Running Linux in Windows: Learn Linux in a Virtual Machine

[@ExplainingComputers]

In response to many comments below, note that I have already made many videos about running Windows in Linux. :) Most notably: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjQdWull9Znm7M This is what I do myself most days. But in this video I wanted to focus on helping those who want to test out Linux before a potential migration from Windows.

[@alanparker3624]

I am very interested in your thoughts about running proxmox and running linux and windows as vm's. My question is can you run both at the same time on dual monitors or multiple desktops? Would you need 2 gpu's? I have never tested it, I currently run mint with windows as vm, I would like to see you demonstrate proxmox with linux, windows, pfsense and pihole ad blocker. Thanks for what you do!

[@mrdenpes1309]

I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're refering to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.

[@tedcalouri2694]

I started running Linux in a Virtual Box VM. I now run Linux directly and keep a Windows VM for those rare occasions I just need to use Windows. I also wanted to say I appreciate the VMWare segment. Well stated observations without a lot of the negativity some feel towards VMWare. Some of the Windows 11 details that have Win10 user's looking for alternatives are also requirements for VMware so it is valuable for people to understand the requirements.

[@bertvantol9669]

It's my idea to install Linux on my older iMac and make a Windows VM from an installation on another PC to implement then in that LINUX on my iMac. But how do I do that ??? Can you telle me ??

[@PhilippeDHooghe]

I'd like to the same, Windows inside Linux, but why not KVM/QUEMU/Virtmanager? Does Virtualbox not slow down your video rendering apps terribly? I have used windows for 30+ years - company policy - and am still using 7, anything more recent is not my cup of tea: too slow, bloated spyware unfit for the desktop. Unfortunately, many apps do not have a Linux version or are limited in Linux. So I cannot shake off Windows completely.

[@bertvantol9669]

@@PhilippeDHooghe do you have experience with KVM and or QUEMU ?? .... or something else ??

[@PhilippeDHooghe]

@@bertvantol9669 No, I'm looking for the best solution and Titus Tech says KVM / QUEMU is a lot faster than virtualbox.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaKbZWx5payXbposi=ENWDRbDQMBFiAxV3

[@thabg007]

Im testing linux mint in virtual box also, im considering switching direct to it also

[@sprint955st]

I’ve installed Mint etc many times, I use VirtualBox, VMWare ESX, etc but as usual watching an EC vid still taught me something. I recommend you to everyone where the chance arises. Cheers Chris.

[@jaffarbh]

@@sprint955st I couldn't agree more

[@git-er-dun_LBK_]

@@sprint955st prior to seeing this video I installed Linux mint on VirtualBox with the un-atended process. I noticed Chris did not use that method. Specifically the PHP settings in my installation were not included. What functionality in my missing. I'm not Linux literate. But I desire to move from windows and at 74 years old I won't need it very much longer lol.

[@robertbrown2728]

I'm not really clear what was wrong with using virtualbox. Isn't that a simpler process?

[@amigaworkbench720]

As a Windows user for approximately 20 years and a Linux user for about 10 years, this is the best way to learn how to use Linux.

[@sti45acp]

Wehunt in linux

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

This is the best way to learn any OS. Most modern VM systems will have some ability to snapshot or export a system at will. It allows for a ton of screwing around without risking actually doing any sort of longterm damage. The number of times that I personally had to reinstall DOS because I did things like accidentally delete the . or .. files was significant. But, I did gain a ton of confidence knowing that it was pretty hard to do any long term damage to the computer, just to the files.

[@simpletongeek]

Don't Windows have Linux CLI nowadays?

[@Abedoss]

It is WSL.

[@Okurka.]

n00b

[@BenjaminEmm]

Love the new addition of the sound effects for typing, plugging things in and the little tea break. Little things that really add to the video! Much appreciated, Chris!

[@brenatevi]

"Wild excitement" The first time I have ever heard a Linux install described that way.

[@klaxoncow]

In fairness, no-one's ever said that about installing Windows either.

