How to install and configure VirtualBox - step-by-step instructions

VirtualBox virtual machine in simple words is an emulation of devices on your device. In practice, a virtual machine is a separate computer file that runs in the mode of a regular computer.

Simplistically speaking, a second working computer is created on the PC in a separate working window. The installed virtual machine runs isolated from the entire operating system and its software has no effect on the main computer and its operating system.

Why do I need to create a virtual machine?

It is an ideal tool for:

• testing a new unfamiliar operating system that you may not like;
• creating backups;
• beta releases of programs;
• analyzing virus-infected programs;
• evaluating data;
• running unfamiliar software on a third-party operating system.

You can run several virtual machines on one PC for different tasks.

Installing VirtualBox on a PC

You can download the installation file on the virtualbox website. The program comes free of charge. Beforehand, you need to choose a version that is suitable for the user's OS: Windows, Linux, MacOS. Do not pay attention to the fact that the site is English-language, when you start the virtual machine, it will have a Russian-language interface.

Then it remains to run the file and customize it according to the prompts. If this is your first virtual machine, keep the suggested default settings. When the installation is complete, open VirtualBox and you can get it up and running.

Creation

Let's take a look at how to create a virtual machine based on a custom windows PC, on which we will try to install a virtual machine with the most common windows OS:

1. In the machine manager window, click "Create".
2. In the "Specify OS type" box, you need to create any name and specify the OS type. Click "Next".
3. Enter the amount of RAM available for virtual machine allocation. Stay within the "green" area.
4. Next, press the "Create virtual hard disk" key.
5. Next, you need to configure the type of disk from the specified ones - VirtualBox Disk Image.
6. You need to create the size of the hard disk - choose dynamic or fixed. It will be more convenient with a fixed one: the size can be set manually.
7. Then you need to set up the storage space for the hard disk.
8. At the end, press the "Create" key and wait for the process to finish.

Finally, the virtual machine on your PC is ready to work.

Installing Windows in VirtualBox

When you start the newly created program, you will see a black screen as there is no operating system yet. Let's get to work installing and configuring windows. We will need an ISO image, which is downloaded in advance with the system distribution.

Next, you should configure the system:

• Install the ISO image in the virtual DVD drive. Find the "Configure" button on the left side of the virtual machine, go to "Media", click on the disk, point the arrow to "Select an optical disk image". Select the path to it, go to "System" settings, go to "Boot order" and select "Optical disk" at the beginning;
• click "Run" in the main window. The virtual machine opens, after that we install Windows from the ISO image. OS customization is performed as always;
• installation is completed, the program is rebooted.

Basic settings

Let's look at how the VirtualBox virtual machine installed on the PC is configured:

• the "Advanced" tab contains the "General" item, where you need to enable the clipboard and the Drag-n-Drop option for fast drag-and-drop of files to the newly installed OS;
• in the "System" tab you can customize the use of boot order, RAM size, EFI mode;
• in the "Display" tab you can set 2D or 3D acceleration, you can also set the amount of video memory;
• in the "USB" tab you can set the possibility of adding new devices via USB port;
• in the "Media" tab the main disk drives are added;
• in the "Shared folders" tab you can add folders - common objects for the virtual machine OS.

Additional information

You might be interested in creating and running some chips:

• you can create a Snapshot showing the current state of the system and then roll back to it. Option: Machine - State Snapshot;
• if you need to apply hotkey combinations in the virtual machine, apply the "Enter" option;
• to move the keyboard and mouse, release them via hotkeys.

Setting up the Internet network

To connect to the Internet, the installed VirtualBox virtual machine uses the well-known NAT network by default. It works perfectly well and does not require complicated settings. The machine is assigned a single IP address and believes that it is in a completely isolated network. This scheme works even if the computer changes the network forcibly.

If you need to create a connection between a computer and a VM, you need to install a virtual "Network Bridge". If the network includes several VirtualBoxes, we create a "Virtual Host Adapter". After that they will be able to communicate with each other outside the Internet. All settings are changeable, you can always go back to them and set them again.

Another useful function is "Cloning". Thanks to it, you can create a backup copy in order to refer to it in case of any problems. You need to right-click on it and click "Clone...". All that remains is to select the path where the backup will be downloaded.

Conclusion

Running virtualbox as a convenient, secure alternative to the existing working environment is relevant for the most ordinary PC user who cares about the cleanliness of his own computer. In this case, virtualization will solve many problems that occur from the use of questionable programs.

We have considered in detail the steps of creating VirtualBox on Windows. The program is easy to install and has a simple interface. Even users without special knowledge will be able to cope with the configuration. You can see that there is nothing complicated in this process.

Creating a virtual machine virtualbox with windows on your computer is an effective and already proven by many users way to test new software and a great opportunity to solve issues that arise in the process of working on the computer in a favorable safe mode.