Which disk to install Virtualbox on? Quick access and comfortable work

A virtual machine is used to simulate the operation of an operating system (Windows, Linux or Mac) on one physical machine. In other words, you can deploy several virtual machines on your computer that will work as full-fledged operating systems, while being located on your computer/laptop and using resources (processor, RAM, hard drive) your computer\laptop. At home, virtual machines are very convenient for various testing and construction small network. In organizations, virtual machines are used to share server resources and install multiple operating systems (depending on the server configuration and requirements for virtual machines). In this article I will describe working with the most popular program to deploy virtual machines for home use.

VirtualBox is very good product virtualization for enterprises and home use. Not only is VirtualBox extremely feature rich, it is also the only professional solution, which is freely available and open source under the GNU terms General Public License (GPL) version 2 and plus everything is completely in Russian.
First of all you need to download latest version distribution VirtualBox .
After that, run the installer file. In the welcome window, click "Next"

After this, you will be prompted to select installation components and the path, I recommend leaving everything as is and clicking "Next"


The next window will ask you to install VirualBox shortcuts, you can leave everything as is and click "Next".


The next window warns that the network may turn off during installation; if you do not download anything during installation, you can click "Next", otherwise finish the download and then continue installing VirualBox.


In the next window click "Install"


During installation, installation windows will appear - USB controller, network services And network adapters, press "Install".


After installation is complete, click "Finish"


After installing VirtualBox, let's start creating virtual machine, but first we’ll change the interface language, unless of course it suits you. To do this, in the VirtualBox panel, click “File-Preferences...”


In the Settings window select "Language" and in the right column select necessary settings panel language, in in this case Russian, press "OK".

Now let's start installing the virtual machine. Click on the top of the panel "Create"


In the window Create a virtual machine enter the name that will be displayed in VirtualBox, select the type and version of the operating system to be installed.


Then indicate the amount allocated RAM for a given virtual machine, this value can be easily changed in the future.


Since we are creating a new virtual machine, in the next window we select “Create new virtual hard disk".


Then we indicate the file type that will serve hard drive for a new virtual machine, I recommend leaving VDI.


After that, choose a storage format, I recommend leaving Dynamic virtual hard disk.


Specify the size hard drive, specified by default smallest size, if this is not enough for you, use the slider to determine how much space is needed.

In masonry CPU specify the number of processors allocated to the virtual machine, as well as the processor load limit.


In the network menu you can define the number of network adapters and the connection type.
In mode "NAT", the guest network interface is assigned by default an IPv4 address from the range 10.0.x.0/24, where x denotes a specific NAT interface address, determined by the formula +2. Thus, x will be equal to 2 if there is only one active NAT interface. In this case, the guest operating system receives an IP address of 10.0.2.15, the network gateway is assigned an address of 10.0.2.2, and the name server (DNS) is assigned an address of 10.0.2.3.

In connection type "Network Bridge" the virtual machine works the same as all other computers on the network. In this case, the adapter acts as a bridge between the virtual and physical networks. From the outside external network it is possible to directly connect to the guest operating system.

When connecting type "Virtual Host Adapter" guest operating systems can interact with each other, as well as with the computer on which the virtual machine is installed. In this mode, the host adapter uses its own dedicated device called vboxnet0. It also creates a subnet and assigns IP addresses to the network cards of guest operating systems. Guest operating systems cannot interact with devices located on the external network, since they are not connected to it through physical interface. Virtual Host Adapter mode provides limited set services useful for creating private networks under VirtualBox for its guest operating systems.


On the menu Shared folders you can mount a folder for easier file sharing with virtual machines. To do this, click on the button Add a shared folder(on the right is a folder with a plus sign) and specify the path and name of the shared folder.


I hope this article helped you in installing and configuring VirtualBox.

Hello everyone! Today we'll talk about Virtualka. Yes, not about Natasha the virtual girl, the one who sits on VKontakte, but about the virtual machine.