[@mjdxp5688]

I remember around 10 years ago I discovered VirtualBox for the first time and I was blown away. I never could have thought you could do something like running another virtual computer inside your computer. I remember I installed Windows XP in a VM and used it for the first time in many years and was super excited. Back then I don't think virtualization technology was that popular on CPUs and I didn't have very good hardware, so the VMs ran super slowly, but it was still a sight to behold for a younger me.

[@TopiasSalakka]

Same for me, my laptop back then did support virtualization extensions though so it was only slightly slower than the host OS. Still, it was so cool to run an OS within an OS for the first time.

[@DariusOutdoors]

10 years ago was 2014. 2014 CPUs run VMs very well. That's like 4th generation i7 Intel CPUs. Even Sandy Bridge ran VMs well. So it really depends what kind of a system you had and how many resources you shared with it.

[@darkspongebob11]

i first installed virtualbox about 14 years ago and i didnt even know what a iso file was and just expected it when you picked like xp or something it would just put xp on lol, was so confused why it was saying cant boot and evetunally figured it out lol

[@oleksii_fomenko]

thank you! I'm pretty experienced Linux user and administrator but I've shared your video between my friends are trying to define the best way to try Linux; it's really useful in all cases for newbies

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks, most appreciated. :)

[@git-er-dun_LBK_]

Hello Chris... Prior to you releasing this video I install VirtualBox and Linux mint last week. You must have been reading my mind, because now I can go back and do it right lol. About the only deviation from my first install last week was I did not install the PHP file but let it run through unattended. I'm having difficulty setting up my Epson printer even though drivers are indicated as installed. And now "that's it" because I will return to this video over and over and over again until I geter done. Thanks again for all you do for us.

[@samuraiwarriorsunite]

Exactly how I migrated to Linux through a VM. I loved that I could try many different distros to see which one I liked before making the switch. Once again a no-nonsense demonstration Chris, concise and to the point with 0% fluff.

[@partypopper318]

This was my gateway drug into the Linux daily driver!

[@rfxtuber]

Correction: Daily driver of development and package hell hole, flakey, bad driver support, buggy unofficial development platform for Windows.

[@encycl07pedia-]

@@rfxtuber Are you talking about WSL, VirtualBox, or a GNU/Linux OS?

[@rfxtuber]

@@encycl07pedia- Linux OS... Virtualization and emulation layers are an afterthought.

[@andy.3407]

As always a wonderful production.. I really liked that you showed the stumbling blocks for initial install of virtual box…. You produce nicely produced videos narrated at a comfortable pace…. Thank you for your great work!

[@shawnlowe1392]

I have been using Virtualbox for years now and just found out about the ability to transfer files between VM and windows! Thanks for the video!

[@Reziac]

You can set up a network drive, I forget what VBox calls it but then it shows up as a shared drive (VBoxServer or some such) in the VM's file manager and you can use it just like you would on the host machine.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, as @Reziac says, you can share a drive (or folder): I cover this in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjQdWull9Znm7M

[@Reziac]

@@ExplainingComputers What? A video I missed?? Not for long...

[@wanyman]

Very lovely and useful video. Thanks for all your hard work!

[@reggiep75]

*THIS* is what I've been waiting for. A deep dive into Linux without the need to make it permanent. I can evaluate it for my needs and hopefully leave Windows behind and only for gaming. I still need to learn Linux command line and if anyone could point me in the direction of some good reading material, I'd be grateful forever. Thanks in advance!

[@ExplainingComputers]

I have a Linux terminal intro video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZylXpiIeN-Kf7c I'm not aware of a particular manual.

[@reggiep75]

@@ExplainingComputers Thanks for the reply & link and on clicking it, I realised I've watched it in the past and liked it too. I'll watch it again. What would be really good for potential Linux user/Windows rejecters would be a comprehensive list of commands, uses and Linux command similarities to MS-DOS commands, with most people having used MD-DOS at one point in time or another. I think the last time I heavily used it was in the early 90's.

[@СергейД-ч4ь]

Great video! Thanks a lot for popularisation of Linux Chris! I m a Linux user since 2019 and you are one of those persons who got me interested in it. It is always good time to recruit new members to our team. Good luck!

[@richardthunderbay8364]

This presentation was quite valuable as it illuminated a number of subtleties (like those BIOS settings) which almost certainly would have tripped me up if I attempted this without external guidance. Thanks.

