How to install Linux via VirtualBox on windows..!

You might have seen my previous posts on What are the methods available to install Linux on windows and Why is VirtualBox the best option to install Linux. So, in this article I am going to explain you how to use virtualbox and install Linux OS on it. Let's Start..

First of all, we need to install VirtualBox on windows. For that, you can search Google for "VirtuaBox for Windows download" or else follow the below steps :

• Visit : Official VirtualBox Website
• In this page, you will find : VirtualBox x.x.xx platform packages (where x.x.xx says the latest version of virtual box that you are going to download)
• Under this text, you will be provided with 4 labels namely; Windows hosts, OS X hosts, Linux Distributions and Solaris hosts.
• As we are going to install it on windows, we click on the first link (first label).
• Download will start automatically.

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Now that the download is complete, install VirtualBox in you PC. I don't think that you need any help for this. But still if there is any problem, ask for solutions in the comment box provided below.

After installation of VirtualBox gets completed, follow these steps to start installing Linux system. Note that before you move forward, you will need a Linux system iso file. Also it depends on the distribution you want to install. I am going to install Ubuntu on my virtualbox, so I am having Ubuntu iso with me. You can easily download iso from the official sites. If you are confused with which distribution to install, visit this article.

Now, the installation is divided into two parts. One includes creating a new virtual drive on your HDD using virtualbox and the second part includes installing linux system on that virtual drive. If you know who to install a Linux system, the second part can be neglected. Also I am telling you clearly that the second part is dependent on the Linux Distro you are going to install. Here, I am going to install Ubuntu, so the second part will constitute the topic : How to install Ubuntu linux. If you want to install any other linux distro, just search Google for How to install xyz linux.

A complete information about the prerequisites is made above. Now let us start with installation. (I think you all are ready with you VirtualBox installed and a linux iso downloaded.)

Part-1 : Creating a new virtual drive using virtualbox

Step 1 : Open VirtualBox. On the toolbar, click on New.

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Step 2 : A new window will pop-up. In that fill in the name you want to give to this virtual drive and select the OS that you are going to install on that drive. Generally, virtualbox is smart enough to decide the OS based on its name but the version part needs to be modified manually. As in my case, I am going to install 64-bit OS but virtualbox takes the 32-bit version by default. So set the values manually as per my preference. After setting values, click on Next.

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Step 3 : Here, you will be asked to select an amount of RAM you want to allocate to this virtual OS. Make sure that you allocate enough RAM for virtual OS to run but also note that there is enough RAM left for our host OS (here Windows) to run. If you want to use Linux for general purpose, 512MB of RAM will work. But if you have 8GB of total RAM, I recommend you to provide this system atleast 1GB for better performance. After allocating proper amount of RAM, click Next.

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Step 4 : Here, you will be provided with options to create a new virtual drive or use an existing virtual drive. If you have used virtualbox and created a virtual drive before, you can select that option to use an existing virtual drive. But as we are new, we will create a new virtual drive for this process. Select "Create a virtual hard drive now" and click on Create button.

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Step 5 : Now, you will be asked to select a file type for this newly created virtual hard disk. I recommend you to select "VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image)" in this step. (Don't try to mess with partitions unless you are an expert.) Select the type and click Next.

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Step 6 : Now you will be asked to select type of storage on your physical hard drive. Static will allow you to give a fixed memory location to your virtual drive. While dynamic will allow machine to dynamically allocate storage when necessary. Generally, we must allow the virtual machine to allocate storage location. So, select "Dynamic" in this window and click Next.

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Step 7 : In the last step, you gave type of location to the virtual drive while here you will be providing a name and the size of that virtual drive. (If you are familiar with dynamic memory allocation in C language, this step would be easily understandable by you. Its similar creating a pointer variable and allocating it memory dynamically.) Also, note that the size that should be allocated depends on the type and version of OS you want to install. As I am going to install Ubuntu Linux, I am allocating it 8GB of size because the developers of Ubuntu say that 6.6GB is enough for the OS to give its best performance. After allocating size, click Create.

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Step 8 : Wait for a sec and then you will see that the virtual drive is created.

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You can see the newly created drive on the left side of the window. You can select it and modify its settings and much more. But it is not a part of this tutorial. Now, let us see how to install Ubuntu on this drive.

