How to install the program on virtual box. Installing Windows on a VirtualBox virtual machine. How to install the program

This article is devoted to the Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization platform, its installation, configuration and preparation for work.

VirtualBox is a completely free program and entirely in Russian, which makes it very attractive for use on both home and work computers. The system was first made available in 2007 by InnoTek in two versions - open and closed source, both free for non-commercial use. In 2008, the platform was purchased by Sun Microsystems, which is currently developing it.

The platform is a virtualization system for host systems Windows, Linux and Mac OS and provides interaction with guest operating systems Windows (2000/XP/2003/Vista/Seven), Linux (Ubuntu/Debian/OpenSUSE/Mandriva, etc.), OpenBSD , FreeBSD, OS/2 Warp.

Key features of VirtualBox:

  • x86 virtualization (in this case, support for hardware implementation of Intel VT and AMD-V is optional);
  • support for multiprocessing and multi-core;
  • support for audio device virtualization;
  • support for virtualization of network devices;
  • USB-host virtualization support;
  • high performance and modest consumption of PC resources;
  • support for various types of network interaction (NAT, Host Network, Bridge, Internal);
  • the ability to save snapshots of the virtual machine, which can be rolled back from any state of the guest system;
  • setting up and managing the VirtualBox application and virtual system from the command line.

To learn more about the Oracle VM VirtualBox platform, you can visit the manufacturer's website Welcome to VirtualBox.org!

Installing the Oracle VM VirtualBox Platform

You can download the platform suitable for your system using the link: http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

In this article, we will consider working with the VirualBox platform version 3.2.8 r64453 (download), the latest at the time of writing.

Once the installation package is on your hard drive, you can begin installing the program. This article discusses the installation and configuration of the VirtualBox platform in an operating system environment Windows Vista Home Premium SP2.

After launching the installer, you will see a welcome window. Click the “Next” button and agree to the terms in a new window license agreement by checking the “I accept the terms in the License Agreement” checkbox. In the next window (Fig. 1) you will be asked to select components to install and specify the location executable files. By default, all components are installed on HDD(and we need everything), and the program itself is installed in the “Program Files” folder on the system drive. If you want to specify a different location, click the Browse button and select a new folder to install the application.

Note. When installing an application on the Windows XP operating system, a message may appear stating that the platform has not been tested for compatibility with this OS. You can ignore the warning and continue with the installation - you will not encounter any problems during operation. When installing an application on the Windows Vista/Seven operating system, you should enable compatibility mode after installation is complete. To do this, go to the folder with installed program, find the file VirtualBox.exe, use the right mouse button to call up the context menu, select “Properties” and on the “Compatibility” tab, check the box “Run the program in compatibility mode for”, selecting “Windows XP (Service Pack 2)” as the operating system )".

Creating and initial configuration of a virtual machine

Let's launch the Oracle VM VirtualBox application (when installing the platform, a shortcut is created on the desktop that you can use). A window will open in front of us, and in it (which is very pleasant) everything will be in Russian. To create your first virtual machine, click the “Create” button:

Fig.2: Main window

Note. In my virtualization platform, there are already created virtual machines, and therefore, when you first create yours, you will not see a list of virtual operating systems.

A new window will open in front of you, in which there will be a message about starting the virtual machine creation wizard. Click the “Next” button and see a new window asking you to select the name of the operating system, its family and version. In Fig. 3 shows my choice, but you can choose any of the available systems to your liking.

Fig.3: Initial parameters

After clicking the “Next” button, you will be asked to determine the size random access memory allocated to the virtual machine (Fig. 4). I choose 1024MB, but for stable work with virtual Windows system XP and 512MB will be enough.

Fig.4: Memory allocated

Next you will need to create a virtual hard disk (Fig. 5). If you have already created virtual disks, you can use them, but we will look at the process of creating a new disk. Let’s confirm that the hard drive we are creating is bootable, check the “Create a new hard drive” checkbox and click the “Next” button.

Fig.5: Creation hard drive

Next, a new window will appear, which will inform you that the running wizard will help you create virtual disk, click the “Next” button to continue working. In a new window (Fig. 6) you will be asked to select the type of disk to be created - “dynamically expanding image” or “fixed size image”. The difference is explained in the help of this window, but I would like to note that directly boot disk it is more convenient to create a fixed size - this will allow you to automatically limit its size, simplify and speed up storage, restoration and creation backup copies disk. In addition, you can create several hard drives and now those that will not be bootable, it is more convenient to create dynamically expanding ones.

Fig.6: Making it hard disk - select type

In the next window (Fig. 7), you will be required to select the location of the virtual hard disk to be created and its size. For boot hard The default size of a disk with Windows XP (10 GB) is sufficient, but it is better to place it outside your system partition, because You should not overload your real boot disk and create files of this size on it.

Fig.7: Creating a virtual hard disk - selecting size and location

After this, the “Result” window will appear (Fig. 8), which will indicate the type, location and size of the hard drive you are creating. If you agree to create a disk with these parameters, click “Finish” and watch the process of creating a hard disk.