[@anshumanmishra4025]

I know how to do this but still watched the video so KZbin recommend this to more people. ❤❤❤

[@Reziac]

And Chris always manages to touch some detail I don't know about, even on topics that are old hat. So always worth my time. Besides, he goes pleasantly with my Sunday morning tea. Have another cuppa, Chris?

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for watching. :)

[@louise-w54md]

Thank you for the excellent video Chris! I hope more people start using Linux so we can have a larger market share for the companies to take us seriously and expand their software support for Linux. I know unfortunately some Linux users gate-keep without understanding that ultimately they are harming themselves in the long run. So videos that help beginners get their feet wet with Linux is very much important in my opinion. To the experienced users who froth at the mouth and furiously type "RTFM" at the sight of a new user asking a legitimate question - please stop. Just ignore the questions you deem unnecessary. Please do not berate new users because you think they should have consulted the fine manual before posting the question. It is a very toxic way of thinking and will ultimately keep Linux user market share under 5% and when you ask vendors to write a driver or extend their software support to Linux, they will laugh at you.

[@radman8321]

If you have a pro or education editions of windows then you can use hyper-v which is a type-1 hypervisor and runs on bare metal and is better than virtual box or vmware workstation which are type 2 hypervisors and run on top of your windows OS.

[@PaulWorrallR]

Well done Chris, another excellent video 👍. I've used VirtualBox many times on Linux to run other Linux distros and Windows but I'm off now to try out some of the settings you mentioned in the video. Thanks for all your excellent content!

[@N0Xa880iUL]

I love WSL. It's so easy to set up. It's what got me into linux in the first place.

[@apveening]

And it is a very easy way to SSH into your Linux machines like but not limited to Raspberry Pis.

[@user-pb1er1zo1n]

@@apveening Windows now supports OpenSSH client and server natively.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@apveening That's overkill, I just use PuTTY if that's what I need to do. Or, something like VPN with VNC that allows for more types of interfaces to be used.

[@apveening]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade With Putty you have to restart it when you switch to another Pi.

[@kevmorris3000]

Great video. I've always struggled with Virtual Box. Now I have your video to guide me.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for watching -- and see also my video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjQdWull9Znm7M

[@MrJeet-p9i]

I think the intro music would make an amazing ringtone !

[@FlyboyHelosim]

Then use it.

[@mikefinn2101]

This channel Peter is simply amazing with the educational value. Just learn so much each exciting week from EC. Never a dull moment. Many thanks for all the time you take to make these videos.

[@DevilsHandyman]

I've run Linux in a VM for years but have always done as much as I could in the host Windows OS. Tomorrow I am getting an N100 based machine to run bare metal Linux on (Ubuntu or Mint not sure yet) and that is mostly down to your nudging me with your Linux videos to finally commit some hardware.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your support, and good luck with your Linux system. Both Linux Mint 22 and Ubuntu 24.04 run very well on an N100.

[@ditzydoo4378]

I've taken this to heart and am testing for my eventual switch over to Linux by new year. Thank you, you've made this so much easier than I'd thought.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Glad to help!

[@weinbergfahrer4048]

So informative, and 23 minutes went by in a blink! Thanks a lot for this video!

[@macoustra1]

Lovely cup of tea, didn't realise installing Linux was soo involved. Very useful video

[@Call_Me_David]

My laptop, a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro (i5-4200U) had HW virtualization disabled with no option in the BIOS to enable it. Thankfully, others figured out how to enable it by using using a hex editor on the BIOS. It's a scary thing editing the BIOS when you're blindly following directions. It thankfully worked.

[@SchoolforHackers]

Nice hack -

[@ExplainingComputers]

Cool hack. :)

[@TopiasSalakka]

It always sucks when OEMs disable features for seemingly no reason. I had a HP laptop that was UEFI-capable but EFI booting was artificially locked for whatever reason.

[@bertblankenstein3738]

I run Windows as a VM inside Linux. This is only for some gps software i use. The good thing with this video is that it can also be used to install linux, virtualbox and a VM.

