How to install system on virtualbox. Creating a new virtual hard disk for installing the operating system and configuring it

Computer users sometimes find themselves in a situation where they need to work with older programs that worked well on previous versions of Windows. Managing two computers at once is not always convenient. But it is possible to install another edition of the operating system on a working laptop. Parallel operation of two systems can be provided by a virtual machine for Windows 7 (VM). From this article you can find out:

• what is VM;
• what programs exist for this purpose;
• how to install and configure Windows 7 in a VM.

The second computer is real

Virtual machine- software. With it, a copy of a real computer is created with:

• hard virtual disks;
• optical software drive;
• analogue of network adapters;
• BIOS, etc.

A virtual laptop with its own operating system runs in a separate window and occupies a certain amount of space on a physical hard drive. It looks like this:

The example shows how in a real operating system with Windows 7 Professional installed, a program works with a virtual Windows XP operating system. And it performs the same actions as on a real device.

VM Tasks

Almost everyone is faced with a situation where a program downloaded from the network and installed pulls a trail of unnecessary applications. That is why more advanced users prefer to install the downloaded application in a virtual system and check it, both for performance and for unexpected surprises.

In addition, other tasks are solved:

• Opportunity to test the program.
• Avoid harmful effects from suspicious programs.
• Emulate a second computer network.
• Check the consequences of changing the settings in the system.
• Safely perform autosurfing over the network.
• Reduce the likelihood of computer viruses infecting a real laptop.
• Running programs that are incompatible with the actual operating system.

Most popular emulators

You can find many programs with which it is possible to create a virtual Windows. But it is best to get acquainted with the most popular of them.

This is the most common free program with which you can emulate the most popular operating systems:

• Windows(with support for different versions).
• macOS.
• Any operating system from the family linux.
• Interaction with VM from the paid version of the emulator is supported VMware Workstation.

Windows 7 and the created virtual machine are easily configured by a regular user. The program differs both in performance and stability. In addition, despite its freeware, it has a wide range of features, a clear interface. It is better than others adapted for home use.

VMware

Also known and popular program. It has found its main application in large corporations.

There are two versions of this product:

• workstation;
• Player.

Version workstation will be able to fully satisfy the needs of the user, but this is a paid program. Ordinary users can use a free analog workstation - VMware Player.

The paid version supports work with systems 32 and 64, sees USB 3.0, various operating systems work quite successfully. VMware Workstation- an advanced version of a computer emulator, but due to its cost, it has found its use mainly among large companies, and not among ordinary users.

Microsoft Virtual PC

A similar virtual machine for working in Windows 7. It has wide functionality and a clear, convenient and practical interface. But there is also a significant disadvantage - it can only work with operating systems of the Windows family. Other operating systems, such as Linux or Mac OS, will not run on it.

This brief overview covers three of the most popular virtual machines. Now it is clear that for home needs it is best to use the program. Next, the procedure for its installation and configuration will be considered.

Installing Windows 7 in a VirtualBox virtual machine

The process of installing a virtual operating system can be divided into several stages:

1. To install the program .
2. Download file with Windows 7 image for VM.
3. Installing virtual Windows 7.

Let's consider all these processes separately.

Install the VirtualBox program

First of all, you need the virtual machine itself. As already mentioned, there are several. We are interested in . You can download it from the official website https://www.virtualbox.org. From the proposed list, select VirtualBox 5.1.14 for Windows hosts.

The process of how to install a virtual machine is described in other articles, but there are a few points:

After the Internet connection is restored, you can start downloading and installing the finished VM file in Windows 7.

Finding a finished VM

Microsoft, in order to test different versions of Internet Explorer (8, 9, 10, 11), has specially prepared several options for downloading from its website a VM with pre-installed Windows versions (7; 8.1; 10) https://developer.microsoft.com/en- en/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/ . If this link is not available, the browser will automatically redirect to the English version of the site https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/

So, first you need to select a Windows 7 image with any version of IE (8, 9, 10, 11).

We select from the drop-down list the item which virtual machine will undoubtedly be used. In our case, this is .

And click on the Download .zip button. The zip file download process will begin.

It remains to install and run a virtual machine on Windows 7.