Fig. 8: Creating a hard drive - the creation process

Once the creation of the hard disk is complete, a new “Result” window will appear (Fig. 9), which will indicate the parameters of the virtual machine you are creating. If you have not changed your mind on any of the points described, click “Finish” and proceed to setting up the hardware of your virtual machine.

Fig.9: Creating a hard drive - Finish

Setting up virtual machine hardware

So, you have created a virtual hard disk, now it’s time to assemble our virtual computer fully. To do this, return to the main VirtualBox window (Fig. 10), in it you can already see the newly created virtual machine WinXP-2, and in the field on the right side is its description, which does not yet resemble the description of a full-fledged PC.

Fig. 10: Hardware setup - start

In the column on the left, select our WinXP-2 and open its properties (Fig. 11), where the column on the left side resembles the device manager. On the first tab of the “General” section we see the main parameters of our virtual machine:

Fig. 11: Hardware setup - general, 1

Let's go to the advanced tab (Fig. 12) and see what system settings we can make:

  • "Folder for pictures." If you have placed your hard drive in your own location, then it is better to move this folder there too, because pictures have a lot of weight and, again, you shouldn’t overload your system disk. My recommendation is to create snapshots before each significant change you want to make in the virtual system, and even for one virtual machine you can create several snapshots containing different settings and installed applications;
  • “Shared clipboard” is a definition of how the clipboard will work between your host system and the virtual machine. There are four options for buffer operation - “off”, “only from the guest OS to the main OS”, “only from the main OS to the guest OS”, “bidirectional”. We will choose last option, because this will provide us with maximum convenience in our work;
  • “Removable storage media remember changes during operation”, here we check the box as a sign of agreement, because This option will allow the system to remember the state of CD\DVD drives;
  • “Mini toolbar” is a small console containing virtual machine controls. It is better to use it only in full screen mode, because... it is completely duplicated by the main menu of the virtual machine working window. It is really better to place it on top simply because you can accidentally click on some control element when trying, for example, to maximize a window from the taskbar of a virtual machine.

Fig. 12: Hardware setup - general, 2

Let's go to the system section and on the first tab, motherboard (Fig. 13), make the following settings:

  • If necessary, we will adjust the size of the RAM of your virtual machine, although you will be able to finally be convinced of the correctness of the selected volume only after starting the virtual machine. You can choose the size based on the amount of available physical memory installed on your PC. For example, if you have 4GB of RAM, the optimal allocation would be 1GB, i.e. one fourth part, which will allow your virtual machine to work without the slightest freeze;
  • let's adjust the boot order - the floppy drive ("floppy disk") can be completely disabled, and be sure to install the CD/DVD-ROM first to ensure the ability to install the OS from the boot disk. In this case, either a CD or an ISO image can act as a boot disk;
  • all other settings are described in the dynamic help below, and their application depends on the hardware of your real PC, and if you set settings that are not applicable to your PC, the virtual machine system simply will not start;

Fig. 13: Hardware setup - motherboard

Let's move on to the “Processor” tab (Figure 14), here you can select the number of processors installed on your virtual motherboard. Please note that this option will only be available if AMD-V or VT-x hardware virtualization is supported (Fig. 15), and the OI APIC option is enabled on the previous tab.

Fig. 14: Hardware setup - processor

Here I will again draw your attention to the AMD-V or VT-x hardware rendering settings. Before enabling these settings, you need to find out whether your processor supports these features and whether they are enabled by default in the BIOS (they are often disabled).

Fig. 15: Hardware setup - acceleration

Let's move on to the “Display” section (Fig. 16). In this section, on the “Video” tab, you can set the memory size of the virtual video card, as well as enable 2D and 3D acceleration, and enabling 2D acceleration is desirable, but 3D is optional. On the “Remote Display” tab, you can enable the option in which your virtual machine will work as a remote desktop server (RDP).

Fig. 16: Hardware setup - display

Let's move on to the media section (Fig. 17). Here you can see the previously created virtual hard disk and the position labeled empty. Select this position and carry out the settings (Fig. 18).

Fig. 17: Hardware setup - media, 1

For settings virtual drive CDs you can go two ways:

  • first option - in the “Drive” drop-down menu, select your real or virtual CD/DVD-ROM (existing in a real system) and load a physical disk into it with Windows distribution XP or ISO image if it is an emulator;
  • the second option is to click the icon as shown in the figure below (Fig. 18) and in the window that opens (Fig. 19) add an ISO image of the Windows XP boot disk, this is the path we will take.

Note. At this point, you can no longer select a distribution kit of another operating system, because the OS version was already determined at the very beginning of the virtual machine setup process.

Fig. 18: Hardware setup - media, 2

The figure below shows the procedure for adding ISO images to the Virtual Media Manager. You can add any number of images for various purposes into it, for example, games, application distributions, databases, etc., which you can then quickly switch through the main menu of the VirtualBox virtualization window.

