Since we all love to experiment, delve into the system settings, start something of our own manufacture, then you need to think about a safe place to experiment. This place will be for us the VirtualBox virtual machine with Windows 7 installed.
If everything suits you, click "Create".
When the disk is created, the parameters of the created VM will be displayed in a new window.
Now you need to configure the hardware part of the virtual machine.
In the General section, the 1st tab displays key information about the created machine.
Open the tab "Additionally"... Here we will see an option "Folder for pictures"... It is recommended to place the specified folder outside system partition because the pictures are large.
"Shared clipboard" implies the work of the clipboard when your main OS and VM interact. The buffer can work in 4 modes. In the first mode, the exchange is made only from the guest operating system to the main operating system, in the second - to reverse order; the third option allows both directions, and the fourth disables data exchange. We choose the bidirectional option as the most convenient.
"Mini toolbar" is a small panel that allows you to manage the VM. We recommend activating this console in full screen mode, since it is completely repeated by the main menu of the VM working window. The best place for her is at the top of the window, since there is no risk of accidentally clicking one of her buttons.
Go to section "System"... The first tab offers to make certain settings, which we will discuss below.
1. If necessary, adjust the volume random access memory VM. At the same time, only after its launch it will become clear to the end whether the correct volume has been selected.
The choice should be based on the size of physical memory installed on the computer. If it is equal to 4 GB, then it is recommended to allocate 1 GB for the VM - it will function without "brakes".
2. Let's define the order of loading. The player of floppy disks (floppy disks) is not needed, we turn it off. The 1st in the list should be assigned to the CD / DVD drive in order to be able to install the OS from the disk. Note that this can be either a physical disk or a virtual image.
For other settings, see the reference section. They are closely related to the hardware configuration of your computer. If you set settings that are inconsistent with it, the VM will not be able to start.
On a bookmark "CPU" the user specifies how many cores there are on the virtual motherboard. This option will be available if hardware virtualization is supported. AMD-V or VT-x.
Regarding hardware virtualization options AMD-V or VT-x, then before activating them, you need to find out whether these functions are supported by the processor and whether they are initially included in BIOS- it often happens that they are disabled.
Now let's look at the section "Display"... On a bookmark "Video" the amount of memory of the virtual video card is indicated. The activation of 2D and 3D acceleration is also available here. It is desirable to enable the first of them, and the second parameter is optional.
In chapter "Carriers" all disks of the new virtual machine are displayed. Also here you can see a virtual drive with the inscription "Empty"... We will mount the image of the Windows 7 installation disk into it.
Configurable virtual drive as follows: click on the icon on the right. A menu opens in which we click "Choose an optical disc image"... The next step is to add an image of the boot disk of the operating system.
We will not cover issues related to the network here. Note that the network adapter is initially active, which is a prerequisite for a VM to access the Internet.
On the section COM it makes no sense to dwell in detail, since today nothing is connected to such ports.
In chapter USB check both available options.
Let's go to Shared folders and select those directories to which the VM is going to provide access.
This completes the entire setup process. Now you can start installing the OS.
Select the created car in the list and click "Run"... Installing Windows 7 on VirtualBox itself is very similar to a regular Windows installation.
Windows 7 in English and the created virtual machine are ready to start.
Configure a virtual system
All VM controls are intuitive. But if you have any questions, you should carefully read the pop-up tips in Russian. You can turn to help for help, where you can find answers to all questions.
Usually both mouse and keyboard work only in 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. The process is simple enough. You need to go to the main menu and in the line “ Devices" click on the " Install guest OS add-ons».
After the installation is complete, the VMs are rebooted. Now the picture has become clearer, the VM window can be dynamically changed, support for mouse integration will be connected, and access to the Internet will open.
It also has the ability to expand the function of the displays. In this mode, the windows that open in the VM will be displayed on the real desktop, and not in an independent program window. This makes it possible to facilitate access to all controls and installed VM programs.
Shutting down virtual Windows 7
As in a real laptop in a VM, the installed Windows requires a certain order to be completed. You can quit by pressing the button to quit. A menu will open, which will offer 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 shutdown signal»- all applications can be closed, and the machine will turn off automatically.
« Turn off the car"- in the same way as if a real computer were de-energized.
Conclusion
From this small 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 virtual computers will also work.
Good day, readers.
Microsoft operating systems provide all necessary tools to create a virtual machine. It is another device that has its own memory, operating system and software. In other words, another system appears that works in separate window... Later in the article I will tell you how the installation of a virtual machine on Windows 7 goes.