Adjustment of virtual Windows 7

The virtual Windows file itself is extracted from the "IE10.Win7.For.Windows.VirtualBox.zip" archive.

Once the file is extracted, right click on it.
and from the drop-down list we stop our choice on " To open with».

In principle, nothing needs to be changed in the import parameters. You can leave it as is and click the Import button.

The configuration process will start. The "" window looks like this:

After the process is over, the new seven and VM will appear in the program list. To launch it, it is enough to either double-click on the VM itself, or click on the button with the arrow “ Run". The process of starting the operating system will immediately begin. If installing for the first time, it will take a little longer, however, the same thing happens when installing a real OS. Once the setup program has completed all the necessary steps, a desktop with a working Windows 7 system will appear.

Windows 7 in English and the created virtual machine are ready to run.

Set up a virtual system

All VM controls are intuitive. But if you have any questions, you should carefully read the tooltips in Russian. You can turn to help for help, where you can find answers to all questions.

Usually, both the mouse and the keyboard only work in the VM and are blocked in real Windows. But it is possible to switch between the two systems using the Right Control host key.

Now that the virtual machine is installed and running, you can configure Windows. The first step is to install software components (drivers) for all virtual devices. This process is quite simple. You need to go to the main menu and in the line " Devices" click on the " Install Guest Additions».

After the installation is complete, the VM is rebooted. Now the picture has become clearer, the VM window can be dynamically changed, support for mouse integration will be connected, and Internet access will open.

There is also the possibility of extending the function of the displays. In this mode, windows that are opened in the VM will be displayed on the real desktop, and not in a separate program window. This makes it possible to facilitate access to all controls and installed programs of the VM.

Shutdown virtual Windows 7

Like a real laptop in a VM, Windows installed requires a certain order to be completed. You can end the job by pressing the button to stop the job. A menu will open with three options for closing the VM.

« Save machine state» - before shutting down, the machine will save all running applications at the time of shutdown. When the VM is turned on again, work in it can be continued from the moment it was turned off.

« Send a shutdown signal» - all applications can be closed and the machine will turn off automatically.

« Turn off the car” - just as if a real computer were de-energized.

Conclusion

From this short overview, it can be seen that working with virtual machines, such as, makes it possible to connect several different operating systems at once on one device. Naturally, the more powerful the real device (RAM and CPU), the faster the virtual computers will work. Disabling the antivirus on the native machine will also help speed up the work, or if you add a virtual directory to the list of exceptions of the antivirus program.

Related videos

VirtualBox is an intuitive program to use. If you are not interested in theory and want to start practicing right away, then refer to the instructions for using VirtualBox to install and run operating systems in a virtual computer:

• Installing Linux on a virtual computer (using Linux Mint as an example)

In this series of articles, the features of VirtualBox are discussed in detail, and a detailed description of its options is also given. This material is recommended to you if you want to thoroughly understand VirtualBox, and also if you have any problems or questions that you cannot solve on your own.

What is virtualization and its usefulness

VirtualBox is a program that allows you to run multiple operating systems on the same computer at the same time. Among these operating systems can be Linux, Windows, Mac and others. VirtualBox itself also works on various systems (it is cross-platform).

This means that with the help of VirtualBox, being, for example, in Windows, you can, without restarting the computer and not even installing another OS on a real computer, boot into Linux, work with any Linux applications as if you had a Linux operating system installed. You can, for example, run other versions of Windows to test settings and programs that you don't want to run on your main operating system.

Virtualization (running operating systems inside virtual computers using VirtualBox) has a number of useful features:

• simultaneous launch of several operating systems - you can get acquainted with new operating systems without turning off your main system;
• separation of real and virtual computers - when working in a virtual OS, you do not need to be afraid of erasing the bootloader, losing files, or in any way harming your main operating system, since the virtual system is completely delimited from your main system. Whatever mistakes you make in the virtual machine, your main OS will always remain intact. For this reason, a virtual computer is suitable for conducting various tests, including those that can harm the OS; for example, in a virtual computer, you can analyze malware (viruses) without fear for the main system;
• ease of software installation - if you are on Windows and you need to work with a program that only runs on Linux, then instead of the tedious tasks of trying to run the program on someone else's OS, you can very easily deploy a Linux virtual machine and work with the desired program from there. Or vice versa, while on Linux, you can create a Windows virtual machine to run Windows programs without having to try to run them on Linux;
• the ability to roll back the changes made - you do not need to be afraid to do something wrong in the virtual computer, since you can take any number of system “snapshots” at any time and, if you wish, return to any of them;
• infrastructure consolidation - virtualization can significantly reduce the cost of hardware and electricity; Today, most of the time, computers use only a fraction of their potential during their work, and on average, the load on system resources is low. A large amount of hardware resources as well as electricity is wasted. Therefore, instead of running a large number of physical computers that are only partially used, you can pack many virtual machines into several powerful hosts and balance the loads between them.

VirtualBox Concepts

When it comes to virtualization (as well as to understand further information), it is useful to get acquainted with the terminology, especially often we will encounter the following terms:

Host operating system (host system).

This is the operating system of the physical computer on which VirtualBox was installed. There are versions of VirtualBox for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris.

Guest operating system (guest OS).

It is an operating system that runs inside a virtual machine. Theoretically, VirtualBox can run any x86 operating system (DOS, Windows, OS/2, FreeBSD, OpenBSD).

Virtual machine (VM).

This is a special environment that VirtualBox creates for your guest operating system while it is running. In other words, you are running a guest operating system "in" a virtual machine. Normally the VM will appear as a window on your computer's desktop, but depending on which of the various VirtualBox interfaces you're using, it may be displayed full screen or remotely on another computer.

In a more abstract way, internally VirtualBox thinks of a VM as a set of parameters that define its behavior. These include hardware settings (how much memory the virtual machine should have, which hard drives VirtualBox should virtualize, through which container files, which drives are mounted, etc.) as well as state information (these may include: the virtual machine in currently running, saved, its snapshots, etc.). These settings are reflected in the VirtualBox Manager window as well as in the VBoxManage command line tool. In other words, the virtual machine is also what you can see in the settings dialog.

Guest Additions.

This refers to special software packages that come with VirtualBox but are meant to be installed inside a virtual machine to improve guest OS performance and add additional features.

Installing VirtualBox on Windows

To download VirtualBox go to the official website https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads . Click the link " Windows hosts' to start downloading the installation file. Run the file with a double click - the installation process is similar to any other program in Windows.

You can choose which components to install, it is recommended to install all VirtualBox components for full support of all options:

You may receive messages about installing unsigned drivers - agree to install them. For the program to work correctly, agree to all installer requests.

The following warning tells you that network connections will be dropped for a short time, i.e. you will be temporarily disconnected from the network. We agree that the Internet connection will resume automatically in just a second.

Installing VirtualBox on Linux

On Linux, VirtualBox can be installed in several ways:

• from the standard repository
• binary file downloaded from the official site
• from the VirtualBox repository added to the application sources (only for Debian-based distributions)

Installing VirtualBox on Debian and derivatives (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Kali Linux)

For Debian and derivatives (Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Kali Linux) you can install VirtualBox from the standard repositories:

sudo apt install virtualbox virtualbox-qt linux-headers-"$(uname -r)" dkms vde2 virtualbox-guest-additions-iso vde2-cryptcab

Installing VirtualBox on Arch Linux and derivatives (BlackArch and others)

For Arch Linux and derivatives (BlackArch and others) you can install VirtualBox from the standard repositories:

Sudo pacman -S virtualbox linux-headers virtualbox-host-dkms virtualbox-guest-iso

For information on installing on other distributions, as well as additional details, please visit the corresponding page: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads

Installing the VirtualBox extension packs

Additional extension packs can be downloaded to extend the functionality of the base VirtualBox package. Oracle currently provides one extension pack.

The VirtualBox Extension Pack adds the following features

• USB 2.0 Virtual Device (EHCI)
• USB 3.0 Virtual Device (xHCI)
• Support for VirtualBox Remote Desk Protocol (VRDP)
• Host webcam transfer
• Intel PXE boot ROM
• Experimental support for PCI transfer on Linux hosts
• AES disk image encryption

VirtualBox extension packages have the extension .vbox-extpack. To install an extension, simply double-click on the package file and an assistant will appear to guide you through the installation steps.