Fig. 19: Hardware setup - media, 3

Fig.20: Hardware setup - media, 4

Next (Fig. 21 and 22) you can configure the drive connection slots; to simplify the description, I provide screenshots from which you can perform the configuration steps. As is my habit, I set the CD drive as the "Primary IDE Master", the hard drive containing the boot partition as the "Secondary IDE Master", and the secondary virtual hard drive as the "Primary IDE Slave".

Fig.21: Hardware setup - media, 5

Fig.22: Hardware setup - media, 6

Setting up a network and network interaction is not covered within the scope of this article, so I will only note that network adapter NAT type (Fig. 23) is enabled by default, and this is already enough to provide your virtual machine with access to the Internet. The type of adapter you select must be “Pcnet-Fast III (Am79C973)”, because Only for this adapter there are drivers in Windows XP.

Fig. 23: Hardware setup - network adapter

I do not describe the COM section in detail, because... connect to ports of this type nothing already. If you still need to connect a device with an RS-232C interface, then the most convenient way would be to enable the COM port of the virtual machine in the “host device” mode, and use the name of the actual port of your PC as the “path to the port”, which you you can look in device manager.

Let's go to the USB section (Fig. 24), here we check both available checkboxes, and then, using the button with the image of a USB “plug” and “plus”, we add all available controllers.

Fig.24: Hardware setup - USB controller

Go to the “Shared Folders” section (Fig. 25) and select the folders that need to be made available to the virtual machine.

Fig.25: Hardware setup - Shared folders

Note. Pay attention to the dynamic help below - this is how, through the command line window, you can connect shared folders to your virtual machine.

This completes the configuration of the hardware of your virtual machine, and you can proceed to installing the operating system.

Setting up the virtual machine operating system

The description of installing the operating system is not described in the article, because The site provides enough information about the methods and intricacies of this operation, so I will indicate the first step - return to the main VirtualBox window and click the “Start” button.

Fig. 26: Setting up the operating system - the first step

After completing the action described above, you will see the following window:

Fig. 27: Setting up the operating system - installation process

This means that you have made all the settings correctly, and all that remains is to install and configure the operating system. This window is most likely familiar to you (if you have at least once installed the OS yourself Windows family), and the installation process is no different from installing the OS on your real computer. After the system is installed and loaded (Fig. 28), you can begin setting up the operating system of your virtual machine.

Fig. 28: Setting up the operating system - installed system

First, we need to install drivers for all virtual hardware components of our virtual PC. To do this, in the main menu (Fig. 29) select the item “Devices” - “Drives” optical disks" - "VboxGuestAdditions.iso". Subsequently, in the same way, you can connect a physical CD-ROM to your virtual machine or download an ISO image.

Fig. 29: Setting up the operating system - downloading “VboxGuestAdditions.iso”

After connecting the “VboxGuestAdditions.iso” image in the My Computer folder, you will see that this virtual disk is loaded into the CD drive - all you have to do is launch it by double-clicking the left mouse button.

Fig.30: Setting up the operating system - installing VboxGuestAdditions.iso

The installation process itself occurs practically without your participation and only if you have previously enabled 3D acceleration, then you should select the appropriate component (Fig. 31) for additional installation.

Fig. 31: Setting up the operating system - selecting add-ons

During the installation, you will receive two warnings about the lack of test results for this software in the Windows XP operating system, and both times you can safely continue the installation - installed drivers and additional software will work great. In the last window of the installation process, you will be asked to reboot the virtual machine - agree, after the reboot you will see that the image has become clearer, the size of the virtual machine window changes dynamically, the mouse integration function is enabled and there is Internet access.

Let's now connect shared folders to be able to transfer the files needed for work and install applications to the created virtual machine. This can be done using the command line by following the VirtualBox help, but I'll give a method using Windows Explorer. To do this, open the My Computer folder, in the main menu select “Tools” - “Connect” network drive"and in the window that opens, in the folder field, enter \\vboxsrv\shared_folder_name, i.e. in our case:

\\vboxsrv\WinXP-2-Share

After these steps, your shared folder will appear in the “My Computer” folder, available as a network drive.

Let's now check if you have Internet access. To do this, open: “Start” menu - “Programs” - “Accessories” - “ CMD command line"and in the window that opens (Fig. 32) enter the following command:

Ping ya.ru

If, as a result of executing the command, you see that the packets are sent and received, even partially, then everything worked out for you, and Internet access is provided to the virtual machine.

Fig.32: Setting up the operating system - checking the Internet connection

Quick access and comfortable work

Shortcut for quickly starting a virtual machine

To make it faster and more convenient to launch your virtual machine, we will create a shortcut specifically for it. You can do this as follows:

  1. By right-clicking on the desktop, call up the context menu and select “Create shortcut”;
  2. In the window that opens, in the “Specify object placement” field, enter
"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" startvm WinXP;
  1. In the next window, enter a name for the shortcut, for example, “WinXP” and click the “Finish” button;
  2. The created “WinXP” shortcut appears on your desktop, right-click on it;
  3. In the context menu that opens, select “Properties”;
  4. In the window that appears, select change icon and in the icon source file selection field, enter
C:\WINDOWS\System32\WinFXDocObj.exe;
  1. Click OK and then Apply.

