In order for all connected USB-2.0 flash drives to work properly in your virtual machine, install the VirtualBox 4.2.16 Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack plugin, download it at the office. website https://www.virtualbox.org/
Since we all love to experiment, dig into the system settings, run something of our own making, it is necessary to think about a safe place to experiment. Such a place for us will be a VirtualBox virtual machine with Windows 7 installed.
When starting the VirtualBox virtual machine (hereinafter referred to as VB), the user sees a window with a completely Russian-language interface.
Recall that when you install the application, the shortcut is automatically placed on the desktop. If this is your first time creating a virtual machine, this article will provide detailed instructions that may be helpful at this stage.
So, in a new window, click "Create", after which you can select the OS name and other attributes. You can choose from all available operating systems.
Go to the next step by clicking Next. Now you need to specify how much RAM to allocate to the VM. For its normal functioning, 512 MB is enough, but you can choose more.
After that, we create a virtual hard disk. If you have previously created discs, you can use them. However, in the same article, we will focus on how they are created.
We mark the item "Create a new hard drive" and move on to the next steps.
In a new window, you need to specify where the new disk image should be located and how large it is. If you are creating a boot disk containing Windows 7, then 25 GB is enough (this figure is set by default).
As far as placement is concerned, the best solution would be to place the disk outside of the system partition. Failure to do so may result in an overloaded boot drive.
If everything suits, click "Create".
When the disk is created, the parameters of the created VM will be displayed in a new window.
Now you need to configure the hardware of the virtual machine.
In the "General" section, the 1st tab displays key information about the created machine.
Let's open a tab "Additionally". Here we will see the option "Picture Folder". It is recommended to place the specified folder outside the system partition, since the snapshots are large.
"Shared Clipboard" implies the operation of the clipboard when interacting with your host OS and VM. The buffer can work in 4 modes. In the first mode, the exchange is made only from the guest operating system to the main one, in the second - in the reverse order; the third option allows both directions, and the fourth disables communication. We choose the bidirectional option as the most convenient.
"Mini toolbar" is a small panel that allows you to manage the VM. We recommend activating this console in full-screen mode, since it completely repeats the main menu of the VM working window. The best place for it is at the top of the window, because that way there is no risk of accidentally pressing one of its buttons.
Let's go to the section "System". The first tab offers to make certain settings, which we will discuss below.
1. If necessary, adjust the amount of VM RAM. At the same time, only after its launch it will become completely clear whether the volume is chosen correctly.
When choosing, you should start from the amount of physical memory installed on the computer. If it is equal to 4 GB, then it is recommended to allocate 1 GB for the VM - it will function without "brakes".
2. Let's determine the order of loading. A floppy disk (floppy) player is not needed, turn it off. The first in the list should be assigned a CD / DVD drive in order to be able to install the OS from a disk. Note that this can be either a physical disk or a virtual image.
See the reference section for other settings. They are closely related to the hardware configuration of your computer. If you set settings that are not consistent with it, the VM will not start.
Bookmark "CPU" the user specifies how many cores are on the virtual motherboard. This option will be available if hardware virtualization is supported. AMD-V or VT-x.
Regarding hardware virtualization options AMD-V or VT-x, then before activating them, you need to find out if these functions are supported by the processor and whether they are originally included in BIOS– it often happens that they are disabled.
Now consider the section "Display". Bookmark "Video" indicates the amount of memory of the virtual video card. Activation of two-dimensional and three-dimensional acceleration is also available here. The first of them is desirable to include, and the second parameter is optional.
In chapter "Carriers" all disks of the new virtual machine are displayed. Also here you can see a virtual drive with the inscription "Empty". We will mount the Windows 7 installation disk image into it.
The virtual drive is configured as follows: click on the icon located on the right. A menu opens in which we click "Select Optical Disc Image". The next step is to add the operating system boot disk image.
We will not cover network issues here. Note that the network adapter is initially active, which is a prerequisite for the VM to access the Internet.
On the section COM there is no point in dwelling in detail, since nothing is connected to such ports today.
In chapter USB check both available options.
Let's go to "Shared Folders" and select the directories to which the VM is planned to provide access.
The entire setup process is now complete. Now you can start installing the OS.
Select the created machine in the list and click "Run". The installation of Windows 7 on VirtualBox itself is very similar to a regular Windows installation.