To view currently installed extension packs, open main VirtualBox Manager(main window of the program), in the menu " File» select « Settings". In the window that opens, go to the " Plugins”, there you will see the currently installed extensions and you can remove the package or add a new one:

You can find the extension pack for the latest version on the download page.

If you are not using the latest version of VirtualBox, then you can find the extension package at - select the folder with your version number and download, then double-click the file with the extension .vbox-extpack.

Starting VirtualBox

On Windows, VirtualBox can be launched from the menu or from a desktop shortcut.

On Linux, you will also find VirtualBox in the menu,

or you can type the command in the terminal:

virtual box

A window similar to the following will open:

Or, if you have already created virtual machines:

The appearance of a new version of the operating system is stressful for most users. Therefore, one of the main tasks of developers is to make the transition as smooth as possible. This does not always work out, but the creators of windows 7 turned out to be understanding people, and therefore they introduced a virtualization package into the system that was new at that time, allowing XP to run inside the "seven".

General information

A virtual machine emulates hardware, creating an isolated environment inside the system in which any OS can be installed. This allows you to solve many problems with software compatibility, and also makes it possible to "try" another system without deleting the current one. You can work with physical drives, install games and programs for windows XP without giving up the "seven", save files and perform other tasks. Let's see how to install a virtual machine on windows 7 to take advantage of all its useful features.

Checking for Virtual PC

If you installed windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise or Professional, then you have the Virtual PC feature by default. You just need to make sure that the processor supports hardware virtualization. This can be done using the utility from Microsoft Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool.

Download the utility and run it. Depending on the results of the processor test, the following messages may appear on the screen.

Enabling / disabling virtualization is done in the BIOS settings, so before installing Virtual PC manually, make sure that the option is enabled.

The option may be called Intel_Virtualization Technology, AMD-V, Virtualization Extensions, etc. Find this feature in the BIOS and change the value from "Disabled" to "Enabled". If after that the virtual machine cannot be started, windows prompts you to install a special patch. At this stage, it is important to choose the correct bit depth of the system - x32 or x64.

Manual installation

Installing a virtual machine on windows 7 includes two steps:

1. Installing windows Virtual PC;
2. Installing a Windows XP Mode Virtual Disk.

First, let's deal with Virtual PC:

Then you can proceed to install the windows XP Mode virtual disk:

First start

After installing XP Mode, the "seven" must configure it further in order to create a virtual disk. Therefore, after clicking the “Finish” button, the following window will appear on the screen, in which there will be another license agreement, the terms of which you must accept. Specify the folder where the virtual disk will be located and create the first user. Enable the security features of the system you are building. Doing this is optional. Click Start Installation. The installation process will start; you just have to wait for it to finish.

New virtual machine

The system is prepared, the virtual disk is installed. It remains to create a new environment and run windows XP in it.

The sandbox you just created will appear in the XP Mode main window. Right click on it and select "Open". Select the "DVD drive" option and specify the path to the physical drive (if you have a disk with the Windows XP distribution kit) or a pre-downloaded ISO image. The system installation wizard will start.

All you have to do is install windows XP in normal mode to start using this system in an isolated environment created using the hardware virtualization feature.

After the installation is completed, you can use all the features of the OS from Microsoft: install gadgets for windows XP, install games that do not run on the "seven", run outdated programs, etc. - to do this, simply run XP mode through the emulator.

Alternative virtual machines

In addition to the built-in hardware virtualization feature, windows 7 supports third-party programs that help create an isolated environment and install any operating system into it.

First of all, it is necessary to note such virtualization systems as VMWare Workstation and Oracle VM VirtualBox. Let's look at the example of Virtualbox, how such programs work.

Oracle VM Virtualbox

Download and install Virtualbox. It is installed in the same way as any other program, so you should not have any problems.

The isolated environment is ready. To start working with it, mark it with the left mouse button and click the "Run" button in the top menu. A new window will appear on the screen, through which you will first install and then interact with windows 7 or another installed operating system. Specify the path to the physical disk or ISO image with the Windows distribution and click Continue. We will not consider the process of installing windows 7 in detail here, since it is no different from a regular installation on a physical hard drive. You just need to wait for the system installation to complete.