A long time ago, in one of my previous articles, or rather in the article “”, I promised to talk about how to install and correctly configure a virtual car Virtual box for testing programs, checking them for gluing and analyzing viruses.

A lot of time has passed since then, and the other day, when my conscience was finally eating me up, I finally decided to fulfill my promise. This article will be the first part of the manual. It will talk about correct setting virtual machine, and in the next article - about malware analysis. Well, friends, let's go!

• Virtual machine
  • What is a virtual machine?
  • What virtual machine does the author use?
• VirtualBox virtual machine
• Installing VirtualBox
• Setting up VirtualBox
• Creating a virtual machine
• Setting up a virtual machine
• Windows installation
• Installing the Guest OS Add-on
• VirtualBox Snapshots

Virtual

What is a Virtual Machine?

A virtual machine (VM - Virtual machine) or in common parlance a virtual machine is a software and/or hardware system that emulates hardware some platform (target - target, or guest platform) and executing programs for the target platform on the host platform (host - host platform, host platform). Deeper theoretical knowledge you can find it on Wikipedia.

Why do you need a virtual machine?

Virtualization allows you to create an operating system within an operating system and test programs without installing them on the main machine. Virtualization also allows you to do pentesting. Instead of hacking other people's computers (which, as you know, is considered illegal and punishable), find or use vulnerabilities to hack operating systems and other software at home. I will tell you more about how to properly configure the network on a virtual machine for pentesting later in a separate article.

My friends, if you want to be a little more than just a computer user, you must know how to use a virtual machine and do it correctly.

I've often been asked how I test programs. To test white software I use virtual VirtualBox machines And VMware Workstation. For gray software I do not use virtual machines; for this I have a dedicated separate computer- quarantine, which was collected specifically for this purpose. I did this for two reasons:

• To secure everything home network, since physically my virus laboratory is not connected to the network at all.
• And in order to malware could not determine the use of the virtual machine. You probably know that viruses have protection that can detect and not trigger the infection mechanism in order to prevent detection and subsequent analysis of the malware.

Which virtual machine is better?

This controversial issue. We have a separate article for it ““. Read at your leisure, there at the beginning of the article in the photo you will find a friend of today's test chick.

VirtualBox virtual machine

Having followed the links above, you already realized that there is large number virtuallock. This begs the question: “why Virtual Box?” - after all, he is not the best. Yes, not the best, but it’s free and already native. Therefore, this instruction will be about installing VirtualBox.

Download VirtualBox

You should download Virtualbox only from the developers’ website, not from trackers or software portals. VirtualBox downloaded from torrent trackers can be glued with malware. And on software portals the version may be outdated, and even with all sorts of vulnerabilities. With the help of which the malware, i.e. malware, it can run out of the guest car and bite you a little o_0.

You can download VirtualBox for free on the official website using the link. Versions for operating systems are available as free downloads:

• Windows
• Mac OS X
• Linux
• Solaris x-86

Which version should I download?

Based on what operating system you have. In this article, I will install VirtualBox on Windows 10. Installing VirtualBox on all versions of Windows is identical.

Go to the official website and download the installation file.

The file weighs approximately 120MB, after installation it takes up 150MB on disk (not counting installed virtual machines).

Installing VirtualBox

So, after we have downloaded the latest version of Virtual Box, let's proceed with the installation. Launch the program and click “Next”. Then the component selection window will appear. Without changing anything, click “Next”.

In the next window there is nothing, click “Next” again.

Now a window will appear indicating that the Internet will be temporarily disconnected during installation of the program. Click “Yes”.

“Next” again. And at the end “Finish”. This completes the tedious installation process.

Setting up VirtualBox

Now let's move on to setting up the virtual machine and installing the operating system.

If you have the Russian language installed on your system, the program will automatically change the interface language to Russian when you first launch it. If this does not happen, then go to the “File” -> “Settings” menu and select your language on the languages ​​tab.

In principle, there is nothing else that needs to be changed in the settings of Virtual Box itself, but if you are in the know and know what you are doing, you can wander around there a little.

Creating a virtual machine

Click the “Create” button.