After downloading the installation files, a window with a choice of language will open.
We accept the terms of the license.
Then choose "Full installation".
In the next window, you need to select a disk partition for installing the operating system. We have only one section, so we select it.
During installation, the machine will automatically restart several times. After all reboots, enter the desired username and computer.
Here we enter the product key, if any. If not, then just click "Further".
Set the timezone and date.
Then we choose which network to attribute our new virtual machine to. Click "Home".
After these steps, the virtual machine will automatically reboot and we will get to the desktop of a freshly installed Windows 7.
Thus, we installed Windows 7 on the VirtualBox virtual machine. Then it will need to be activated, but this is a topic for another article ...
Installing a virtual machine on your computer is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. In this article, we will detail how to install and configure virtualbox, as well as how to add new virtual machines. Let's first understand what a virtual machine is.
For example, you have a Windows 7 operating system or higher, but you need to use an application that runs exclusively on Windows XP. Agree, if you need to work with this application, it is not always advisable to reinstall the OS, especially to an outdated version of Windows. It's easier to install a virtual machine on your computer, deploy Windows XP in it and run the necessary application without any problems.
Thus, a virtual machine is a full-fledged computer (containing a processor, RAM, hard drive and BIOS) running inside the computer through an emulator application.
With a virtual machine, you can:
- test applications;
- run programs that your OS does not support;
- Familiarize yourself with the capabilities of other operating systems;
- test the operation of network programs in closed virtual networks, etc.
Step by step installation of Virtualbox
To download Virtualbox, go to the official website www.virtualbox.org. At the moment, the latest version of the utility is 5.0.10.
Run the downloaded installer file, click "Next".
After that, the next window of the program will start. Don't change anything in it. Click next.
Leave the checkboxes in the default options box. Click Next.
After that, another installation window will appear. The Virtualbox installer will inform you that a new network connection will be created during the installation of the program. This means that your main connection is temporarily deactivated. Click "Yes", then in the next window "Install".
Wait for the app to install. Upon completion of the installation, a notification will pop up regarding the successful completion of the Virtualbox installation process. Click "Finish".
If everything was successful, the "VirtualBox Manager" will start.
"Manager" is a shell that provides work between Virtualbox and a desktop PC. The range of options for this app is quite small. True, it is not worth wasting time on reviewing them, since the program works with default settings that can satisfy most users.
How to add a new virtual machine?
To install a new virtual machine, select the "Create" option. We enter its name, select the type and version of the operating system. In our case, Windows XP.
In the new window, select the amount of RAM. Keep in mind that you will not be able to allocate more memory than is installed on the PC.
The next window will prompt you to create a new virtual hard disk or use an existing one. Since this is our first launch. Since we are running the program for the first time, create a new one using the "Create a new virtual hard disk" option.
In the next window, you need to specify the type of hard disk. We recommend leaving the VDI type, then your virtual disk will be fully synchronized with the virtual machine, and the speed of its performance will be no less than that of a real hard drive.
A dynamic virtual disk, the volume of which tends to change in the process of adding information. It is formed faster, but functions very slowly.
A fixed virtual hard drive, the volume of which will be static and will be indicated by the size that was specified during creation. It takes longer to create, but works much faster.
Which type to choose is up to you. But in our example, we will focus on the dynamic type.
Let's go to the next window. Here you need to enter the name of the disk, specify its size and location.
Click on the "Create" button and a window with the newly created virtual machine will open in front of us. This is where our preparatory steps come to an end.
How to set up a new virtual machine?
Go to the virtualbox settings, click "Configure":
After the done actions, click "OK", then "Run".
If you did everything correctly, the operating system will start loading, as shown in the figure.
Virtual machines are emulations of devices on another device or, in the context of this article and in a simplified way, allow you to run a virtual computer (as a normal program) with the desired operating system on your computer with the same or different OS. For example, if you have Windows on your computer, you can run Linux or another version of Windows in a virtual machine and work with them like you would with a normal computer.
This beginner's guide details how to create and set up a VirtualBox virtual machine (completely free virtual machine software for Windows, MacOS and Linux), as well as some nuances about using VirtualBox that you might find useful. By the way, Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise have built-in tools for working with virtual machines, see. Note: if Hyper-V components are installed on the computer, then VirtualBox will report an error Failed to open a session for the virtual machine, how to get around this: .