The virtual machine is launched through the Oracle VM VirtualBox program. You will need to open this utility and select the desired virtual system image from the main menu on the left.

As for other utilities, in VMWare Workstation the process of creating a virtual machine almost completely repeats the procedure described above. Some other programs may require additional configuration, so for beginners they may seem somewhat complicated.

Conclusion

Creating a virtual machine and installing a system on it is quite simple, but you need to be careful - since April 2014, windows XP is not supported by Microsoft, therefore, even emulating the mode of this OS, you make your system vulnerable.

In addition, XP mode is not supported on machines with windows 8 installed, and there is no way to fix this. The Virtual PC feature was originally designed to seamlessly transition between systems, so there's no way to jump over a version.

But you can try to install a system other than Microsoft windows - for example, Linux. It is quite difficult to immediately switch to it, besides, you have to abandon most of the programs familiar to Windows. In emulation mode, you will gradually get used to the peculiarities of interacting with the new system and decide whether you need to completely switch to it.

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Instructions for installing a virtual machine for the windows 7 operating system

More and more Windows 7 users want to try the features of the eighth version of this operating system. For these purposes, the use of virtual machines is perfect, on which you can completely install the system without harming the native system. At the moment, there are several popular virtualization programs for windows 7: WMWare, Virtual Box and Virtual PC. In this article, we will consider the latter program, since, compared to other virtual machines, it provides rich virtualization opportunities and is quite simple to configure and operate.

General algorithm of actions

Common Mistakes

When performing the installation according to the above algorithm for Virtual PC at step 6, you may receive a windows 7 error message related to the disabled virtualization function. To fix it, you need to enable system virtualization in the settings panel and, for some versions of motherboards, make BIOS settings.

Additionally, this problem occurs when running antivirus software in Windows 7 with its own firewall and firewall. Therefore, before installing a virtual machine, it is recommended to disable or suspend all anti-virus programs.

windowsTune.ru

Virtual machine for windows 7

A virtual machine is a special program that can act as an emulator of a real computer with all its existing components (BIOS, complete system stuffing, including a motherboard, graphics, network, hard drive, etc.).

Naturally, on such a “computer” you can safely install a variety of operating systems, and under them - any programs designed to work on the installed system. Thus, you can install several operating systems (even very different ones) on one computer, with which you can work safely, and between which you can exchange data over the “network” (if it is configured correctly).

Not every user needs a virtual machine. Most often it is used by advanced users to be able to work with other operating systems (say, Ubuntu), or gradually master them without stopping effective work, say, on windows. It is also necessary to test various software, to safely run programs downloaded from suspicious sites that may be infected with especially dangerous viruses. You can also emulate an entire computer network this way.

What is a virtual machine for windows 7

1. You have this particular OS installed, but you want to use programs for windows XP, more modern windows 8, or even for Linux, which works on a completely different principle and the usual “compatibility” can no longer help here.

2. In order to choose a suitable program, for example, for video processing. They are quite large and if you immediately install them on a working computer, you can easily "litter" the registry. This is especially true if it is wrong to delete programs - you can inadvertently leave "tails" of files that can turn into a real problem in the future.

3. For a simple program test. For example, to explain to readers how to use it or see how it behaves on different systems, what errors can appear and how to deal with them.

4. For experimental installation of programs. Let's say, to see how data is encrypted, how the program behaves under critical loads, in the end, what happens if it is infected with a virus.

The most popular virtual machines for windows 7

windowsVirtualPC - is already basically built into the OS and is a completely free module for working with applications that are incompatible with the "seven". Applications running in the "windows XP" mode can easily work directly on the desktop of the computer, which is extremely convenient. Programs can also be installed in any convenient way - download via the Internet, from a flash drive, using DVDs. In general, in any convenient way.

The minimum requirements for installation are the presence of windows 7 OS not lower than “maximum” or “professional”, a 1 Ghz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 15 GB of free hard disk space.