After these operations, your shortcut will look like this:

Fig.33: Creating a shortcut for a virtual machine

Display Integration Mode

In display integration mode, you can easily organize access to the desktop and virtual machine controls from your desktop, i.e. all windows that you open in the virtual machine will be displayed on your desktop, and not in separate window VirtualBox. This function significantly simplifies access to the virtual machine, its controls and applications installed on it. To enable this mode, you need to select an item with the appropriate name in the main menu of the VirtualBox visualization window or press the key combination “HOST + L”, where the “HOST” key is the left “Ctrl” (by default).

Fig.34: Display integration mode

Conclusion

In this article, we reviewed the main points in installing and configuring the Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization platform; I would also like to note the ease of setup and ease of use of the platform, as well as many additional functions, For example:

  • built-in proxy module;
  • custom launch;
  • automatic collection of statistics;
  • management and configuration using the command line;
  • the ability to save and quickly apply various configuration options;
  • various ways to organize network interfaces.

In addition to these advantages, I’ll add that the efficiency of using system resources by the VirtualBox application is beyond praise - in its own way home laptop(2.5 Hz 2-core CPU, 4GB of RAM) I can simultaneously launch up to three virtual machines without any freezes (simply because different operating systems are installed on them).

The material presented above will allow you to create your own virtual machine without any difficulties, but nevertheless, if you have questions or difficulties, do not forget to refer to the help of this software- it is quite complete and detailed. Moreover, you can always refer to the “online help” for this platform UserManual, located on the official VirtualBox website.

VirtualBox is a virtual machine with the ability to run operating systems other than the one installed on the computer. This is usually required to test the OS, obtain information about systems and their features. By installing any OS on VirtualBox, you can perform tasks that are not possible on the main operating system. It is possible to install Windows XP on VirtualBox, as well as another OS: Linux, Ubuntu, Mac OS X and even Android.

VirtualBox is not a very complicated program. If you follow the instructions strictly, you will succeed

A guest system installed using VirtualBox within the existing one will help perform, for example, the following tasks:

  • launch software products that are incompatible with the main OS;
  • use old applications;
  • launch old games that do not function in new versions of the operating system;
  • test applications that are potentially dangerous.

To create a virtual machine, download VirtualBox from the official website. Installing the program is no different from installing any other. If the system suddenly issues a warning that the software has not been tested with this version of the operating system, ignore it. This warning appears several times, continue with the installation.

The VirtualBox interface has slight differences when installing different operating systems, but they are not so significant. The principle of creating a guest OS remains the same for both versions of Windows and, for example, Ubuntu.

Having installed the program, we create the machine. To do this, follow the algorithm:

  1. Activate the "Create" button.
  2. In the window that opens, select the OS, its type and version, and give your virtual machine a name. This name does not affect anything, it is simply reflected in the window title.
  3. Next, you will be asked to select a hard drive for the guest system: use an existing one or create a new one. Let's create a new one.
  4. The next parameter you will be asked to enter concerns the file type, which determines the format of the new disk to be used. Leave VDI.
  5. In additional attributes, you can select a dynamic or fixed disk. Fixed works faster, but immediately takes up all the allocated space on the hard drive. Dynamic will take up the space on the hard drive required for the guest system, applications, and will automatically expand with additions and installation of programs. It is recommended to select the fixed option for performance reasons.
  6. Specify the name of the new virtual hard disk, indicate the location of the folder with files, set its size - the size of the files saved on this disk. For example, for Windiws XP, according to manufacturers, 10 GB is enough; for Linux, you can leave the allocated volume by default.
  7. Complete the process by clicking on the “Create” button.

The creation process will take about 7 minutes. Do not disturb the computer this time, it is active CPU. After creating the machine, adjust the settings by clicking the "Customize" tab. However, the default settings are sufficient to launch the OS and operate the guest system.

Operating system installation

Here we will tell you how to install Windows XP on VirtualBox.

Place the installation disk with Windows XP in the drive or check for a disk image with .iso format in one of the folders.

In VirtualBox, on the top tab bar, click "Run".

In the window that opens you will be asked to select a boot Windows disk XP. If you are using a disk drive, then click “Continue”; if it is an image, click on the folder icon, find the image, click on it, then also click “Continue”.

The installation of Windows XP will start, similar to that downloaded on a real computer. Do not press the buttons while formatting the virtual hard disk, copying files, or rebooting.

If VirtualBox has captured the mouse cursor, you cannot perform other actions during installation; to return the cursor, press Right Ctrl while clicking LMB. Control will return to you.