In the seventh version of the OS from Microsoft, there is a built-in tool that allows you to create a VM. True, it is designed only for using windows XP. We are not entirely satisfied with this state of affairs. So it is worth using a third-party application - Virtualbox... The program works with all systems starting from XP version.
To achieve the goal, you need to perform a number of actions:
Now you need to specify all the settings:
VMware Workstation( )
VMware Workstation is another popular OS virtualization program. It is great for administrators building test systems that work with different environments. To achieve the goal, you need to do a number of actions:
To turn off the machine, you just need to shut down the OS in the usual way.
Description of how to install and run the full version Windows XP from under Windows Vista or Windows 7 using the program Oracle VirtualBox... V this case Windows XP is installed on a virtual machine and runs as separate application on Windows Vista, Windows 7 or any other operating system, including various Linux distributions. Thus, you can solve problems with the compatibility of various programs and drivers with Windows Vista, Windows 7 or with another operating system.
A small introduction
Probably, many of you, my dear readers, have already installed and tried Windows Vista and Windows 7. It seems that all systems are good, but some programs and old games do not start in the new operating system, and drivers for some devices do not work. What to do in this case? Give up charms new version Windows?
There are actually several ways to solve this problem. The most obvious is to install Windows XP on a second system with the option to choose which one to include at boot. This method is described in this article:. But this is where inconveniences arise. For the sake of some kind of program, you need to restart the laptop, turn on Windows XP, work with the program, restart the laptop and turn on Windows 7, for example. Inconvenient, right? But what if your favorite USB modem only works in Windows XP? Reboot the system and turn on Windows XP in order to surf the Internet?
Fortunately, there is a solution. Windows XP can be installed on a virtual machine and run from under any operating system as a separate program... This is how it works Microsoft Windows 7 XP Mode... Good technology, but it requires laptop virtualization support, and it only works in Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate and Windows 7 Enterprise. And what to do if Windows laptop Is Vista worth it?
And then comes to the rescue great program VirtualBox from Sun... It is completely free, allows you to create virtual machines on a laptop, on which you can install many operating systems. The advantage of this utility compared to Microsoft Windows 7 XP Mode is support for 3D graphics for virtual machines, it does not need to work hardware virtualization, as well as the fact that it can be run on any version of Windows, Linux, etc. The downside is that it is formally needed licensed Windows XP, although taking into account our realities ... :)
This article will walk you through the process of installing Windows XP on a virtual machine. The whole process can be broken down into the following stages:
If you have any problems or questions about working with the Virtual Box virtual machine, then you should ask for help in this forum thread:.
1. Creating a virtual machine
First of all, you need to install the utility VirtualBox(/). During installation, it is important to check the following options:
Will also be installed system devices... The corresponding installation requests must be allowed.
When the installation is complete, launch the utility and click on the button Create:
Should start:
Go to the next window. Since the virtual hard disk we do not have, then you need to create a new one:
We select the type of virtual hard disk. I recommend :
That's all. The virtual machine has been created. Now you can proceed to setting it up.
2. Setting up a virtual machine
Prepare a Windows XP disc or iso image with it, and then select the created virtual machine in the VirtualBox window and click on the button Properties:
Let's start with the tab The main... Optionally, you can position the virtual machine menu on top. It's more convenient:
Go to the tab System:
Here you can change the amount of RAM that is allocated to a virtual machine, change the boot order of virtual devices, enable or disable the IO-APIC option (needed if you plan to use multiple processor cores for a virtual machine), and enable or disable EFI (needed for some operating systems, e.g. MacOS). Go to the tab CPU:
Here you can specify how many processor cores the virtual machine can use, as well as enable or disable PAE / NX (some operating systems support PAE. This mode allows 32-bit virtual system use up to 64GB of RAM). Go to the tab Acceleration:
On this tab, you can enable or disable hardware virtualization. If you are going to install a 64-bit operating system, then you need to enable it, you also need to support virtualization from the laptop. If your laptop does not support this function, then it does not matter. To run 32-bit operating systems in a virtual machine no hardware virtualization needed.