In the settings window, specify the name (you can change it in the future), type and version of the operating system. Keep in mind than older version Windows, the fewer resources need to be allocated. I'm installing Windows 10, and as you know, it's quite resource-intensive. Microsoft says the minimum Windows requirements 10 for full-fledged work: 1GB for 32-bit and 2GB for 64-bit, but this is garbage. With these settings, you won’t be able to test any programs; the only thing you can do is engage in masochism.

Therefore, we set the maximum possible volume virtual memory. I have 32GB, and I usually allocate 8GB for the virtual machine. Sometimes even more, it all depends on the tasks and how many virtual machines I run at the same time.

At the end, click the “Create” button and proceed to creation virtual hard disk. Minimum hard size disk for Windows 10: 16GB for the 32-bit version and 20GB for the 64-bit version. Set the minimum to 80GB and check the “Dynamic size” checkbox.

You can also change the location of the virtual machine. If possible, in terms of performance it is better to install it on an SSD drive. This is usually drive C.

We check everything thoroughly and click the “Create” button.

Setting up a virtual machine

Now right-click on the created virtual machine to open the settings. In the menu " General» Go to the “Advanced” tab and disable the use of the shared clipboard and the Drag’nDrop function.

In the menu " System» Go to the “Processor” tab and set the number of processors of the virtual machine. I have 4, so I set it to 2cp. If you have 2, set 1cp. And the processor load slider is set to maximum.

In the same menu, go to the “Acceleration” tab and check all the checkboxes.

In the “Network” menu, disable the network adapter. But in some situations, when dealing with viruses, you may need to enable the adapter. If you turn it on, then turn off the Internet by selecting the connection type “Not connected” in the drop-down menu. And if you want internet, set it up separate network without using a Nat connection. One last thing for the paranoid.

In the menu " USB» uncheck the “Enable USB controller” checkbox.

In the menu " Shared folders"let's add a folder where we will upload it for our virtual machine necessary programs. Click on the icon on the right and in the window that appears, configure the shared folder. Select the path where it will be located shared folder, and be sure to check the boxes as shown in the screenshot below. Especially on the “Read Only” checkbox.

If you will use the virtual machine for another purpose, for example, to test operating systems, then you can skip this checkbox. But if you create a virtual machine to test suspicious programs and viruses, then of course you should enable the “Read Only” function.

Installing Windows on a VirtualBox virtual machine

In the main program window, mark our virtual machine and click on the green “Launch” button. The virtual machine will start and immediately display an error. This is normal, to install the operating system you need to load a disk image. To do this, in the drop-down menu “Devices” -> “ Optical discs» Click “Select disk image”.

That's it, now you need to follow the OS installation steps.

Guest OS Additions

After completing the operating system installation process, you need to install guest OS additions. To do this, in the “Devices” drop-down menu, click on the “Mount guest OS Add-ons disk image” item. Look at the screenshot above.

Then we follow the installation steps. There is nothing complicated there, just click “Next” where necessary, and then reboot the virtual machine.

Besides this after Windows installations, in the operating system itself, be sure to enable . The desktop.ini files will loom on the desktop, but there’s nothing you can do, it’s the way it is, deal with it.

Now you need to install everything on a clean Windows necessary programs and utilities. To work with the registry, you can install the Regshot utility, which we described in detail in the article “”. I will talk about all other tools for analyzing programs and viruses later in a separate article.

If you don't want to wait and want to get started right away, here's one more thing to do. Bye Windows is clean you need to take a snapshot or clone the operating system.

VirtualBox snapshots allow you to roll back the operating system to previous state. It's done like this. After you have configured Windows and installed all the necessary programs, in the main program window, select the desired virtual machine and click the blue “Snapshots” button.

Then we wait for the process of creating a snapshot of the operating system to complete.

Now we can install and test everything downloaded from the network.

Learning to use VirtualBox is beneficial for everyone. Thanks to this service, you get virtual computers that you can run on your devices without having to buy new hardware. At its core, it is free virtualization software.