When the system is installed, the desktop will appear, install add-ons for the guest system so that the screen resolution becomes better and the operating system works fully. The file will need to be downloaded, then, as the machine will suggest, connected to the virtual drive.

Reboot after installation.

Creating shared folders

Often you need to create a folder between the main OS and the guest OS shared access. It works like this.

Go to the “Devices” tab in the top panel of VirtualBox, select the “Shared Folders” - “Configure” link.

In the window that opens on the right, click the button to add shared folder. You will be prompted to specify the path to the desired folder. Click on the selected folder and save.

In the guest system, open command line, enter net use drive letter: \\vboxsvr\folder name; confirm by pressing Enter.

When executed correctly, a network drive is created in “My Computer”, which has access to files located in the folder of your choice located in the guest system.

Thus, having installed Windows XP, you can use it in parallel with the main operating system, using XP for programs that do not work on versions 8-10.

Installing Mac OS

The question of how to install Mac OS X on VirtualBox is easy to solve. The process is similar to that described above. You will need installation file. A regular image will not work here; you can use a hacked OS.

  1. Download HackBoot 1 - installer, HackBoot 2, which runs Mountain Lion, you will also need MultiBeast 4 when working with audio.
  2. Having opened VirtualBox, in the Type tab, click on the already created virtual machine (how to create it was described above), in the system section, specify Mac OS X 64 bit.
  3. For RAM on Mac OS, 2 GB is enough.
  4. Create new disk VDI.
  5. After creating the disk, in the main menu, right-click on the virtual machine and select “Configure”. In the “System” tab, uncheck the “Enable EFI” function.
  6. In the “Media” section, go to the CD icon labeled “Empty”, then go to the disk icon on the right side, go to “Select disk image”. Here select HackBoot 1.
  7. Click OK. If you have the Mountain Lion image, we begin to boot Mac OS.
  8. In VirtualBox, select the downloaded Mac OS X and click “Run”.
  9. On the HackBoot screen that appears, find the CD icon at the bottom and select the downloaded Lion image.
  10. Return to the download screen, update, select the OS X Install DVD item that appears.
  11. Choose a language and agree to the terms of use. Your operating system starts looking for your hard drive. Go to "Utilities" - "Disk Utility".

Format the disk and exit the utility, continue installing the system.

Further installation proceeds as usual Mac installation OS, takes about 25 minutes. When completed, a window will appear informing you that the installation was successful.

Installing Linux and Ubuntu

If you have already worked with virtual machines, then the problem of how to install Linux on VirtualBox will not be difficult for you.

When creating a virtual machine, when selecting the operating system in the menu, click “Linux”. In the “Version” line we put the version you have chosen, for example, Linux 2.6. Click “Next”, and then follow the steps we described above in the sections dedicated to installing other operating systems.

We proceed in the same way if you are deciding how to install Ubuntu on VirtualBox, in the “Version” section we find “Ubuntu”, select it and install it.

Installing Android on VirtualBox

Why and how to install Android on VirtualBox - we answer your questions in this section.

For what? To test programs. You should not clutter your phone or tablet with unnecessary software if you are not sure of its operation and functionality. You can first check everything on your PC by creating a virtual machine. Installing/uninstalling programs on a PC will not affect performance, unlike smartphones with small memory.

To install Android, download the required package from the VirtualBox website. When creating a virtual machine, it will be enough to allocate 512 MB of RAM. Mount the image from Android and start the installation. It is recommended to choose installation on a hard drive, then you can fully install programs and save them after a reboot. Here you will need to do this:

  1. When prompted to create/modify a disk, press OK - Enter.
  2. Select Primary and press Enter several times until a new disk is created.
  3. Make it bootable by clicking
  4. Then click Write and after creating the disk, exit the Quit utility.
  5. The installation window opens, select the disk, file system- FAT 32 is required (otherwise applications will not be installed).
  6. After the procedure, you will receive Android on a virtual machine. Please note that the "Back" button is replaced by RMB. In the settings, set the Russian language and your account in com.

Please note that when Android installation the Internet is connected to the virtual machine automatically, but Android versions 4 no connection.

VirtualBox helps you test different operating systems, and installing them won't take much of your time. Carefully follow the instructions, follow the algorithms step by step, and you will be able to run any OS: Windows XP, Linux, Ubuntu, Mac OS X and Android in a virtual machine.

Now let's try to set up a well-known virtual VirtualBox machine and we’ll tell you how to use it, but first we’ll figure out what purposes it can be useful for. This emulator is designed to deploy multiple operating systems that you install (Windows, Linux, Mac or Android) without affecting your main system. It can be used for various experiments, testing software and programs.

VirtualBox virtual machine, a good emulator for companies and private use. The free product with open source code, has various functions. The program distribution is available at official portal, where you can download it. There is a paid virtual machine for more advanced users called VMware, but we will cover this topic in another post.

Download and install the VirtualBox emulator


Go to and download the distribution package of the program to your computer. Download distributions for your Windows or Linux operating system.


