How to virtualize Ubuntu on Vista

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James Bannan16 December 2008, 10:00 PM

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Want to virtualize Ubuntu on top of Windows Vista for free? Check out our step-by-step tutorial!

Page 2 - Install VirtualBox

Step 2 - Install VirtualBox

Before we start, a quick note about our choice of virtualization platforms. There are other options available for Microsoft Windows, such as Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 SP1 and VMWare Workstation.

While either of these options is more than acceptable, we chose VirtualBox because we wanted to base the tutorial on a platform which was free, intuitive and which supported as wide a range of host and guest operating systems as possible. Virtual PC 2007 SP1 is excellent and freely available but does not support non-Windows systems very well or 24-bitcolour depth, while VMWare Workstation is an outstanding platform but is proprietary.

During testing we were very impressed with VirtualBox, and are using it as the platform for all our virtualization tutorials.

To install VirtualBox:

Launch the installer and click Next
Accept the license agreement
in the Custom Setup window, make sure that all the options are selected then select Next
Click Install
During the install you will be prompted to approve the installation of virtual device drivers, as they're not signed. Accept the installation

Once installed, launch VirtualBox from the Start Menu. You'll be prompted to register (which is free) and this also creates the default VirtualBox folder structure within your profile (%USERPROFILE%\.VirtualBox).

Continue to page 3: Create New Ubuntu VM: Page 1 Intro; Page 2 Install VirtualBox; Page 3 Create New Ubuntu VM; Page 4 Install Ubuntu; Page 5 Install Guest Additions; Page 6 More Virtualbox Options

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Schermy (New user):

I found that you needed to run the command sudo bash VBoxLinuxAdditions.run after navigating to the correct folder cd /media/cdrom

27 December 2008, 4:57 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

JBannan (New user):

interesting - when you used the command mentioned in the tutorial, was there an error?

27 December 2008, 6:28 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

António Canha (New user):

I have a Turion 64 x2 and my machine get's slower and gives a bluescreen about usb device. After deinstalation of Sun xVM VirtualBox 2.0.2 all run's well.

07 January 2009, 7:38 AM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

JBannan (New user):

There is an updated version of VirtualBox available now - have you tried that?

08 January 2009, 2:29 PM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

Mitchell (New user):

HHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPP !!!!!!!!!!!!! After you continue from pages 4 to 5, my sun xvm thing only showed black. So I closed it and repopened it. It asked for the user name- I entered my info. When it asked me for the pass- every time I typed, it didn't show any letters!!!!! Is that supposed to happen???????????????? Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It won't let me in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

09 March 2009, 2:24 AM (4 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend

TJGeezer (New user):

The article's impossible to read in Firefox 3.6 or MS Internet Explorer - none of the long lines wrap to the margins. Maybe there's something haywire with my Windows 7 browsers, but I don't see this problem elsewhere.

28 June 2010, 10:39 AM (2 years ago)report abuse Send to a friend