[@rogierx]

I have a good feeling that a new video will come soon where Christopher will show how to create a windows virtual machine inside a linux host, which will make the situation more stable than a linux machine on a windows host ;-) Spoiler alert: it will be done with the linux version of VirtualBOX

[@DrRChandra]

For me, this is the way to go. I personally use Xen, although there are many options (VirtualBox, VMWare Workstation, Proxmox, oVirt, and so on)

[@WIImotionmasher]

I set up a Windows 11 VM using Virtual Box when I finally fully switched to Linux. Vut then found a way to stream over discord in Linux with sound (Vencord). So I dont use it. Recently I wanted to try Haiku OS for fun, and Virtual Box didnt work well (struggled to get proper graphics and fullscreen resolution). So for Haiku I am using an app called virt-manager in Linux. It used KVM and/or QEMU which cones preinstalled in many distros (Im on Ubuntu). I think it'd work well for Windows too, it seems to be lighter weight and have somewhat better graphics capabilities (not for gaming i dont think).

[@WIImotionmasher]

Ive started using virt-manager in linux (Ubuntu). It seems very capable but a little less user friendly. But it worked without any need to adjust settings for me.

[@nakfan]

Your drag and drop is definitely Bee🐝 directional 😊

[@HKey_Root]

Great. What I particularly like about your vids is that they send my head in a whirl exploring the possibilities with my own devices. Thanks.

[@LiamGunes]

The detail is awesome. I’m going to replace the VM tutorial in my class (if there are no objections). Handling the potential errors will be so helpful to my students. Now if I can find one this good for Mac.

[@git-er-dun_LBK_]

I agree, Chris did an excellent job with this tutorial. Will certainly bookmark it.

[@srvuk]

Very useful, especially he hints and tops that can remove some frustrations when people try virtual machines for the first time, potentially thinking that some important features do not exist.

[@jeraldgooch6438]

Another excellent video on a topic I did not realize I was interested in until I saw it. Thanks!

[@alanr9496]

Retired now but I used virtual box back then and loved the snapshot facility. It saved me many a time! I assume it is still available.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Yes, snapshots are still available. :)

[@jaffarbh]

A big advantage for using WSL is that the VM can have direct access to the GPU (as opposed to a virtual VGA with VirtualBox or VMware). This is pretty handy for AI applications that required Nvidia CUDA.

[@ExplainingComputers]

A good point. It all depends on the application areas.

[@DerekFrampton]

Using a WIN11 Version with ALL the bloatware, TM2 requirements, and AI BS stripped out upon install. RUNS so clean and no login required. THIS will be a fun Saturday project sometime. Thanks Chris!

[@kevinshumaker3753]

Great video, as usual, Chris! One other change I make to VBox settings is in Network. I change the Attached to: to use Bridged Network to get connected to the network directly, as I have weird issues with firewalls on the host interacting with the VMs. I also use Windows Hyper-V which has it's own issues and limitations, but, like VBox, runs a full VM. Another host you might want to look at is XCP-NG, a competitor to Proxmox, but meets more of my needs...

[@vdivanov]

Another excellent video where what is said is as important as what is not, like avoiding EFI. A buddy of mine, still unconvinced about that whole linux thing, says it's not an operating system, it's a lifestyle. I use and love linux, but tend to agree with that sentiment to this day. Thanks!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for your support, most appreciated. :)

[@encycl07pedia-]

I mean you could argue that's the same for any OS. The way you approach things is different in most OSes. The thing is that so many people are taught and learn Windows early on that that is the default and supposedly the only/"right" way to use a PC. Windows and even Mac OS used to be like what GNU/Linux is now: a customizable way to use a PC. Nowadays Microsoft and Apple are more interested in how to monetize you and drain your wallet than actually provide a quality UX: that's why they disallow so many applications and change "your" settings to use things like Edge and Safari. If you want to own a PC, you'll use anything but Mac OS or Windows. If you want to use some massive corporation's hardware and software that won't let you do nearly as much as you want, choose Mac OS or Windows.

[@Grandwigg]

One nice thing is being able to set up a single application to run immediately after launching the VM. I did that with a bit of network monitoring software that was most convenient for me to run in a (Fedora) Linux machine .