VirtualBox supports 2D and 3D acceleration (OpenGL / DirectX8 / DirectX9). It's worth turning it on. Go to the tab Network:
When installing VirtualBox, another network card appeared in the system, which is virtually connected to network card our virtual machine. We configure the virtual network adapter as shown in the figure above and go to the tab USB:
At the beginning of the article, it was said that using virtualization, you can get around the problem of incompatibility of drivers for USB devices with new operating systems. So here VirtualBox allows redirection to make any USB device that plugs into your computer or laptop connect not to the main operating system, but to the system that runs in the virtual machine. Then, on Windows XP, drivers are installed on a virtual machine for a new one USB device and it fully works under Windows management XP. The main system is the device will not see... Since there are many USB devices in the system, a filter system was invented so that when the virtual machine was turned on, they would not be disconnected from the main one and connected to the virtual one. Filters specify which USB devices should be disconnected from the main operating system and connected to Windows XP on a virtual one when it is turned on.
To add a new filter, click on the plus sign and select the required USB device from the list. Then it appears in the list. Go to the tab:
Since there is no sense in Windows XP on a virtual machine without the ability to work with files on the main one, you need to organize general access to certain folders on the hard drive. To do this, click on the plus sign and select a folder on the hard drive of your computer or laptop that will run Windows XP in a virtual machine:
Enter its name and click OK... So she appeared on the list:
Now there is still the last very small touch. You need to somehow install Windows XP :) Go to the tab Carriers:
We have two options: install Windows XP from the .iso image or from regular disk... In the first case, click on the arrow icon and click on the button Add:
We indicate where the image with Windows XP is located and add it to the list:
We click on the image with Windows XP and click on the button Select.
If you just have a disk with Windows XP, then put it in the drive and select your drive from the list:
Clicking OK... Now you can proceed to the installation Windows XP.
3. Installing and configuring Windows
A normal Windows XP installation should start:
I will not describe it in detail. The installation is described in detail in this material:. Drivers are not needed in this case. Everything you need is already included with Windows XP.
After installation, we will get a working Windows XP in a virtual machine. Now you need to install Guest OS add-ons... To do this, select the appropriate menu item Devices:
Important note: since the keyboard and mouse in a laptop or computer are often one, the main operating system and the operating system that is running in the virtual machine is forced to somehow share it. For this, a capture mechanism is used. In other words, if a virtual machine is in the foreground, then everything that is entered from the keyboard will be addressed to it. You can also manually switch. For this, the default is right Ctrl... When the virtual machine is working with a keyboard and mouse, the green arrow in the lower right corner of the window with the virtual machine is lit.
The installation of the guest OS add-ons should begin:
Possible questions: if the installation has not started, then manually add the image VBoxGuestAdditions.iso in the folder with VirtualBox into a virtual drive as it was done during the installation of Windows XP, and then run the disk in the virtual machine.
Check the box next to Direct3D Support:
During installation, similar warnings will appear several times:
Push Continue anyway... After installation, it is advisable to reboot the virtual machine:
To expand the virtual machine window, in the menu A car select the item:
Now the frame has been removed and it has become much more convenient to work with:
Now we still have to deal with the shared folders. V Windows XP launch Command line:
We connect the previously created shared folder as network drive... To do this, enter the command net use x: \\ vboxsvr \ Documents(Documents here is the name of the shared folder):
V My computer disc appeared x: \ which we just connected:
The contents of this drive correspond to the contents of the shared folder that we created earlier.
That's all.
If you have any questions about working with the VirtualBox utility, then we present them in this forum thread:. All questions related to the installation of Windows XP, please state in this forum thread:
Detailed guide on installation Windows XP from a flash drive or from a memory card to any laptop, netbook or computer.
A detailed description of how to solve the problem with the blue screen of death or BSOD for newbies.
Guide how to find and remove all viruses and others malware from a laptop or computer.
Complete and detailed description of several installation methods Windows Vista or Windows 7 from a flash drive or memory card to any laptop, netbook or computer.
A detailed guide on how to install Windows Vista on a laptop or computer.
To have several operating systems with a separate workspace and applications at hand, you do not need to buy a second (third, fourth, etc.) computer. Because it all fits into your only PC. How? Thanks to virtual machines (VM) - special programs that create (emulate) imaginary (virtual) computers inside the main operating system.
The virtual PC is almost like a real one. It has its own processor, memory, HDD, network adapter and everything else. Of course it is not physical devices, but they are made in such a way that the operating systems consider them just like that - real.
On one physical computer several virtual ones can work simultaneously. How much depends on hardware resources: the faster the processor, the larger the RAM, the more spacious the drive, the more. A typical home PC with average performance Windows based The 10 handles three to five lightweight OSes running concurrently (like Windows XP, Android and Lubuntu + base system). Or two or three relatively heavyweight ones (for example, basic Windows 10 + virtual windows 7 and Mac OS X). As you already understood, virtual computer emulator applications allow you to install and run a wide variety of operating systems on them.