You can start this virtual machine in a simple way for everyone who has the official version of windows 7. To do this, open “All Programs” in the “Start” menu and click on “windows Virtual PC” there. If this item is missing, then you just need to install an update called "windows6.1-KB958559-x86" (designed for 32-bit systems) or windows6.1-KB958559-x64 (for 64-bit systems). After that, you can safely get to work.

VMWare Workstation by VMWare, Microsoft's main competitor in the virtual machine market. Mostly useful for developers who often need to test and verify their own applications for different operating systems.

This virtual machine for windows 7 has already won about 50 different awards from IT specialists thanks to a thoroughly thought-out usage environment, built-in functionality and, last but not least, high performance and optimization. Perfect for those who need to get things done quickly. It also has the ability to “free up” system resources by simply stopping already running processes, which offloads the processor and significantly speeds up data processing. Needed for demanding applications.

virtual box. Computer virtualization system similar to those described above. It can work in dynamic translation mode (the processing of the main part of the data is transferred to real, not emulated, equipment). It is universal because it can be installed on any of the listed systems Mac OS, windows, Solaris, Linux. You can install on it: GNU/Linux, windows, Solaris, BSD.

Advantages - completely free distribution, sufficiently high performance, small size, the ability to work with VMware virtual images. The most significant disadvantage is that it is impossible to drag files into the application window with the mouse.

windows 7 virtual machine installation

Since windows Virtual PC is already included, we will install VirtualBox - it is free, unlike more serious products. After installation, of course, let's set it up.

So, go to the official VirtualBox website and download the latest version of the program from the site. Run the installer and see this welcome window

We confirm that we wish to continue with the installation and proceed to the next step.

Here we are shown which components of the program are present and where they will be installed. Of course, you can freely change the directory and install the machine on any disk, but it's better to leave the components alone, especially if you are new to using virtual machines. I agree that you may not need all the components in the near future, but if you need them, you will have to reinstall this program again. As well as everything that you install on your virtual computer.

Next installation step

Here you just need to specify where the program shortcuts will be located.

The next step may frighten inexperienced users, even though the program warns that the computer will now be disconnected from the network for a short time. So, if you did not follow the wise advice to install with closed programs and are now actively downloading something from file hosting services, then you must either wait until the download is completed, or interrupt the download yourself.

After that, we agree with everything - “Yes”, and move on. The program will report that everything is ready for installation, which means that we click "Install".

Now you have to wait a while until the virtual machine is installed on the computer. At this time, pop-up windows may appear on the screen offering to install different software for our device. We agree with all of them and install absolutely everything.

After the installation is completed, click "Finish". If everything was done as it should, and you did not uncheck the corresponding checkbox (as shown in the image), then the virtual machine will start automatically immediately after the installation is completed.

Machine creation and customization

To do this, you need to create a new machine in the working window "VirtualBox". To do this, you just need to click the appropriate button ("Create", upper left corner).

After the program prompt you to choose what type of machine will be created. Here you just need to enter its name and select the type of operating system. Remember that you need to be careful and specify everything exactly.

I need a virtual machine to test various programs before installing them in the main directory of the computer. So, I will create a computer running windows 7.

Now let's tell the program how much RAM will be allocated for our new virtual computer.

Everything must be done carefully, since this setting depends on the OS you are going to use and will consume the RAM that is available on the computer. A windows 7 virtual machine requires no less than a normal operating system, which means we need at least 1 GB. But I put 1.5 because I can afford it and I'm going to test programs that will also consume RAM.

windows XP, respectively, will require less RAM. But still, it is advisable to always give it "with a margin." And here lies another danger - you can’t give a virtual machine more than half of the computer’s “live” memory, otherwise the computer will start to fail and may even hang altogether. However, if you have a powerful computer with more than 8 GB of memory, then it is quite possible to allocate about 5-6 GB to a virtual machine.

The next step is the hard drive.

Every computer must have a hard drive. Virtual ones are no exception, and therefore it must be created. Therefore, we create a new virtual hard disk.

Then we specify its type.

And if the names of all these formats do not tell you anything at all, then we just leave everything “by default” and move on. Click "Next".