Note: virtual machines require VT-x or AMD-V virtualization to be enabled in BIOS on the computer. It is usually enabled by default, but if something goes wrong, keep this in mind.
Now let's create our first virtual machine. The example below uses VirtualBox running on Windows, the guest OS (the one being virtualized) will be Windows 10.
- Click New in the Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager window.
- In the "Specify the name and type of OS" window, specify an arbitrary name for the virtual machine, select the type of OS that will be installed on it and the OS version. In my case - Windows 10 x64. Click next.
- Specify the amount of RAM allocated to your virtual machine. Ideally enough to run it, but not too big (since the memory will be "taken away" from your main system when the virtual machine is running). I recommend focusing on the values in the "green" zone.
- In the next window, select "Create a new virtual hard disk".
- Select a disk type. In our case, if this virtual disk will not be used outside of VirtualBox - VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image).
- Specify whether to use dynamic or fixed hard disk size. I usually use "Fixed" and manually set its size.
- Specify the size of the virtual hard disk and where it will be stored on the computer or external drive (the size must be large enough to install and run the guest operating system). Click "Create" and wait for the creation of the virtual disk to complete.
- Done, the virtual machine has been created and will appear in the list on the left side of the VirtualBox window. To see configuration information, as in the screenshot, click on the arrow to the right of the "Machines" button and select "Details".
The virtual machine has been created, however, if you run it, you will see nothing but a black screen with service information. Those. only a “virtual computer” has been created so far and no operating system has been installed on it.
Installing Windows in VirtualBox
In order to install Windows, in our case Windows 10, in a VirtualBox virtual machine, you need an ISO image with the system distribution kit (see). The next steps will look like this.
After installation is complete and the virtual machine reboots, it will be completely ready for use. However, you may want to make some additional settings.
Basic settings of the VirtualBox virtual machine
In the virtual machine settings (note that many settings are not available while the virtual machine is running), you can change the following basic settings:
Some of the above things can also be done from a running virtual machine in the main menu: for example, in the “Devices” item, you can connect a USB flash drive, remove or insert a disk (ISO), enable shared folders, etc.
Additional Information
Finally, some additional information that may be useful when using VirtualBox virtual machines.
Before moving on to the question of how to install Windows on Virtualbox, you need to find out what Virtualbox really is and what it is for. Everything is very simple - Virtualbox (meaning one of the varieties of VM) is nothing more than software with which you can make one or more virtual computers on a real PC that simulate the operation of real personal computers. On a VM, you can “fill in” an operating system that is not the same as on a real PC.
Virtualbox is Oracle's free software, ideal for use on a computer at home. Naturally, in order to install Windows 7 on a computer, you first need to install a VM (virtual machine).
How is the VM installed?
- First of all, you will need to download the latest version of Virtualbox and run the executable file.
- Select a folder for installation.
- Press the Next button after we decide on the shortcuts;
- An important point - during the installation of Virtualbox, the PC will temporarily disconnect from the Internet. So if at this time you are downloading something in parallel (I strongly advise you not to do this - the system freezes), then first wait for the process to complete, and only then click Yes.
This is how it looks
- Once installed, Virtualbox starts up by itself.
Direct creation of a VM (virtual machine)
What do I need to do to install Windows 7?
So, the virtual machine called Windows 7 VM (or any other that you like) is already ready and you can go to the settings (respectively, use the Configure button).
This is how the menu will look like
There are a lot of proposed settings, we focus on those that are necessary for installing Windows 7.
- In principle, Windows can be installed from a CD / DVD distribution kit or from an iso image. What is most interesting, loading Windows 7 from an iso image is many times faster. We select the Media section, in which there is only a pre-made virtual hard disk and deal with the settings (there are several options).
- Select the Empty item and in the Drive menu we install a real CD / DVD disc with a distribution kit or an iso image.
- Select the Empty item, left-click on the folder icon to open the menu, click the Select optical disk image command and run it. After that, you need to add the iso image in the window that opens.
Pay attention to the icon in the upper right corner with the image of a folder. It will be necessary to click on it to carry out this operation.
After that, we calmly leave the settings window and select the Run button to carry out the installation of Windows 7 itself. What is most interesting is that installation on Windows 7 on a real and virtual computer is no different.
That's all you need to know about how to install windows 7 on Virtualbox.