General purpose virtual machines (as opposed to specialized ones such as, for example, VM Java) use:
- To run applications that the main system does not support.
- To protect the system from potential harm from unverified programs.
- As an additional barrier against viruses when visiting questionable web resources.
- To create an isolated environment for studying malware activity.
- As a testing ground for debugging your own developments.
- To master the technologies of building networks.
- For double authorization on some game portals and much more.
And of course, virtual machines are widely used to distribute server working resources.
Today we will not touch upon the industrial application of VM, but consider only what can be useful for home users of Windows.
Oracle Virtualbox
Let's take a look at the process of creating a new virtual machine and starting the installation of Windows 10 into it.
- Click the "Create" button in the top panel.
- In the first window of the VM creation wizard, we will indicate the OS name (it will be displayed in the list of guest systems), its type (Windows, Linux, etc.) and version. In our example, this is Windows 10 32 bit (you can also install 64 bit, but it will require more resources). Click Next to proceed to the next step.
- Next, we will indicate the size of the VM's RAM. By Windows default 10 x86 is allocated 1 GB, but you can increase this amount by moving the slider to the right. If your PC does not have a lot of RAM, do not give the VM more than 2-3 GB, otherwise the main system will slow down due to lack of memory.
- Next, we create a virtual hard disk. If you are installing the system for the first time, select the "Create new" option.
- Leave the default virtual disk type.
- A storage format is an area on your computer's physical storage that is assigned to a VM. It can have a constant or dynamically expanding volume within the limits that you define further. To save space, we will choose a dynamic format.
- Next, we will indicate the name of the volume (virtual disk C) and its size. The default is 32 GB.
- After clicking the "Create" button in the last window, a new virtual machine will appear in the list. Its parameters are shown in the frame on the right.
- To proceed to the Windows installation, click the "Run" button in the top panel.
- In the window that will open after that, a window will appear “Select boot disk". Click on the folder icon and specify the path to the system distribution kit. It can be an image in .iso format or physical media (DVD, flash drive). After selecting the distribution, click "Continue".
- The further course of OS installation into a virtual machine does not differ from its installation on a physical computer.
Some VM and guest settings
Clicking in the virtual machine window captures the mouse cursor (that is, it will only move within the virtual screen). Press Ctrl + Alt to return the cursor to the main OS.
To access the entire set of functions of the guest OS, you need to install special add-ons. Go to the "Devices" menu, click "Mount Guest OS Additions Disk Image" and follow the further instructions.
To connect a folder to the guest system for sharing files with the main one, click in the "Devices" menu item "Shared folders". Click on the "folder +" icon in the window that opens and through the "path to folder" field specify it in the explorer (it shows the directories of the main system).
If you want the setting to work all the time, check "Auto connect" and "Create permanent folder". The shared folder will be accessible from the virtual machine explorer as a network folder.
To change the order of polling boot devices (for example, to boot a virtual machine from DVD), shut down the guest OS, open its settings (in the main Virtualbox window) and go to the first tab of the "System" section. In the Boot Order list, mark the media you want and use the arrow buttons to move it up.
VMware Workstation Pro
Some options for Hyper-V virtual machines
To take a snapshot of a running guest OS, open the top menu of its Action window and click Checkpoint. Or press the combination Ctrl + N.
Access to the settings of an individual virtual machine is opened from its context menu in the list of the main window of the dispatcher and is hidden behind the "Parameters" button.
Other features of the program are also very straightforward and are mastered without much difficulty.
The emergence 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. It does not always work out, but the creators of windows 7 turned out to be people who understand, and therefore they introduced a virtualization package into the system, which was new at that time, that allows you to run XP inside the "seven".
General information
A virtual machine emulates hardware, creating an isolated environment within the system in which any OS can be installed. This allows you to solve many problems with software compatibility, and also gives you the opportunity to "try" another system without removing the existing one. You can work with physical drives, install games and programs for windows XP, without giving up the "seven", save files and perform others tasks. Let's see how to install a virtual machine on windows 7 to take advantage of all of it useful features.
Checking for Virtual PC
If you have installed windows 7 version Ultimate, Enterprise or Professional, then you have the Virtual PC function by default. You just need to make sure that the processor supports hardware virtualization. This can be done using the Microsoft Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool.
Download the utility and run it. Depending on the results of the processor check, the following messages may appear on the screen.
You can enable / disable virtualization in BIOS settings, so before installing Virtual PC manually, make sure the option is enabled.