Unzip the file, right-click and run the VirtualBox emulator as “Administrator”. A welcome window will open, click the "Next" button.


In another window you will be prompted to select a directory for installing program components; we recommend leaving the standard settings and clicking “Next”.


Then they will offer to install program shortcuts, you can not touch anything and continue installing the emulator. During installation of the program, a notification will pop up indicating that the network may be disconnected. If you are downloading any files from the Internet, wait until they are downloaded and continue installing and configuring VirtualBox.



When installing the program, windows about installing software for the USB controller will pop up. network services and network adapters, click "Install".


At the end, click "Finish"

How to set up VirtualBox

Setting up a VirtualBox virtual machine implies the following: after installing the program, run it from "Administrator name" and change the interface language in case it doesn’t suit you or leave the standard settings.


In the program panel, click "File" - "Settings" Select the language that suits you on the right and click "OK".


Let's start installing the emulator. At the top of the panel, click "Create". In the “Create a virtual machine” window, write the name that will be displayed in VirtualBox, select the OS type and version.


Assign the required amount of RAM (random access memory) to the emulator. Then this parameter can be changed. In another window click "Create a new virtual hard disk".


We mark the file type that will serve HDD disk for your emulator, we recommend setting "VDI". Select storage option, it is better to put "Dynamic virtual hard disk".


Use the slider to indicate the volume required for your disk; as a rule, the smallest volume is standard. In case you later need to change the characteristics, mark your virtual machine and click “Configure” in the top panel:


Menu "System": tab "Motherboard" - you can change the size of the allocated RAM (random access memory). "Boot Order"- uncheck the item "Floppy disk".


Tab "CPU"- select the number of processors for the VirtualBox virtual machine, as well as the CPU (processor) load limit. Check the box "Enable PAE/NX".


Tab "Acceleration" check the boxes "Hardware virtualization".


On the menu "Display": You can speed up the video memory and enable 2D and 3D acceleration.


Menu "Carriers": select iso image your operating system previously downloaded from the Internet. In case you are installing the OS from a disk, check the box "Live CD/DVD".


Select "Optical disk image".


In the left menu "Net": It is possible to set the number of Internet adapters and connection type. Check the box "Enable network adapter"- connection type "NAT".


Menu USB: Celebrating "Enable USB controller" - "Enable USB EHCI controller". The USB filter determines which USB device will connect to the virtual OS, and which to your system. For normal operation of all your USB-2.0 drives in a virtual OS, you need to install a plugin, you can download it on the official website.


Shared folders: This parameter It is important to configure because the virtual OS will interact with your system through shared folders. Click plus and type the full path to the directory of the shared folder located on your PC, for example drive D:\Disk. The Disk folder must be created in the D: drive directory on your PC. Check the box "Auto connect" and click "OK".

Launching and installing the operating system in VirtualBox


Now all that remains is to launch the VirtualBox emulator and install the OS as on a real PC. Click "Run".


And install the operating system.

In this article we will figure out how to install virtualbox and how to add new virtual machines. First, I’ll tell you for those who don’t know what these virtual machines actually are.

Imagine this situation - at work you have to work in a program that only works under operating system Windows XP, and you have Windows 7 (or Windows 8/8.1) installed. How do you get out of this situation? Someone will humble himself and set himself on windows computer xp (for which security updates are no longer issued), and someone more intelligent will install a virtual machine on their computer and install Windows XP in it with the ability to work in the desired program.

That is, to put it briefly, a virtual machine is a full-fledged computer (with a processor, RAM, hard drive and even BIOS), which runs inside your computer using an emulator program.

Virtualization technologies, which just a few years ago were very expensive and resource-intensive, have already entered the homes of ordinary users and occupy a place in the most common home computers. Here is a sample list of what virtual machines are used for:

  • Application testing
  • Testing network programs in closed virtual networks
  • Testing applications with various PC configuration parameters
  • Lack of funds for additional computers
  • Consolidating servers on one physical computer
  • Training on various operating systems

and much more…

My experience with virtual machines began with virtualbox, but after working with virtualization giants such as VMware and the mega giant Hyper-V, I felt how much cooler they were. But for this coolness they ask a lot of money.

So if you are just interested in tinkering with other operating systems without reinstalling yours, or you need, for example, to run windows applications on a Linux computer, then Virtualbox should satisfy you completely.

If you are going to run serious network infrastructure projects that must work 24/7/365, then you are better off looking towards Hyper-V, which comes with Windows Server 2008/2012. Believe me, it's really worth the money.

This was a little background, and now about Virtualbox itself.

Download and install virtualbox

You can download Virtualbox from the official website, the latest version at the time of writing is 4.3.14, which is what we will install.

