Virtualbox in Windows

VirtualBox (by Sun) has a free proprietary edition as well as a subscription-based enterprise edition. The free edition only allows the usage of a 32-bit operating system (as the guest OS) whereas the subscription edition allows a 64-bit guest OS. (There is a free open source edition, but installing it in Windows is not very easy (unlike in Linux).) It is possible to convert virtual machines created in VirtualBox to VMWare and vice versa.

I found both the installation process and the interface for VirtualBox is very user-friendly, so it is my preferred solution for stand-alone systems and for smaller networks.

Install VirtualBox in Windows

 * Obtain and download a copy of the VirtualBox (binary) installer for your (Windows) operating system here.
 * Install the program, following the prompts.
 * Start VirtualBox
 * Start menu -> Programs -> Sun VirtualBox -> VirtualBox


 * Create a new virtual machine:
 * VirtualBox -> New -> Next ->
 * Name: VirtualBoxVirtualUbuntu
 * Operating System: Linux
 * Version: Ubuntu


 * -> Next -> Memory: Base memory size: 1024 Mb


 * Note: Use the amount of RAM for the virtual machine that you can afford. Linux requires less memory to run than does Windows, but the amount of RAM that you dedicate to the virtual machine in this step will not be available to the Windows host. On my laptop, I have 3 Gb RAM, so I dedicate 1024 Mb (1 Gb) to the virtual machine in this step, leaving 2 Gb for Windows. You should always have at least 1 Gb RAM available for Windows (or it will run painfully slowly). Linux is able to run with only 512 Mb in server mode (or 1 Gb (perhaps less ?) in desktop mode).


 * -> Next -> Virtual Hard Disk ->
 * Boot Hard Disk (Primary Master): (ticked)
 * Create new hard disk: (ticked)
 * -> Next -> Next -> Hard disk storage type: Dynamically expanding storage: (ticked)
 * -> Next -> Virtual Disk Location and Size:
 * Location: VirtualBoxVirtualUbuntu
 * Size: 8.00 GB

Note: Use whatever size you can afford in Windows. This will take space from your hard drive (so make sure there is plenty available to begin with). A Linux server can easily run in 8 GB, but if you plan to run a GUI desktop in addition (the Ubuntu desktop or Kubuntu desktop, for example), you should consider making this between 10 -20 GB. However, because you have chosen the dynamically expanding storage in the preceding step, the virtual machine will automatically expand storage later even if you guess wrong here. (I usually just accept 8 GB.)


 * -> Finish -> Finish.

Now you will have a new virtual machine. You could create multiple virtual machines in this fashion, if desired. (You could even run several virtual machines simultaneously (were you to have enough RAM and hard drive resources).

Adjust the virtual network adapters in Windows networking
(During the entire installation process I recommend turning off your firewall. Once everything is working properly, turn your firewall back on and then adjust it so that everything again functions properly. VirtualBox has a very complex networking structure that is sure to bamboozle even the most sophisticated firewall. I spent more than half my installation time working with the firewall.)


 * Adjust network adapter bridging manually through Windows networking:
 * Start menu -> Control Panel -> Networking and Sharing Center -> Change adapter settings ->
 * -> Local Area Connection (Realtek Ethernet Adapter) -> VirtualBox Bridge Networking Driver: (ticked)
 * -> Wireless Network Connection (Atheros AR5007 802.11 a/g WiFi Adapter) -> VirtualBox Bridge Networking Driver: (ticked)

Start the virtual machine automatically at bootup

 * When you install VirtualBox, a startup icon for VirtualBox is created in the Start menu. Copy this icon to the Windows Start menu:


 * Start menu -> Programs -> Startup


 * folder so that VirtualBox is automatically started whenever the computer is booted.


 * Edit the VirtualBox icon that you placed in the Startup menu folder so that it loads the VirtualBoxVirtualUbuntu virtual machine automatically (and also minimizes itself):
 * Right click on the VirtualBox shortcut icon -> Properties ->
 * Target:  "C:\Program Files\Sun\VirtualBox\VirtualBox.exe" -startvm "VirtualBoxVirtualUbuntu" 
 * Run: Minimized

Now a minimized instance of the VirtualBoxVirtualUbuntu virtual machine will start automatically at every bootup.