Next window

It prompts us to specify the data storage format on the virtual machine to the machine. What is important - a dynamic hard drive is "rubber", so to speak, and it can be more or less easily expanded. Fixed has a fixed size and will never take more. It all depends on your needs and preferences. But I will need a hard drive, which can be increased if necessary, which is why I choose “dynamics”.

Now it remains to name it and indicate the initial size.

Create it and move on to the next step.

Setting up a virtual machine

There is a "Settings" button in the upper right corner. Click it and get here - "Settings"

Here you can change a variety of settings. Adjust the amount of RAM if you made a mistake earlier, the boot order of various devices, the use of acceleration, and so on.

There are several sections in total. The version I'm using has 9 sections, but it's too long to go into detail about each one. And it is better to do it on your own, consciously, looking at how the behavior of the virtual computer is changing. In addition, there is a convenient help system - just hover your mouse over the item you are interested in, as a tooltip appears.

But here is a brief description of the settings by section:

1) General. Here is the name of the virtual machine, the OS it uses, removable media and the clipboard;

2) System. Everything related to the hardware of our virtual machine (RAM, processor, chipset, device boot order, acceleration);

3) Display. Video memory and its settings, the number of monitors used, the ability to connect to a remote monitor, acceleration, video capture.

4) Media. Setting up existing virtual hard disks;

5) Audio. Here and so everything is clear - the sound and everything connected with it;

6) Network. Ability to configure virtual network adapters;

7) Com ports. Their inclusion and configuration;

8) USB. This controller and filter setting;

9) Shared folders. Their setup and management.

If a serious mistake was made during the settings, then the smart program will immediately report this. And at the bottom of the settings window, a warning message “Incorrect settings detected” will appear. If you hover your mouse over the "exclamation point", then you will be told what exactly was done wrong.

However, most likely you will only need the first 3 types of settings: "General", "System", "Display". If the virtual machine starts to work slowly and slows down, then you can try to increase the amount of RAM it uses or increase the processor power.

After finishing the settings, confirm everything (“OK”). To start the selected virtual machine, just select it and click the "Start" button. Now it remains only to install the previously selected OS on our virtual computer, configure it and you can work.

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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 how 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 virtual machine installer 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 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" It 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 drive will be available in the virtual machine, in my case Drive "I" and if you have a Windows drive, 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.

Net . Check the "Enable network adapter" checkbox. Connection type "NAT".

USB. Mark the checkboxes. Enable USB controller. Enable USB controller (EHCI)

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 it. 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/

Today, more than ever, they are in demand among completely different groups of users of computer systems. Actually, the Windows operating system, which many users want to use on their terminals in parallel with the main OS, does not lose popularity. Let's see how to install Windows 7 in a virtual machine in the easiest way. Let's take the WM VirtualBox software package as a basis, which is not only one of the most powerful, but also one of the easiest to understand the general principles of work.

What is a virtual machine?

If anyone does not know, software in the form of a virtual machine is nothing more than an emulator of a computer system with hardware installed in it, an operating system and user programs.

In fact, a virtual machine with Windows 7 installed is, as it were, a copy of a real (physically) existing computer with the "seven" on board, but only at the software level, and does not differ in its capabilities from a real terminal. In such a virtual system, you can install programs and applications, test equipment, emulate web servers, etc.

As a rule, all the processes associated with installing the software itself, and then the operating system, do not cause difficulties, however, given the requirements of the "seven", it is still worth giving some recommendations on how to complete all the steps of this process.

Virtual Machine for Windows 7: WM VirtualBox

So let's get started. As it is already clear, first we need an existing operating system. We proceed from the use of the WM VirtualBox package.

Note that in this case the question will not be considered how to install a virtual machine on Windows 7, but how to put the "seven" on the machine. Indeed, why should we emulate its work if it is already installed as the main system?

First, we need to download the latest version of the program. You can do this either on the official website, or you can find it on the Internet. In any case, the application is free, so there will be no problems with some kind of "cracked" versions.

Run the installation file and follow the instructions. Everything is as usual here: we agree with the licensed use and constantly press the "Next" button until we reach the installation confirmation. There is one nuance here. The fact is that after pressing the Install button, the connection will be disconnected for a while, access to the Internet will be lost. No need to panic, this is normal.