[@cbbcbb6803]

This is one of the best, most intelligent, and respectful tutorials I have come across. Thank you.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks. :)

[@SusanAmberBruce]

Ah, I like that cup of tea! Good idea 😇 I always tell people that the Raspberry Pi 5 is a good option for exploring Linux, because the user community and forum is second to none as far as I can see.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Hi Susan, and very true about the Pi. :)

[@Grandwigg]

WSL on the other hand, I uses that daily at both of my previous jobs. It is incredibly useful to me.

[@alan_wheredidiputit]

Once again Chris you've made a rather tricky computer install, very understandable, with another of your easy to follow guides, you really are a star! I still don't understand why the software makers continue to make these things overly complicated. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see why the installer that VirtualBox issue can't include all the required software and tweaks. Thankfully, we have ExplainingComputers to remedy the brain twisting episodes that stand in the way of us being able to do what we want to!! Cheers :) PS Not sure if this is limited to my system, but I found I had to change the network setting in VirtualBox to "Bridged Adaptor" otherwise the internet connectivity proved to be flakey

[@samuelhulme8347]

If you’re using Windows (any edition greater than or equal to Pro) you can use Hyper V (instead of Virtual Box) it comes built in to Windows.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

Doesn't that just create a temporary sandboxed version of Windows, though?

[@samuelhulme8347]

@@FlyboyHelosim No, Hyper V is Microsoft’s hypervisor software for Windows. It allows you to create VMs of any OS (like Virtual Box) but it is a built in Windows feature. Hyper V does not allow for the creation of temporary VMs, you have to manually delete them and their virtual disks.

[@averagedev7768]

​@@FlyboyHelosimNo hyperV is probably the most popular hypervisor in the IT industry

[@FlyboyHelosim]

@@samuelhulme8347 I was thinking of actual 'Windows Sandbox'. Doh!

[@klaxoncow]

Windows Subsystem for Linux v2 is actually using Hyper-V.

[@WaynePozzi]

Excellent timing. This clears up some problems I noticed yesterday, though it was in reverse - Host Linux, Guest Windows. Will now check your video you linked to in the comments. 😊

[@markxexar9386]

Many years ago I used VMware Workstation and then VirtualBox. When Microsoft released WSL I switched and never looked back. Actually I did not have any choice because WSL does not play nice with the other virtual machine managers. But the integration between the Windows and Linux world is so slick that you really do get the best of both worlds. The one area that still needs improvement is for GUI apps. WSLg does provide support for graphical apps on Linux, but I sometimes want access to a full Linux desktop. I managed to hack something together which works well over RDP but I wish it was a fully supported out of the box option in WSL.

[@marksulloway5669]

As always nicely done. Good to see that traditions are being maintained and that the cream or milk is already in the cup before pouring the tea.

[@trnguy6137]

Thank you! It's been some time since I ran Ubuntu desktop on Windows Virtual box but you inspired me to put Linux mint on.

[@leonidd00]

Actually, I am doing it the other way around 😅 running Linux and Windows 8.1 Pro inside Virtual Box for occasional offline use. Thank you Christopher, always learning something new from your videos (while watching the video installed the extension pack).

[@ZettaBlitz]

Any reason why 8.1 Pro specifically?

[@FlyboyHelosim]

@@ZettaBlitz He is a masochist.

[@leonidd00]

​@@ZettaBlitzYes. From today's perspective it looks lightweight, because it does not need as much resources as win 10 or 11. Works on 2 GB RAM and 3 threads smoothly with all effects turned on. And it's more than enough for my purpose.

[@leonidd00]

​@@FlyboyHelosimyou are not being asked, Mr big mouth.

[@Okurka.]

@@leonidd00 You never go out the door, do you?

[@thehobnob]

If you have Windows 10/11 Pro, Hyper-V is built in and also quite a nice hypervisor for testing Linux distros! (I believe WSL uses Hyper-V under the hood to do its thing, but if you install the Hyper-V management tools in Windows features you get a nice UI for creating and managing VMs too)

[@johncundiff7075]

Brilliant Mr. Barnatt!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks! :)

[@Colin_Ames]

Excellent video, as always. I have, in the past, made two attempts to use VMWare to run Linux, both ending in frustration. I recently added a second hard drive for Zorin OS, and am using Windows boot manager to choose the operating system. However, having watched this tutorial, I will give VirtualBox a try. Who knows, I might even end up using Linux as my main OS, with Windows running in a virtual machine.