VirtualBox was created to solve many problems. Thanks to this functionality, you get the opportunity to create virtual computers out of thin air. They don't take up any space on your desk, but they work just like a real PC. They can be created and deleted with a few clicks.

What is VirtualBox? It is a free, open source, cross-platform application for creating, managing and running virtual machines (VMs) - computers whose hardware components are emulated by the host computer, or device, on which the program is running. VirtualBox can run on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris.

Why is this necessary?

Using virtual machines can be extremely beneficial for a number of reasons. For example, you can run it to try software that you think might be dangerous, or you can try a different operating system without changing the way your computer is configured.

You can also use it for security purposes. For example, you can create a virtual machine just for online banking to make sure you don't become a victim spyware or Trojans obtaining your data.

How to install VirtualBox?

The easiest way to get the latest VirtualBox version- Download it from the download page of the official website. There you can find suitable version for your platform or? If you use Linux, you can study the list of instructions for the various distributions of this OS.

For each version of Linux, you are given the option to download the "i386" or "amd64" option, 32-bit and 64-bit versions, respectively.

How to install VirtualBox? The process is similar to installing any other program on your platform, so you shouldn't have any problems. If you have any difficulties, you can always read the installation guide on the service's website.

Using VirtualBox

How to use VirtualBox? When you launch the application for the first time, you will be greeted by the VirtualBox Manager. Here you can create virtual machines, enable or disable them and configure access to the virtual hardware available to them, as well as make network settings.

Creating a virtual machine

In order to configure the network in VirtualBox and get started, you will need to create a virtual machine. This is done as follows.

The first step to creating any virtual machine is to click the Create button in the top left corner of the VirtualBox Manager window - that's the big blue star that's very hard to miss.

This will launch the New Virtual Machine Wizard, which will walk us through the steps required to get it up and running.

Enter the name of the virtual computer. This name is completely up to you, but there are some nuances.

VirtualBox will try to figure out what OS you plan to run in the virtual machine based on what name you enter. If the name mentions "XP", it is assumed that you will be installing Windows XP and configuring it accordingly. However, you can come up with random name. You will then have the option to manually select your OS type from the drop-down lists below. When you do this, click Continue to move on to the next step. This example looks at Windows for VirtualBox. Below are instructions for installing this OS as a guest OS and then setting up a network connection.

Selecting RAM

To install the guest OS after running VirtualBox, you will be asked to select the amount of RAM you want to place in the virtual machine. The more volume you give it, the better app will work, but keep in mind that the memory allocated to the virtual machine cannot be used by the host OS (i.e. the machine on which VirtualBox is installed).

So how much RAM should you allocate to a VM? This depends on a number of factors. If you plan to only use the virtual machine while it's running, you can afford to give it more RAM because you won't be asking the host system to multitask. If, on the other hand, you will be using it while running many other functions on the host OS, you should better calculate this value. A good general rule is to allocate half of your computer's RAM. So, if your PC has 4GB RAM, give 2GB to the VM, leaving the host with the rest. If you select this value with blunder, you will encounter that VirtualBox does not start.

Storage space

The next step is to create a “virtual hard disk” (VHD). This creates a file on your HDD that can be used by VirtualBox to act as a separate hard drive. This allows you to install the operating system without worrying about your existing data being affected.

Make sure Boot is selected Hard Disk and "Create new hard disk", then click "Continue". This will launch "Create" new master virtual disk" Click Continue again to complete the action.

You'll then be asked whether you want to create a "dynamically expanding" or fixed-size disk. Each has its own advantages. The great thing about a dynamic disk is that it only takes up as much space as the data it contains. It is also much faster to create than a fixed one of any significant size.

However, you need to keep an eye on this because his flexibility can also be his negative trait. So you create a dynamic disk and assign 50 GB to it and then put about 20 GB of data on it. Its file will appear as holding only 20 GB of hard drive space, according to your host OS. Therefore, you can take this place with other data and not notice it.