Part-2 : Installing Ubuntu on newly created virtual drive

Step 1 : Double click on the newly created virtual drive to open it. Or else select the drive and click on Start button in the toolbar. Now, you will be asked to select an iso to boot the drive with. If you are asked to select an iso file, goto step 3 and then jump to step 5. But if you are not asked to select a file or you messed up with this selection, just close the virtual drive and restart it. You will see something like this. (Note that steps 2 and 4 are only used when you messed up with file selection in starting.)

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Step 2 : Now, click on Devices tab in the menu bar and the click on CD/DVD Devices. Then select "Choose a virtual CD/DVD disk file..".

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Step 3 : Now, a file-explorer window will pop-up. Select the iso file from the particular location and click Open.

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Step 4 : Now, after selecting the disk, restart the virtual drive and press F12 repeatdly as soon as it starts to open the Boot Manager. Now, select option "CD-ROM" from the list provided. Here, I am pressing "c" to select that option.

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Step 5 : Now, wait for some time for disk to load. Then in the window shown, select "Install Ubuntu".

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Step 6 : Click "Continue" in the next window shown.

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Step 7 : In the next step, select "Erase disk and install Ubuntu" and press the Install now button.

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Step 8 : Here, you will be displayed with a warning message "Write changes to the disks?". Just click on Continue.

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Step 9 : Type the country you are in and click Continue.

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Step 10 : Select the keyboard layout you are using. By default, we all are using English(US). Select it and click on Continue.

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Step 11 : Now, set a username and password for your virtual-PC. And click on Continue.

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Step 12 : Wait for about 10-15 minutes and then you will be prompted that the installation is complete. Also you will be asked to restart the virtual-PC but do not restart it. Just close the dialogue box and select shut down. Then restart. If you clicked on "restart now", do not worry about the errors it shows, just close the virtual-PC and restart it as mentioned above.

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Step 13 : After restarting, you will be asked for password to login the user account you created. And then, the Ubuntu starts...Enjoy.

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If you still have any queries, post it in the comment box provided below..

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Why use Virtual Box - The Best way to Run and Use Linux..!

In my previous articles, I explained some of the methods used to install Linux system on Windows OS. So, today in this article, I will just tell you why to use VMWare instead of any other method. Why is using Virtual Machine the best method?

We have seen so far many methods and the main or the basic methods of installing Linux are :

• Dual Boot
• Running Live
• Using VirtualBox

The other methods are very less used due to its limited functionality. Here, I will tell you why VirtualBox is best compared to the remaining two.

Dual Boot :-

Dual Boot is the method where you have to create separate partitions for Windows installation and Linux installation. This method includes creating and formatting partitions on HardDisk. Formatting a partition does not only mean to format it and clear all the data. But it also includes specifying Partition Type, Size and other things.

The hardest of all is Partition Type. As new versions are launched, the type of HDD partition they use are also changed. Example : Windows 10 uses GPT type partition while older versions used FAT and NTFS type system partition. Also, Linux uses EXT type partitions. Not only that but different versions of EXT are also launched like EXT1, EXT2, EXT3 and EXT4.

Also, sometimes problems occur when installing different OS on other partition type. Many have faced a problem when installing Windows 10 on old HDD partitions.

Disadvantages :

• Messing with partitions (Only experts can handle this)
• A Disk Partition is always occupied whether you use that OS or not. 
• Only one OS can run at a time.
• You cannot do simultaneous job on both Operating Systems.
• Need to install separate device drivers on both the partitions for both the OS.
• And many more...

Running Live :- 

Running Live is an option available when installing Linux from a CD or a bootable USB. It helps us to run Linux without installing it.

Just insert the bootable drive and choose Live option. Wait for a few seconds for initialization to take place. And you are done.

Disadvantages :

• Cannot be used for permanent job to be done. Helps only when you want to use Linux tempoarily about an hour.
• Your previous work - that you did before system was shut down, will not be saved.
• You need to install drivers every time you use it if device doesn't work properly.
• Sometimes, you need to mount your other partitions of HDD to access data of that partition.
• And many more...

Using VirtualBox :-

Using VirtualBox will eliminate all the limitations listed above. So, it the best as per my suggestion.

But as I told previously, all the methods have its unique importance and so other methods are not bad. Instead they are the best when it comes to their field of work. 

But VirtualBox is the best when it comes to use Linux along with Windows everyday.

