Configure Virtual Box on Linux Mint

Virtual box is a powerful tool provided in Linux Distro to run other operating system without installing them. So for instance if you want to just test an operating system or run some .exe apps you can run Virtualbox to test it out. The process to configure the same is a bit long and you have to take care about the amount of disk space allotted. Virtualbox can help you in many ways. For better configuration I recommend to stick with the new operating system Linux Mint. The operating system is installed through .iso file. You can run different os on the same. The requirement to make this process run properly is checking virtualization support on your cpu. I would not recommend to test this on older system. Virtualbox needs a good amount of system resources. You cannot just run this on a slow system. Virtualbox is integrated in Software Manager whlie for more better support you can try Vmware. This is another top virtualization software which can make your job much better. If you go on Google you will find a list of ample of virtualization tools. This tools are designed to give a virtual enviroment for multiple operating system. The process begins with installion of VirtualBox. You need a active internet connection for the same. Search for VirtualBox and hit enter in Software Manager. Install it. Once you are done you can locate it in the Mint Menu. If you are not able to find it, you can type VirtualBox in the search bar. The process to configure this is not at all complicated. Somehow it is complicated for those who have work on different platform. If you install a virtualization software on Windows, you might notice a great fall in the performance. While Linux system on the same hand gives you boost in output. So at that point choosing a open source alternative can be good choice.

So here I am providing a short guide in installing VirtualBox on Linux Mint. Linux Mint is the newest and stable Linux Distro. The process is quiet similar to other operating system also so there you do not need to worry much. The setup needs a bit time to load Windows completely. I am here provding you way to install a Windows operating system on Linux Mint. The icon appear on your desktop. When you launch the VirtualBox you will get option on the left side to load the operating system. To run virtualization it is necessary that you must have a good system hardware. Atleast a nice amount of ram and addtional space kept as seperate. Virtualization to some extent put presure on the drive. But that can be ignored. Check the below.

1. Launch VirtualBox. The software starts with a wizard. This is like a quick configuration window which help you to run operating system based on some internal default settings. At the first window type the name of Operatng system and from OS Type drop dow menu choose the type of operating system. Windows is listed on the top. Before that you must keep the ISO file ready or else you might not be able to complete the setup in end. Choose your OS type and then move to the next window.

2. The next step is to create a virtual machine. This starts with assigning up ram dedicated for the virtual ram. If you are low on resources then better skip the process here. Because virtualization is not all recommended for slow system. The lower ram you assign the slower will be the virtual box. It is recommended that you start with atleast 512MB or higher. Also at the time of testing or runing virtual machine you must ensure that no other background process should work or else it will freeze your system. For the RAM thing if you are having enough stick in your system then you can go with 1GB setup.

3. Once you are done with RAM allocation then the next step you can do is try to give the right space. The VirtualBox creates .vdi file which stores everything inside it. It stores your OS, data and other important stuff. This .vdi files takes up the maximum space. So first you have to ensure to give the right space. You do not need to create a seperate partition for this. You can assign the space inside your Windows partition or on some other partitions. It is best recommended to to give minimum 30GB space. Because if you install applications or add some data, then this much space is required. You can also give 10 to 20GB depending on your need. Check once again the other settings and then check back.

4. The next step is dealing with VirtualBox settings. After adding the allocated ram, space and OS information you will be redirected to a setting window. The setting window will show the list of operating system on the left side and a short preview also. Above there is a bar which has Start and Discard button. You can click on Start to launch the operating system inside a window. To get better performance you can click on settings to adjust video, audio, network, usb, shared folder, etc. To some extent it is required to ensure the system settings properly so that your cpu can load the virtual OS properly. To get better performance it is recommended that you turn off all the background apps. Managing Display Settings is another more important part. Because if you have poor video quality then your VirtualBox display will be more poor. It needs that you have a better cpu with virtualization support, a good gpu and good amount of physical ram.

5. The next time when you do not want the virtualbox in your system then you can simply delete that by removing the .vdi files. It is much easier to manage different operating system in virtualbox. It is not all complicated to handle and use. With your drivers setup you can use your network, and usb settings also. It works same like full windows making your job more eaiser. Once you are done with the setting do not forget to keep the .iso file ready. Click on the operating system settings that you had created recently. The process will install windows as it does for others.