The point is that if you start a virtual machine and try to add more data to the dynamic disk, you will have problems - the virtual disk says it still has 30 GB, but in fact it may no longer have it.

This is also the advantage of a fixed-size disk. Sure, it's inconvenient when you're trying to figure out how much space you'll need, but then you won't have to worry about it anymore.

This example shows dynamic disks, but fixed ones will work just as well. Make sure Dynamically Expanding Storage is selected, then click Continue again. Next, you will be asked to select a name, location, and size for the new VHD. For most uses, you won't need to change the name or location, but you can do so by clicking on the folder icon next to the text field.

The size you should specify depends on how much material you plan to use. If you just want to use it to run a few programs, the suggested size of 10 GB should be sufficient. Make sure the settings are correct, then click Continue and Finish.

At this point, you just need to check everything and make sure that all the settings are set as you expect. Then you just need to click "Finish" and the virtual machine will be created so you can install Windows.

Booting a Guest OS in VirtualBox

How to continue using the service? Now it's time to run the virtual machine for the first time. Make sure the new virtual PC you just created is selected in the VirtualBox Manager window, then click the Start button at the top of the window. When the service starts, you will be greeted with a First Run Wizard window that will help you prepare to install Windows XP. Click Continue. It will then ask you whether you want to use a CD or an image on your hard drive (usually an .iso file) as your installation media. Once you've selected your option, click Continue, then Finish.

If you were unable to open the VirtualBox virtual machine after the above settings, you probably did not allocate space for RAM or HDD correctly. If rebooting does not solve the problem, repeat the previous steps again.

Since there is nothing installed on the virtual hard disk, Windows Setup will automatically load. It will take some time to download all the necessary OS files, but eventually you will see a screen that displays a list of existing partitions and unallocated space on the computer.

After this you should configure XP, so press Enter. You will be asked how you want to format the drive. You need to select the option “Format partition using file system NTFS (Quick)". Make sure you select the "Fast" option or you will be waiting for a very long time!

After that Windows Setup will format the VHD and then start copying files to the disk. Your participation in this process is not required. Once the files are copied, Windows Setup will automatically restart your computer to move on to the next step.

When the PC reboots, it will try to boot from the CD using the "Press any key to boot from CD..." window. Ignore it! If you do this, you will repeat the previous step again for no reason.

You can prevent this system issue by clicking right click Click on the CD icon at the bottom of the virtual machine window and click “Remove disk from virtual disk.” Once this window closes, you will see the familiar screen Windows boot XP before it switches to the second stage of installation.

Once the “Windows XP Installation Wizard” is displayed, click “Next” to begin it. You will first be asked to set your regional and language options, which basically involve clicking "Customize..." (to select your country) and then "Details" if you need to change your keyboard layout.

Once everything is selected, click Next again. After this, you will need to enter your computer name and administrator password. It's better to choose a name that has some meaning instead of a random string of automatically generated characters. How complex you want to make the administrator password depends on how important the security of the virtual machine is.

After clicking Next, you will see the date and time settings, which you do not need to change. When you click this button again, the window will disappear for a while, Windows will apply all the settings and continue with the installation. You can now use Guest Additions in VirtualBox.

After a minute or two another window will appear, this time for network settings. It is more convenient to choose the first option (a network that does not have a domain). To do this you need to enter a name working group- default is Rward, and all values ​​are default. However, you may need to select "Direct3D Support" when asked to identify components.

How to work with the network?

Networking in VirtualBox is extremely powerful, but setting it up can be a little tricky. To understand this, you need to consider various ways VirtualBox network settings with a few pointers to what configurations should be used and when.

Oracle VM VirtualBox 5.1 allows you to configure up to 8 virtual network adapters (controllers) network interface) for each guest virtual device (although there are only 4 in the GUI).

Main modes:

• Network Address Translation (NAT).
• Bridge networks.
• Internal network.
• The network is for hosting only.
• NAT with port forwarding.

Oracle VirtualBox offers them as based on the guest OS type you specify when creating the virtual machine, and you rarely need to modify them. But choosing a network mode depends on how you want to use the device (client or server) and whether you want other computers on your network to see it. So, you should look at each VirtualBox network configuration mode in a little more detail.