[@charlesxix]

An interesting video as always. I know to many Windows isn't perfect or even hated but I'm running Windows 11 24H2. The programmes I'm running dictate I use Windows and I can live with that.

[@Bjerrk]

Yiir, more Linux! Thanks, Prof!

[@dfbess]

I see so many post from new Linux users who mess up their machines when dual-booting, I've gotten to the point I just recommend they buy a cheap secondary computer to use as a Linux machine.

[@binhackm]

Thank you for another great video, Mr. Barnatt! Recently, I experienced very poor performance with VirtualBox on Windows 11. The cause was Windows Hyper-V and Virtual Machine Platform, both running for security purposes, along with "Core Isolation". I had to disable them rather drastically to restore VirtualBox to normal performance. Greetings from the Czech Republic!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Greetings!

[@perrymcclusky4695]

Definitely this video contained “wild excitement”. Looking forward to your next video!

[@kitmoore9969]

It's been a while since I installed Virtualbox in Linux, but I'm pretty sure it downloaded all the dependencies as required.

[@Reprint001]

Me neither, but I do recall that I used to have to download and install additional things to enable full USB functionality.

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

Hooray! More Linux-y stuff! 🐧❤

[@alanthornton3530]

Another happy Sunday afternoon watching Chris & Linux-y stuff (you've coined a new phrase there) 🐧🦆🦆♥

[@Praxibetel-Ix]

@@alanthornton3530 Sure did! Also, hi, duckies! Quack quack :)

[@AMDRADEONRUBY]

I love using both your videos are always useful thanks mate

[@litebkt]

Thank you, Chris. Very informative.

[@gheffz]

Nice to hear from you again.

[@fullmuppet]

WSL is excellent for developers. The first time I got a window with Emacs open in Windows from Wayland running on Debian in WSL, it really blew me away. For things that used to be such a faff, or rely on flaky Windows builds of GNU libraries, it's a game changer. And Microsoft have been improving the experience and capabilities of WSL all the time. Though, I'd agree, for distro evaluation, a full virtual machine experience is going to be far more representative.

[@firsteerr]

i did n this when i was exploring linux , it was a good way to decide before putting it on a machine that i now use

[@SwiatLinuksa]

Love format of that channel, thank you!

[@existenceisillusion6528]

I'd be interested in a video detailing running Windows in VirtualBox in Linux.

[@keepsformat]

to be honest, it's easier to use a VM Windows inside Linux rather than configuring Wine settings lol

[@Reziac]

Yes, I think that would be most useful to folks who depend on Windows software that's not available on linux. I use an XP VM for that purpose myself, no more fighting with WINE (which I never did get to work). Also might cover exporting and importing an OVA (so you only have to install a given VM once, not on every PC you want to use it with), and what to do if importing fails -- the OVA is just a glorified ZIP file, you can use 7zip or whatever to extract the virtual disk and import that into a new VM as an "existing disk". I have to do that about half the time, with no rhyme or reason, but it (usually) works when importing the OVA does not.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@keepsformat Yes, although that can vary a lot. Some programs mostly just work, and some require a ton of futzing around with configuration files to get them to work.

[@ExplainingComputers]

See my video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjQdWull9Znm7M

[@jonathanleach3914]

Very good video Chris. V clear and helpful

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks 👍

[@tedoyle61]

Another great video, imho that shows from start to finish.

[@jimbomak]

Thank you again for an interesting and informative video.

[@LumpyMoose]

I do almost exactly the same. I have an HP elitedesk plugged into my router running headless as my VM Host. It’s mapped to a virtual desktop on my iMac. The PC is running Windows 11 24h2 with virtual box, which runs my VM’s one of which is Linux Mint 22. Excellent video explaining this, however I would have allocated more storage to the VM and I was perturbed when you didn’t update the VM using Mint’s update manager. I’ve got a nice screenshot showing a Mint VM running inside VB on Win11 mapped to macOS VD.

