After a long pause (my job kept me very busy lately), here we are again to talk about virtual machines. This time I will tell you where to get and install an effective software package, called VirtualBox, that is capable of running almost any type of Operating System that a PC can support.

It is important to say that the best performance from such a package is obtained if you run it from a 64 bit PC, i.e. a PC equipped with a 64 bit OS, either MS-Windows or Linux. It is possible to use this package also on a 32 bit machine but, in this case, please make sure that the CPU of your computer is virtualization technology enabled, as not all the CPUs can do that.

Here is some reference for you. This is an Intel web site listing all the virtualization technology enabled CPUs. And this is the official VirtualBox web site.

Now, from the VirtualBox web site, search for the version of product you need to download, based on the OS you are running (i.e. MS-Windows or Linux) and whether it is the 32 or 64 bits version. Note that 64 bit versions of the package are labeled with AMD64. This is the right version also for Intel CPUs.

Once you find what you are looking for, download it and install it according to the procedure for your OS. For example, in MS-Windows, just double-click on the installer.

Please just note the following, when you run the installation:

1. The installer will ask you for installing options; usually the default choices are good enough. Don’t play with the choices if you don’t know what you are doing.
2. You may be asked to choose the driver where to install the application, if you have more than one. Usually the installer will suggest you the right one, but you may choose a different one if you like. Just make sure it has enough space in it; the installer will tell you how much space it needs and how much is available in each drive.
3. The installer will shut down the network interface of your computer, will make some modifications to its setup, then it will reactivate it. This is done to give transparent access to the network to the Virtual machines. The installation will suspend waiting for your OK to continue, to avoid network services disruption in case you are accessing the network with some other application.
4. If you are installing on MS-Windows, you will see a warning saying that the software you are installing is not Microsoft certified. You may continue the installation anyway, as VirtualBox is not going to cause you or your computer any trouble. However, the final decision is yours and yours only. If for any unforeseen reason the software misbehaves and causes breakage on your computer, I will not take any responsibility on that. You have been warned
5. After the installation is complete, when you start VirtualBox for the first time you will be presented with a registration form. You may choose whether to register or not. VirtualBox will work either way.

For your reference, here is a set of snapshots of the installation procedure executed under MS-Windows XP.

What is a Virtual Machine?

If you run a Google search for the definition of a Virtual Machine, you get something like this:

• In computer science, a virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a machine (computer) that executes programs like a real machine.
• A software emulation of a computer that runs in an isolated partition of a real computer; A computer system that is implemented in software …
• A simulated computer in that it runs on a host computer but behaves as if it were a separate computer.

…. and several more definitions.

But what that really means for us? Simply put, think of the Virtual Machine as a program that runs on your computer and acts like a computer in itself, a computer where you can install an operating system, like MS-Windows or Linux, and where you can run programs for that operating system. And that operating system may even be different from the one installed on your actual computer.

OK, you might say, so what?  I already have a computer and I have already my Windows 7  happily running on it. Why would I care to use a Virtual Machine to install another OS? Couldn’t I do that simply by double booting my machine? I could install both Windows 7  and Ubuntu, for example, and when I turn on my computer I choose which one to use.

True, that’s a very good point. But think about this now: what if you want to go back and forth from one OS to the other? What if you are running an application on Windows, for example, and then you want to run another one from another OS? Ubuntu, for example, or Mac.

Do you start seeing the point? One of the great things of using a Virtual Machine, is the possibility to run side by side programs that can only run on a specific platform. So, for example, you could be able to run at the same time an application from a Mac computer and another one for a Windows computer, keep them side by side, and be more productive that having to reboot your computer every time you have to switch from one application to the other.

Or maybe, you are one of those guys who likes testing all possible programs that come in your hands and, once you are done, you may want to discard some of the programs from your computer, leaving no traces of it.  Using a Virtual Machine to emulate a PC would just help you on this. The Virtual Machine would create an isolated environment for you where you can do all the experiments you like. Then, once you’re done, you could actually remove from your computer the whole Virtual Machine and leave your PC exactly the way it was before you started your experimentation.

And what about browsing on the Internet with the constant fear that you could catch a virus that would infect your machine and damage it? Again, a Virtual Machine would help you in this case, because the virus would be imprisoned in it, unable to spread in to the host computer where the Virtual Machine runs. Stopping the Virtual Machine and simply deleting it, would eliminate the virus from your computer with very little effort.

Finally, running a virtual machine on your computer, would allow you to run that old program that you liked so much and that is not supported anymore in your new version of Windows. How about that?

Am I intriguing you? I really hope so because when you’ll experience all the benefits that the use of a VM can bring to you, you will actually starting loving it.

So, follow me through the next posts, and I will show you how you can actually install a Virtual Machine Manager on your computer (any OS you are using will work), and how you can use it to safely browse the web, or run your old programs, or experiment with a new OS by installing it and all, without altering the setup of your real computer.

See you soon and … Happy browsing.