Network Address Translation (NAT)

This is the default mode for new virtual machines and works fine in most situations where the guest OS is a "client" type (i.e. most network connections are outgoing). Here's how it works.

When the guest OS boots, it typically uses DHCP to obtain an IP address. Oracle VirtualBox will send this DHCP request and inform the operating system of the assigned IP address and gateway address for routing outgoing connections. In this mode, each virtual machine is assigned the same IP address (10.0.2.15) because each of them thinks that it is in its own isolated network. And when they send their traffic through the gateway (10.0.2.2), VirtualBox rewrites the packets so that they appear as if they came from the host, and not from the "guest" (running inside the host).

This means that the guest OS will work even if the host moves from network to network (such as a laptop moving between locations), from wireless to wired connections.

However, how does another computer initiate a connection with it? For example, you need to connect to a web server running on a guest computer. This is not possible (usually) using NAT mode because there is no route to the guest OS. So for running virtual machine servers you need a different network mode and a different VirtualBox network setup.

NAT connection (network characteristics):

• Guest OSs are on their own private network.
• VirtualBox acts as a DHCP server.
• VirtualBox's NAT mechanism translates addresses.
• Destination servers display traffic originating from the VirtualBox host.
• No configuration is required for the host or guest OS.
• Works great when the "guests" are clients but not servers.

Bridged networks

Bridged Networking is used in cases where you want your virtual machine to be a full member of the network, that is, equal to your host device. In this mode, the virtual network adapter is "connected" to the physical one on your host.

This is because each virtual machine has access to physical network just like your host. It can access any service on the network - external DHCP services, name lookup services and routing data, and so on.

The downside to this mode is that if you run a lot of virtual machines, you may quickly run out of IP addresses or your network administrator will be overwhelmed with requests for them. Second, if your host has multiple physical network adapters (such as wireless and wired), you must reconfigure the bridge if it reconnects on the network.

What if you want to run servers in a virtual machine, but don't want to involve a network administrator? Maybe one of the following two modes will work for you, or maybe you need a combination additional parameters, for example NAT vNIC + 1 Host-only vNIC.

Bridged network characteristics:

• VirtualBox bridges are for the host network;
• good for any guest OS (both client and server);
• use IP addresses;
• may include guest configuration;
• Best suited for production environments.

Internal network

When you configure one or more virtual machines to run on an internal network, VirtualBox ensures that all traffic on that network remains within the host and is only accessible to the device on that virtual network.

The internal network is a completely isolated system. It is good for testing. In it, using a virtual machine, you can create complex internal networks that provide your own services(For example, Active Directory, DHCP, etc.). Note that even the host is not an element.

This mode allows the virtual machine to run even if the host is not connected to the network (for example, on a plane). However, with this type of connection and network setup, VirtualBox does not provide such “convenient” services as DHCP, so your device must be statically configured or provide the DHCP/Name service.

Installation of several internal networks is allowed. You can configure virtual machines to allow multiple network adapters to be in internal and other network modes, thereby providing routes if needed. But all this looks complicated and inaccessible to a non-specialist.

What if you want the internal network to accept the VirtualBox host while providing IP addresses to the guest OS? To do this, you may need to configure a host-only network.

Internal network characteristics:

• guest operating systems can see other “guests” on the same internal network;
• the host cannot see the internal configuration;
• network configuration required;
• even if the host is not a party to the connection, internal network can be used in conjunction with a bridge connection;
• well suited for multi-user networks.

Hosting only network

Works almost the same as an Internal Networking connection, where you specify which network the guest server is on. All virtual machines located on this network will see each other and the host. However, others external devices cannot see "guests" on this network, hence the name "host only".

It is very similar to an internal network, but the host can now provide DHCP services. To set up such a connection, go to VirtualBox Manager and select the default settings.

Network characteristics:

• VirtualBox creates a private internal network for the guest OS, and the host sees the new NIC software.
• VirtualBox provides a DHCP server.
• Guest operating systems cannot access the external network.