Below are the Official Links to Download VirtualBox :

Link 1

Link 2

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Different ways to run Linux Softwares on Windows..!

So far we have covered important and basic concepts of Linux. Here is a small list of topics covered :

• About Linux
• Advantages of Linux
• Best uses of Linux
• Linux Distributions
• Types of Linux Distros

As I told in my last article that we will see how to install Linux in next article. But as I got one question in mind and the line to tutorial changed. I bet many of you don't know about the stuff I wrote in this article. So let's start..

I know that everyone of us is using Windows Operating System now-a-days. But as now you also know the importance of Linux, you might be willing to install Linux on your PC. But you might be afraid to lose Windows OS. So, here I will provide a guidance to install Linux over Windows Machine.

You might be knowing the two methods of installing Linux :

1. Creating a separate partition on HDD and installing Linux on it.
2. Running Linux Live without installing to get it temporarily worked.

But here are some other methods which are easier and better to creating separate partition and running temporarily. (If you don't know the above two methods, don't worry.. I will provide the tutorial in my next article.)

Virtual Machines

Virtual machines allow you to run any operating system in a window on your desktop. It allows you to run Linux in a separate window on Windows OS, just as we are using software in a separate window. You can install the free VirtualBox or VMware Player, download an ISO file for a Linux distribution such as Ubuntu, and install that Linux distribution inside the virtual machine like you would install it on a standard computer.

When you need to boot up your Linux system, you can do it in a window on your desktop — no need for rebooting and leaving all your Windows programs behind. Everything but demanding games and advanced 3D effects should work just fine, but you likely won’t want to use those, anyway.

Ubuntu’s default Unity desktop uses 3D effects and the desktop interface doesn’t perform as smoothly in a virtual machine as past desktops did. Xubuntu uses Xfce, which is much more lightweight. So, you can install Xubuntu as an option to Ubuntu.

You could even try using VirtualBox’s seamless mode or VMware’s unity mode to run Linux applications directly on your desktop - they’ll be running in the virtual machine, but their windows will be present on your Windows desktop instead of trapped in a single virtual machine window. It's like using two software applications in different windows at the same time (E.g. VLC and Browser).

More information about using VirtualBox, its advantages and installing different OS is a part of separate tutorial. Also you can install more than one OS on VirtualBox. Hence, it is not limited to installing only one OS. You can install different Linux Distros like Kali, Ubuntu, Debian at the same time without partitioning your HardDrive.

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Cygwin

Cygwin is a collection of tools that offer a Linux-like environment on Windows. It’s not a way to run existing Linux software on Windows - the software will have to be recompiled. However, much software has already been recompiled. Cygwin will give you a Linux-like terminal (not exactly Linux) and command-line environment with many of the command-line programs you may already be used to.

We will later see installing and using Cygwin. You can even use Cygwin to install an OpenSSH server and get SSH access to a Windows system.

This solution is ideal for users missing crucial Linux utilities on Windows — it’s not a way to run a full Linux desktop.

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Install Ubuntu via Wubi

This method is technically installing Linux, not running Linux software on Windows. You’ll have to reboot each time you want to use your Linux system just as if you had installed it in a standard dual-boot configuration.

However, Wubi doesn’t install Ubuntu in the normal way. Instead, it creates a special file on your Windows partition and uses that file as your Ubuntu drive. This means that you can install Ubuntu and use it without any partitioning and you can uninstall Ubuntu from the Windows Control Panel when you’re done. It is similar to installing and using any application software and uninstalling it when the job is done.

If the partitioning your HardDisk is holding you back, give Wubi a try. Performance won’t be quite as good as a normally installed Linux system when it comes to disk read and write times, but it should be faster than a virtual machine. Here, you can install Ubuntu without partitioning your HDD is the main advantage.

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Ported and Compiled Programs

Many common Linux programs have already been ported to Windows and compiled versions have been made available online. If you really miss Emacs (Linux text-editor), you’ll find versions of Emacs for Windows. If you want to run a specific program on Windows, perform a Google search for the name of that program and “Windows” — there’s a good chance you’ll find a version of the program that ‘s been ported to Windows.

This trick is mainly used when you want to run only a single software available in Linux on your windows. Instead of installing complete Linux OS, you can find the compiled or ported version of that software for windows.

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The above were several methods available to use Linux on Windows. Now, it depends on individual which method to use, depending on his/her preference and work.

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