Next, windows will appear with a proposal for some devices. We agree everywhere. The last window will show a checkbox next to the line to immediately create a virtual machine. If you need to proceed with these actions, leave everything unchanged. If the virtual machine will be created later, uncheck the box and click the button to finish the installation process (Finish).

How to Install Windows 7 in a Virtual Machine: Preselecting Options

Everything. The main program is installed. The next step will be the creation of a new machine, on which the “seven” will subsequently be placed.

To do this, in the running program, use the appropriate button, after which in the start window of the "Wizard" press the continue button. Now you need to select a few basic options. Specify the type of "OS" Microsoft Windows and select the version of Windows 7.

Now one of the most crucial moments is the choice of the amount of RAM. Please note that it will be allocated from the total installed on the computer, so that when the child OS is running, it will be reduced in the main one. It is not recommended to set the size to less than 512 MB (preferably 1 GB and above) and more than half of the total available size, otherwise the main system will not only slow down, but may even refuse to work.

The next step is creation In a similar "Wizard" it is recommended to select a dynamically expanding disk (Dynamically Allocated) and give it a name. The save location and size will be specified by default, but these parameters can be changed, for example, to use not the system partition with the installed operating system, but another logical partition. The program suggests using a size of 20 GB. This parameter can be left unchanged, however, if you decide to change it, it is not recommended to use a size of less than 15 GB (this is due to the requirements of the "seven" itself).

Create a boot disk (or system image)

If we consider the question of how to install Windows 7 on a virtual machine, you should remember that it must be installed from a disk. There are two options here: either the original installation disk (or its copy) will be used, or the installation will be performed from the image.

In principle, with a dynamically expanding disk created early on, it's best to choose a bootable system image. You can create it from the original DVD quite simply in programs like UltraISO, Daemon Tools, Nero, etc. and save it directly to the hard drive. There is no point in dwelling on this in detail.

Virtual machine preconfiguration

Now, before proceeding directly to the installation of the child OS (in our case, Windows 7), the virtual machine needs to be configured.

To do this, use the properties button. In the menu, first set the size of the video memory for the display (at least 26 MB) and enable 2D and 3D acceleration.

Then, in the media section, depending on how the installed “OS” is written, select the DVD-ROM icon for the optical media with the original (and then insert the disc into the drive) or the folder icon to indicate the location of the .iso image (after that, the line with reference to the image). Settings for audio, network, COM ports and shared folders can be left unchanged.

Now the main window of the application appears again, where you should click the "Start" button. If an informational message appears, we agree, and then click on the screen of the virtual machine and select the "capture" command in the pop-up window.

Installation of the "seven"

Only now we put Windows 7 on the VirtualBox virtual machine. In principle, the process of installing the "seven" is absolutely no different from how it would be if this procedure was carried out on a real computer. You just need to follow the instructions of the installer. Depending on the configuration you created, the process can take up to 20-30 minutes. At the end of the process, we get with the "seven", which is no different from a regular terminal.

Working with add-ons

Separately, it should be noted that the question of how to install Windows 7 on a virtual machine cannot do without understanding some of the nuances that many users often do not pay attention to. The problem is that the enabled virtual machine blocks the use of the keyboard and mouse in the main system. In addition, it will not work for the hosting and child OS at the same time. That is, it will be impossible to copy data in the main application running on the main system and paste it into the program on the virtual machine.

To prevent this from happening, you just need to go to the add-ons installation section, after which you need to click on the VBoxWIndowsAdditions.exe line in the autorun window and install the program.

Conclusion

So we figured out how to install and work with the WM VirtualBox virtual machine. As you can see, there is nothing particularly complicated here. In addition, in most cases, an ordinary user will not have to select parameters manually, since the “Wizard” initially monitors the configuration of the main system and offers the best settings.

Well, how expedient and justified the use of a child OS in the form of a “seven” already depends only on what kind of tasks the user himself assigns to it. By the way, if you notice, in this case, you don't even have to enable virtual technology support in the BIOS settings. They are mainly used only when using the "native" Hyper-V hypervisor (for its operation or for choosing a bootable OS). But in our case it is not required.