[@armandopintominguadojunior9770]

I followed your steps and completed the process without any problem. tks

[@ExplainingComputers]

Great to hear! :)

[@strawberriebabieex3]

Thank you! i have been desiring to get out of Windows for a long time and now with the mess of Win 11 and potentially win 12 it is more important than ever. but first i have to understand Linux so this is exactly the experiment I Have been meanikng to do but was not sure how. thank you for explaining the process including the tricks needed to make it work.

[@Ibrahimdude]

Greetings Chris. Good to see you👍

[@2dcatgirlirl]

cool video! something worth mentioning is that in virtualbox, you can set the video memory to a maximum of 256MB by clicking the label for video memory on the main window, not the settings window for some reason.

[@ExplainingComputers]

A very good tip, thanks for sharing here. :)

[@dogzdontzbarkz6540]

I've been waiting for this!

[@leevfx]

I would also love to see how we can run a version of Windows in a Linux OS, for those applications we want to keep using from Windows

[@clivewi9103]

Good video up to the Python requirement, you only need these if you are going to do development, you get the YES option to continue because it will succeed without them been installed, also if you change the networking from NAT to Bridged, the linux machine will appear as a device on the network.

[@jimdeadlock]

One thing to note is that if you want to do any kind of gaming in a VM you need VMWare because Virtualbox has a severe restriction on VRAM for the guest. Even with VMWare you can only run games with moderate resource requirements, no AAA games.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

Yeah I have no idea why VirtualBox limits VRAM to 128 MB, or 256 MB sometimes if you enable 3D acceleration.

[@smada36]

But isn't that just the VRAM that the virtual machine has to run on? The guest OS still has access to the graphics card. 🤔

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

@@smada36 VirtualBox allows you to set the GPU memory. However, I can't set it to 100% of the GPU's memory, it looks like I'm limited to a quarter of the total as I've got 512mb or memory, but VirtualBox is limiting me to 128mb.

[@jimdeadlock]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade 128mb is the hard limit regardless of how much the host has

[@smada36]

@@SmallSpoonBrigade I'm sure there is something here on KZbin about it, it will be in the documentation, but I can't remember the specifics. I think that the guest OS has access to the RAM on the graphics card and that slider is just what the VM uses to display the guest OS. All the rendering and other calculations are all done on the graphics card. That information is then past to the VM VRAM and the VM just puts it on the screen. Something like that.

[@DrRChandra]

Whenever installing software, I always prefer using a package manager, such as Chocolatey or WinGet. That way, maintenance (i.e., updates) are simplified (with something like choco upgrade all -y). Examples in this case include the C++ runtime and Python. If you don't use such a package manager, you have to visit each site periodically to check for updates, whereas the package manager way is more automated.

[@SchoolforHackers]

But apt is already built in…

[@DrRChandra]

@@SchoolforHackers I'm not talking about on the Linux side, I'm talking about on the Windows side. "APT" is a Linux set of tools.

[@SchoolforHackers]

@@DrRChandra You’re correct, I was looking at it backwards.

[@JimNichols]

I love your channel and you have some wizard like knowledge in computers but your diction is just so odd... I love it. Great video sir.

[@semuhphor]

The first time I used a virtual machine was approximately 1980. Of course, this was VM/370 on a mainframe. If you want to play with a mainframe virtual machine, it's freely available and is known as Virtual Machine Community Edition and runs on the Hercules emulator.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

Older versions of VirtualBox, and likely other hypervisors too, can run virtual machines in software so don't require CPUs that support hardware-based virtualization. This is useful when using older computers to test and run VMs. Another note is that newer versions of VirtualBox that do support hardware-based virtualization, but still older than the version shown in this video, also don't have all those third-party dependency requirements (MS C++ and Python).

[@replikvltyoutube3727]

Virtualbox software emulation is a joke. Better use 'Qemu TCG' or 'bochs'. Also if your computer is that old to not have virtualization, it is most likely not suitable for virtualization and will be too slow. Exceptions may be modern Celeron or Ryzen 3 based computer.