Run the downloaded installer and click “Next”
In the next window, leave everything as default and click “Next”
In the options window, leave all the checkboxes as default
In the next window, the installer will warn you that during installation a new network connection will be created, which will lead to a temporary disconnection of your active network connection. Click “Yes”, and in the next window “Install”
We wait a few minutes for the program to install. After a message appears indicating that the installation was successful, click “Finish”
If everything went well, the program “ VirtualBox Manager“
The “Manager” itself is just a shell with the help of which work will be carried out between the virtual machine and the physical computer.

The program settings are quite sparse, you don’t even have to pay attention to them, since everything is configured there by default, which should satisfy the vast majority of users.

Adding a virtual machine

To add a new virtual machine, click the “ Create“, enter the name of the virtual machine, select the type of operating system and its version.
In the next window, select the amount of RAM for the virtual machine. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that you cannot select more RAM than is installed on your physical computer.
In the next window you are asked to select a virtual hard disk or create a new one. Since we are launching the program for the first time, we will create a new hard disk by selecting “Create a new virtual hard disk”
In the window for selecting the type of hard drive, I advise you to leave the type VDI, by choosing this type your virtual hard disk will be 100% compatible with virtualbox and its operating speed will be equal to the speed of a real hard disk
In the next window you should select the type of virtual hard disk:

  • Dynamic virtual disk– the size of the virtual disk will grow as it is filled with data. It is created faster, works slower.
  • Fixed virtual disk– the size of the virtual disk will be the size that will be specified when creating it. It takes longer to create, it works faster.

I think you can decide for yourself which type suits you best, but I will choose the Dynamic disk type.
In the next window you will be asked to select the name of the disk, its size, as well as the location where the disk itself will be stored
After selecting this data, click “Create”. At this point, the preparatory work can be considered completed.

Now a program with an added virtual machine has opened in front of you
In this case, a virtual machine is a “bare” computer, without an operating system. If you need to have a disk with the operating system or bootable USB flash drive, then you can use disk images to install the operating system in virtualbox (as in other virtual machines). It is very convenient and practical.

Setting up a virtual machine

Let's move on to the settings of the virtual machine we added. Click the “Configure” button and examine the virtual machine settings window.


After setting up the virtual machine, click “OK” and click “Launch”. If you did everything correctly, then when you start the machine you should start booting from the disk image
Then everything is the same as in a regular computer!

As you can see, there is nothing complicated and you now also know how to work with virtual machines! If you have any questions or suggestions, I’m ready to discuss them in the comments.

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In order not to expose the OS installed on the computer to risk, but to be able to explore both various software and the functionality of any other OS, there is a special type of program on the software market for creating virtual computers. Such programs create a virtual environment with emulation computer hardware. And you can install the same virtual OS on this emulator. The most famous such program is VirtualBox from the American developer Oracle.

1. Features of the program

Free, functionality, cross-platform, Russification, intuitive interface, simplicity and clarity of software processes and settings, step-by-step instructions for creating virtual computers - these are the main advantages of VirtualBox, thanks to which it seriously beats its competitors.

Thus, one of the main competitors - the VMware Workstation program - is a paid commercial software. You can only use VMware Player for free - this is a greatly reduced functionality version of the Workstation program. While VirtualBox provides full functionality for free. Plus, VirtualBox exists in versions for installation not only on Windows and Linux OS, like VMware Workstation, but the former can also be installed on Mac OS X and Solaris.

And VMware Workstation does not have the ability to adjust video memory, like VirtualBox.

Both of these programs also have a common competitor from Microsoft - Hyper-V, which is included in some Windows versions. And, naturally, you can only work with it as part of studying the ubiquitous Windows OS. The program does not support either Linux or Mac OS X.

VirtualBox has the widest selection of systems that can be installed as a virtual OS - most versions of Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris, including both 32-bit and 64-bit. Some even manage to create an Android emulator using VirtualBox.

As you can see, if you are determined to take the path of experimenting with a virtual computer environment, VirtualBox is the ideal tool for this.

2. Minimum system requirements

Concerning VirtualBox installations not in active virtual computer mode, here the program is not demanding on hardware resources - the bare minimum is required to install the program:
— 512 MB of RAM,
— 200 MB of hard disk space for installation,
- a processor with a frequency according to the requirements of the OS itself, for example in the case of Windows XP it is a Pentium of at least 300 MHz or its analogue from AMD.

But, again, this system requirements purely for installing VirtualBox on the physical (main) OS. The active virtual computer mode will require much more system resources, and the specific requirements will already be determined by that very virtual (guest) OS.

VirtualBox creates a virtual computer based on the hardware characteristics of a physical PC, some of which are automatically emulated into the virtual computer - for example, a processor, video card, CD/DVD drive, USB ports. And part - RAM and occupied disk space - are emulated according to the settings that you set during the process of creating a virtual computer with the program. Some hardware characteristics of the virtual computer can later be changed by setting them to smaller boundary parameters that VirtualBox has the right to use. After all, a virtual computer in a working state will borrow the power of the processor, video card, and RAM from the physical PC.

How much of the RAM and disk space can be given to a virtual computer when it is created by VirtualBox?