The option may be called Intel_Virtualization Technology, AMD-V, Virtualization Extensions, etc. Find this function 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 right system bit - x32 or x64.
Manual installation
Installing a virtual machine on windows 7 includes two stages:
- Installing windows Virtual PC;
- Installing a virtual windows disk XP Mode.
Let's take a look at Virtual PC first:
Then you can proceed to install the windows XP Mode virtual disk:
First start
After installing XP Mode, the "seven" must configure it further to create a virtual disk. Therefore, after pressing 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 creating. This is optional. Click "Start Installation". 
The installation process will start; you just have to wait for it to end.
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 appears in the main XP Mode 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 disc with the Windows XP distribution kit) or a pre-loaded ISO image. The System Installation Wizard will start.
All you need to do is install windows XP in normal mode to start using this system in an isolated environment created using the hardware virtualization function.
After the installation is complete, 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, you just need to 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 should be noted 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 just like any other program, so you shouldn't have any problems.
The sandbox 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". 
Process windows installation 7, we will not consider in detail here, since it is no different from a normal 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. 
In some other programs, you may need additional customization so they may seem a little daunting to beginners.
Conclusion
It is quite simple to create a virtual machine and install a system on it, 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.
Also, XP Mode is not supported on machines with installed windows 8, and there is no way you can fix it. Virtual PC was originally created for smooth transition between systems, so you won't be able to jump over the version.
However, you can try to install a system other than Microsoft windows- for example Linux. It is quite difficult to switch to it right away, besides, you have to abandon most of the usual software Windows programs... In emulation mode, you will gradually get used to the peculiarities of interaction with new system and decide if you need to completely switch to it.
mysettings.ru
Virtual machine installation instructions for windows 7 operating system
More windows users 7 want to try the capabilities 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. On this moment There are several popular virtualization programs for windows 7: WMWare, Virtual Box and Virtual PC. In this article, we will consider exactly the last program, since it is compared with others. virtual machines provides rich virtualization capabilities and is fairly easy to configure and operate.
General algorithm of actions
Typical mistakes
When performing the installation according to the above algorithm for Virtual PC at step 6, a message may appear about windows error 7 related to the disabled virtualization feature. 
To fix it, you need to enable system virtualization in the settings panel and make BIOS settings for some versions of motherboards.
Besides this problem occurs when running in windows 7 antivirus software with its own firewall and firewall. Therefore, it is recommended to disable or suspend all anti-virus programs before installing the virtual machine.
windowsTune.ru
Virtual machine for windows 7
A virtual machine is special program capable of acting as an emulator of a real computer with all its existing components (BIOS, full system filling, including motherboard, graphics, network, hard drive, etc.).
Naturally, on such a "computer" you can easily install a variety of operating systems, and for them - any programs designed to work on installed system... Thus, you can install several operating systems (even the most different ones) on one computer, with which you can safely work, 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 for testing various software, safe launch programs downloaded from suspicious sites that may be infected with especially dangerous viruses. You can also emulate a whole computer network.
What is a virtual machine for windows 7 for?
1. You have exactly this 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" will no longer be able to help here.
2. In order to find a suitable program, for example, for video processing. They are quite large and, if you install them right away on your work computer, you can easily "litter" the registry. This is especially true if you uninstall programs incorrectly - you can inadvertently leave "tails" from files that may 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 to see how it behaves on different systems what errors may appear and how to deal with them.
4. For experimental installation of programs. For example, see how data is encrypted, how the program behaves under critical loads, in the end what happens if you infect it with a virus.
The most popular virtual machines for windows 7
windowsVirtualPC is already built into the OS and is a completely free module for working with applications incompatible with the "seven". Applications running in "windows XP" mode can easily run right on the desktop of the computer, which is extremely convenient. Programs can also be installed in any convenient way - download over the Internet, from a flash drive, using DVDs. In general, in any convenient way.
Minimum Requirements for installation - the presence of windows 7 OS not lower than "maximum" or "professional", 1 Ghz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 15 GB of free hard disk space.
You can start this virtual machine in a simple way everyone who has an official windows version 7. To do this, open “All Programs” in the “Start” menu and click on the words “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 start working.
VMWare Workstation from VMWare - Microsoft's main competitor in the virtual machine market. Mostly useful for developers who often need to test and check their own developed applications for different operating systems.
This virtual machine for windows 7 has already won about 50 different awards from IT professionals precisely because of the thoroughly thought-out environment of use, built-in set of functionality and, just as important, high performance and optimization. Perfect for those who need to get things done quickly. It also has the ability to "release" system resources by simply stopping already running processes, which offloads the processor and significantly speeds up data processing. Required for demanding applications.