NAT with port forwarding

Now you can imagine that you have learned enough modes to handle every case, but there are exceptions. What if your development environment is on a laptop, for example, and you have one or more virtual machines that need other computers to connect to? And you are constantly forced to use different client networks.

In this scenario NAT will not work because external machines must be connected as a bridge. It's possible good option, but you may need IP addresses. Additionally, software may not always be able to cope with changing networks.

If you use an internal network, you may find that your virtual machines need to be visible on the network. What to do in such cases?

Configure the virtual machine to use a NAT network, add port forwarding rules, and connect external computers to the “host”. The port number and connection will be forwarded by VirtualBox to the guest OS number.

For example, if your virtual machine runs a web server on port 80, you can configure the above rules. This provides a mobile demo system that does not need to be re-configured every time you connect your laptop to a different LAN/Network.

Ultimately, VirtualBox has a very powerful set of options, allowing you to customize almost any configuration you might need. To choose the option you need, read the VirtualBox instructions on the official website.

Today we will look at:

VirtualBox is a program that allows you to create, run and import one or more virtual machines simultaneously on your computers. That is, the user can install and work with any OS without installing it on his computer - all operating systems run in an isolated environment.

Using VirtualBox, any user can test a wide variety of operating systems, work with them, record videos and perform other actions. It’s not difficult to use this program; let’s look at the first launch of VirtualBox and .

Step 1. Download the operating system

First, you need to download an image of the operating system that you plan to install in VirtualBox. Naturally, you don’t need to create any bootable flashes; you need the image itself, for example, . However, if there is already a ready-made bootable flash drive, then you can install the OS from it.

Step 2. Download and install VirtualBox

Download VirtualBox from the official website of the program using this link. Download the program for your operating system (in most cases it is Windows).

After the .exe file has been downloaded, you can proceed with the installation. This process is worth considering in more detail, as some users may have certain questions.

Once the installation begins, the Custom Setup window will open. It asks you to select the location where VirtualBox will be installed, as well as the choice of volume. If you are not sure whether you need additional features, then we recommend skipping this step and leaving the program in full.

In the next window the program will offer:

• create a shortcut on the desktop;
• create a shortcut in the Quick Launch panel;
• register extensions VirtualBox files in the OS.

Check the boxes next to the options you need.

Next, another window will appear in which you will see a warning: “Warning: Network Interfaces”. This means that after you click "Yes", the installation will continue and the Internet connection will be lost for a few seconds. Therefore, before agreeing, it is recommended to shut down all applications that are actively using network connection(conversation on Skype, downloading files from the network, etc.), and then proceed to continue the installation.

A window will then appear informing you that the preparatory processes have been completed and the installation of VirtualBox itself will now begin. Click on the “Install” button.

As this window informs you, the installation process has started and the user needs to wait a few minutes.

During the installation process, several more windows will appear that will prompt you to install software. VirtualBox will ask for confirmation to install: USB controller, network adapters, network services. It is recommended to install the requested software for the program to function correctly.

After a short time, the installation of the program will be completed; all you have to do is click the Finish button, after which VirtualBox will start.

Step 3: Create your first virtual machine

In order to create your first virtual machine, click on the blue “Create” button. In the window that opens, set a name for virtual system, and then select its type and version. After that, click “Next”.

In a new window, the program asks you to specify the amount of memory. The size you specify is what VirtualBox will use. Most often, the size specified by default is enough, but if desired and if the computer is available, you can install more - this way, “heavy” and resource-intensive applications can be easily launched on the virtual machine.

Next, you need to select the hard drive with which the virtual machine will work. When you first start VirtualBox, the created virtual hard drives no, so you need to select the “Create a new virtual hard disk” option and click on “Create”.

After that, select the file type that will be used when creating the virtual disk. It is recommended to leave the default selection unless the created disk will be used with other software virtualization products.