It is recommended to allocate no more than half of the available RAM on a physical PC to the virtual OS. But for the virtual OS to work, a minimum of 512 MB to 1 GB of RAM may be required. For example, for more or less normal functioning virtual Windows XP or Linux will require a minimum of 512 MB of RAM.

And to install Windows 7 or 8 (8.1) on a virtual computer, the minimum RAM will be 1 GB.

The virtual OS will permanently occupy space on the computer’s hard drive in the form of a program file. And if many people probably have an extra 4-5 GB minimum for Windows XP or Linux, then about 20-25 GB for full-fledged work OS Windows 7 or 8 (8.1), for example, owners of old PC builds with a hard drive of some 160 GB will have to take care in advance, saying goodbye to file junk that has not been used for a long time.

3. How to download the program for free

On the official website of the developer, the VirtualBox program installer in the current version 4.3.8 can be downloaded absolutely free.

4. How to install the program

To install the program, just run the downloaded installer from the browser downloads. VirtualBox is installed as standard, although English language. Don’t worry if this language is not familiar to you: all you need to do is press “ Next" - i.e. " Further».

Moreover, all the active components with which VirtualBox is installed will be needed for its full operation.

The only thing is that during the installation of the program the connection with local network. This is required for installation network drivers so that the Internet works on the virtual computer. However, VirtualBox will issue a corresponding notification about this, albeit in English.

No need to worry about this, you can safely press the installation command - “ Install».

Windows 7 and 8 (8.1) are initially distrustful of third party software, so they constantly ask for administrator rights, permission to trust some developer, or give them permission to install individual components. Therefore, if during installation you additionally need to confirm the installation of the VirtualBox components - USB Support (USB port support) or VirtualBox Networking (network support), such confirmation, of course, must be given.

After this, the program will complete the installation process, and if you do not uncheck the automatic launch box, immediately after clicking the finish button - “ Finish“—VirtualBox will appear before you in all its glory, and with a Russian-language interface.

That's it - the installation process of the program itself is completed. But what lies ahead is creating a virtual computer and installing the virtual OS of your choice on it.

5. Create a virtual computer

There is no mistake when creating a virtual computer using VirtualBox: after installation, the only active button will be visible in the main program window - “ Create", in fact, where you need to click. In the window that appears, you need to give the virtual computer a name, select the OS and its specific version.

Click " Next».

In the next VirtualBox settings window, you need to set the value of RAM that you give to the virtual computer for temporary use when it is active - in fact, what was mentioned above. Use the slider to set the desired value or enter the exact number of RAM in the field next to it.

Do not go to the red line - this will transfer half the hardware power of a real computer to a virtual computer, and in cases with low-power machines there may not be enough performance to run the main OS, not to mention virtual environments. The minimum recommendations of VirtualBox itself are too small for full-fledged work, therefore, as mentioned above, you should not allocate less than 512 MB of RAM for running less resource-intensive operating systems, and less than 1 GB of RAM for more resource-intensive ones.

Click " Next».

« Select your hard drive" - this is exactly what you need to do in the next VirtualBox setup window. And here for most it would be advisable to leave the default item – “ Create a new virtual hard disk».

Click " Create».

The following window will appear with several virtual hard disk storage file formats that VirtualBox can work with. You must leave the default option – “ VDI».

Click " Next».

With the type of virtual hard disk - the next VirtualBox settings window - it is better to do the same as above - leave the option as default.

A fixed hard drive of a virtual computer will be more efficient in operation.

Click " Next».

In the next window, VirtualBox will prompt you to name your virtual hard disk. This is not so important, so you can leave the default name, taken from the name of the virtual computer itself. It is much more important to designate a folder to store the virtual hard disk file and correctly determine its size.

The minimum size of a virtual hard disk was discussed above; we only note that here we need to proceed purely from the available space on the physical hard disk. Plus, you need to take into account that in addition to installing the virtual OS itself, a certain place will be occupied by various service environments and, in fact, the programs being tested.

By default, the storage folder for the virtual hard disk file is registered on the system disk of the physical PC, where many may not have room for the “heavy” Windows 7 and 8 (8.1). And why clutter the system disk? It is better to choose a storage location on a non-system drive. Click the folder icon and select a storage location.

Click " Create».

Wait while VirtualBox creates the virtual computer. After this, its name will appear on the left side of the main program window with the note “ Switched off", and on the right side of the window you can see the main hardware parameters.

6. Installing the operating system on a virtual computer

It is necessary to prepare the image in advance installation disk with the selected operating system or insert a boot disk into the CD/DVD drive of a physical PC.

In the main VirtualBox window, launch the created virtual computer using the button Launch" Then, in the automatically appearing window for selecting removable media for booting, select either the installation disk image with the OS, or designate the boot disk located in the CD/DVD drive. To do this, click the browse icon that looks like a folder.

When installing a previously unfamiliar OS for the first time, simply follow the installer's instructions.

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