VirtualBox. A computer virtualization system similar to the ones described above. It can work in the dynamic translation mode (the processing of the main part of the data is transmitted to the real, not emulated, equipment). Universal because it can be installed on any of the listed Mac systems OS, windows, Solaris, Linux. You can install on it: GNU / Linux, windows, Solaris, BSD.
Advantages - completely free distribution, fairly high performance, small size, the ability to work with virtual images of VMware. The most significant disadvantage is that it is impossible to drag files into the application window using 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 start configuring it.
So, go to the official VirtualBox website and download the most latest version programs from the site. We launch the installer and see this welcome window
We confirm that we wish to proceed with the installation and proceed to the next step.
Here we are shown which program components 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 all the components, especially if you are new to using virtual machines. I agree that not all components may be needed for you in the near future, but if you need them, you will have to reinstall this program again. And also everything that you install on your virtual computer.
The next step of the installation
Here you just need to specify where the program shortcuts will be located.
The next stage can frighten inexperienced users, although the program warns that now the computer will be disconnected from the network for a short time. So, if you have not followed the wise advice to install with closed programs and now you are actively downloading something from file hosting services, you must either wait until the download is complete, or interrupt the download yourself.
After that, we agree with everything - "Yes", and move on. The program will inform you that everything is ready for installation, which means we press "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 suggesting to install different software for our device. We agree with all of them and install absolutely everything.
After the installation is complete, click "Finish". If everything was done as it should, and you did not clear the corresponding checkbox (as shown in the image), then the virtual machine will start automatically immediately after the installation is complete.
Machine creation and customization
To do this, create a new machine in the VirtualBox working window. To do this, you just need to click the corresponding button ("Create", upper left corner).
After the program, you will be asked 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 to be careful and be accurate.
I need a virtual machine to test the most different programs before installing them in the main directory of the computer. This means that I will create a computer running windows 7.
Now we will tell the program how much RAM will be allocated for our new virtual computer.
Everything must be done carefully, because this parameter depends on the OS you are going to use and will consume the RAM that is on the computer. A windows 7 virtual machine requires no less than a normal operating system, which means that we need at least 1 GB. But I set it to 1.5 because I can afford it and I'm going to test programs that will also consume RAM.
windows XP, accordingly, less RAM is required. But all the same, it is advisable to always give it "with a margin". And here lies another danger - you cannot give a virtual machine more than half of the computer's "live" memory, otherwise the computer will start to glitch and may even freeze altogether. However, if you have powerful computer, which has more than 8 GB of memory, then a virtual machine can be allocated about 5-6 GB.
The next step is the hard drive.
Every computer must have a hard drive. Virtual is no exception, and therefore it must be created. Therefore, we create a new virtual hard disk.
Then we indicate its type.
And if the names of all these formats do not tell you anything at all, then we simply leave everything "by default" and move on. Click "Next".
Next window
It invites us to indicate to the machine the format for storing data on the virtual machine. What is important is that the dynamic hard disk is "rubber", so to speak, and it can be more or less easily expanded. Fixed has a hardcoded size and will never take up more. It all depends on your needs and preferences. But I need a hard drive, which can be increased if necessary, so I choose "dynamics".
Now it remains to name it and indicate the original size.
We create it and move on to the next step.
Setting up a virtual machine
In the right upper corner there is a button "Configure". Click it and get here - "Settings"
A variety of parameters can be changed here. Adjust the amount of RAM, if you made a mistake before, 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 talk about each in detail. And it is better to do it on your own, consciously, looking at how the behavior of the virtual computer changes. In addition, there is a convenient help system - just hover the mouse cursor over the item of interest, and a tooltip will appear.
But here short description settings by section:
1) General. Here is the name of the virtual machine, the OS it uses, removable media and clipboard;
2) System. All that concerns hardware 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. Configuring existing virtual hard drives;
5) Audio. Here everything is clear anyway - sound and everything connected with it;
6) Network. Ability to customize virtual network adapters;
7) Com ports. Enabling and configuring them;
8) USB. This controller and setting up filters;
9) Shared folders. Configuring and managing them.
If a serious mistake was made during the settings, the smart program will immediately inform you about it. And at the bottom of the settings window, a warning message “Incorrect settings found” will appear. If you hover your mouse over the "exclamation mark", then you will be told what exactly was done wrong.
However, most likely you 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, we 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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