Next, a window with advanced hard drive settings will open. Select the virtual disk type based on whether it will be used in other virtualization programs. Select the size that the program will use. It is worth noting that the allocated size will be occupied by VirtualBox on the physical hard drive, so first make sure that the allocated resources are available. Click “Create” and wait.

If all actions were completed correctly, a new virtual machine will appear on which you can install the guest OS.

Step 4: Install Guest OS

After the first launch of the virtual machine, the OS installation will be automatic. To start the car, you need to press the corresponding button ( green arrow to the right, “Run”) and indicate the path to the boot disk or image.

Once the disk or image has been selected, auto-installation of the OS will begin. The installation process itself is no different from the actual installation on a computer. After installation, you can start working with the operating system.

Other useful information

Adding, starting and shutting down a virtual machine

You can start virtual machines by selecting them with the mouse (the list is on the left side of the program) and clicking on the “Run” button on the toolbar.

If the machine you need is not in the list, click “Machine” and select “Add”.

There are several ways to shut down a virtual machine:

Pausing the virtual machine

The guest OS can be paused if you need to be away at some point, but it is very important not to miss any activity that is happening in it right now. To freeze a virtual machine, you need to click “Machine” and select “Suspend”. To resume work, you must perform this action again.

This option has a higher priority than shutting down work while saving the state, if only because exiting the pause is instantaneous, and restarting takes much longer.

Connecting removable devices to the virtual machine

You can connect USB devices to the virtual machine. To do this, on the toolbar, follow this path: Devices - USB devices and in the list window that opens, select required device. Working with removable device will happen in the same way as with a real car.

It is important to note that when a device is connected to a virtual machine, it is “disconnected” and becomes unavailable to the real machine, resulting in the loss of unsaved data. Therefore, first make sure that you do not make any important actions with the host OS (for example, copying).

Switching between host and guest OS

When you work in a virtual machine, the mouse and keyboard are captured. That is, all actions performed by these devices are relevant only for the virtual machine. When you need to switch to the real operating system (host), press the “Right Control” key.

You can resume working with the virtual machine by clicking on any location in the VirtualBox window.

Video on installing and configuring VirtualBox

Creating a virtual machine in Virtual Box

Installing Windows 7 x64 on a VirtualBox virtual machine

Installing Ubuntu server on a Virtual Box virtual machine

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 software processes and settings, a step-by-step guide 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. Free to use only VMware Player– this is a greatly reduced functionality version Workstation programs. 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 using VirtualBox create an Android emulator.

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

As for installing VirtualBox not in active virtual computer mode, 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. Active virtual desktop mode will require much more system resources, and the specific requirements will already be determined by that same virtual (guest) OS.

VirtualBox creates virtual computer based on the hardware characteristics of a physical PC, some of which are automatically emulated into a virtual computer - for example, 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.

What part of the RAM and disk space can I give it 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 will probably have an extra 4-5 GB minimum for Windows XP or Linux without any problems, then about 20-25 GB for full operation of Windows 7 or 8 (8.1) OS, for example, owners of old PC builds with a hard drive of some 160 GB will have to be taken care of in advance, saying goodbye to file junk that has not been used for a long time.

3. How to download the program for free

Installer on the developer's official website VirtualBox programs V 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. Don’t worry if this language is not familiar to you: all you need to do is press “ Next" - i.e. " Next».

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 process the program takes a couple of minutes connection will be lost 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 permission to install individual components give them permission. 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 start, immediately after pressing the end 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

When creating a virtual computer using VirtualBox, you can’t go wrong: after installation, a single active button – « 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 be transferring half the hardware capacity to the virtual computer real computer, and in cases with low-power machines, there may not be enough performance to run the main OS, not to mention virtual environments. Minimum recommendations VirtualBox itself is too small for full-fledged operation, 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 virtual hard disk type – next window VirtualBox settings- it’s better to do the same as above - leave the default item.

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 set a name for the virtual hard drive. 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 you 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 “heavy” Windows 7 and 8 (8.1). And why bother? system disk? It is better to choose a storage location on 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 “ 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 paste 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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