[@FlyboyHelosim]

@@replikvltyoutube3727 First of all, VirtualBox is not an emulator. And secondly, it all depends what OS you want to virtualize and what you want to do in that OS. I cut my teeth on a 2GHz Core 2 Duo and was fine for running current operating systems of its time, as well as Windows 95/98 and DOS, etc. in light-to-medium tasks.

[@xrafter]

​@FlyboyHelosim Question, how can find those older versions in today's age?

[@FlyboyHelosim]

@@xrafter They used to be available for download on the VirtualBox website. I just quickly checked and see they've redesigned the site and I don't think the older versions are available there anymore. Maybe they can be found on the Internet Archive. I forget which exact versions are software-based, but VirtualBox went to being exclusively hardware-based as of December 2019 (if that's what you're looking for).

[@xrafter]

@@FlyboyHelosim What about the operating systems ?

[@LazloNQ]

Videos such as this are some of the most important one can have when contemplating a switch to linux. Just getting started is half the battle. Once someone embarks on the linux journey, this is an excellent way to start. I still suggest installation on a separate PC, but for just trying it out, it's a great and safe way to go. As others have said, having a linux box running windows virtually is more stable and the next logical progression until one can abandon windows and it's forced-pc-upgrade mentality. Thank you Chris.

[@alanthornton3530]

I enjoyed the video ‘Running Linux in Windows’ & it’s given me some ideas I’d like to try out! Personally I’d rather be running things the other way around with Windows as a VM in Linux. I’ve used VirtualBox for several years but never had to do the extra steps you took to get things running, I’ve also dabbled with Gnome Boxes but had mixed results, I don’t think my PC had the resources needed. There is of course a type 1 hypervisor built into the Linux kernel, using KVM & libvirt this can run at near bare metal speeds something I’d like to try out in the future.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Hi Alan! :) I did things the other way around in this video:kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjQdWull9Znm7M

[@alanthornton3530]

@@ExplainingComputers Thanks for the link Chris, I re watched the video my memories now refreshed, I can't believe that it was 4 years ago I watched it the first time around :)

[@johnburgess2084]

Very informative -- thank you! I've bookmarked it for future reference.

[@samuelhulme8347]

Another feature of WSL is the ability to run Linux GUI apps on top of your existing Windows desktop and you can access files and programs from the Windows host inside a WSL machine.

[@anonylesss]

great video and I'm glad you touched the WSL way! I've been using WSL on Windows 10 for a couple of years, it's working pretty great (nitpick - try pinging another machine on your network from WSL - it won't let you without sudo...) . as much as i know, you can't install GUI for WSL on Windows 10 - i've tried at some point, and nothing works. apparently, they made this a "Windows 11 only feature" . another thing, i believe i originally installed Debian WSL just by going to the MS Store and searching for Debian and clicking install. but it could be that there were terminal commands involved afterwards

[@renatoscutube]

I use an ancient version of VMWare and the USB drive handling is much more simple. You have a symbol where you can right click and enable or disable it in the virtual machine. That's it, no ejecting or reinserting is necessary...

[@josephruff2117]

In order to understand and explain computers, I wonder if one must put milk in their teacup first and then add the tea? I've always added my milk to my tea. Perhaps this is why I have so many computer problems and struggle to learn Linux. Great video, I've always wondered what a virtual machine was. Thank you!

[@ExplainingComputers]

:)

[@mikimouse3001]

on win 11 pro you can run linux as well using hyper v , and it not only runs well but its faster than virt box and uses fewer resources.the only drawback is that on hyper v linux doesnt have sound, not without doing some tweaking.

Even though there's a bunch of options nowadays, I'm still always reverting back to VirtualBox. I like that it's lean and won't install a bunch of crap I don't need. Worth noting the USB supports works with nearly everything, so eg. if you have an exotic old hardware, you can install an older Windows version and just plug it into that VM to use it. Although on Linux I would probably go with something QEMU based. Pre-2000 era things are probably better served by 86Box which has period correct hardware addon card emulation as well.

[@MrAlanCristhian]

Thanks for this tutorial. I can sneakily send this video to my friends.

[@williamBryan-k2e]

way cool on doing a review of virtualbox. I have been running VB on Linux for a very long time ( maybe 15 years ). It is the easy way to run a virtual machine. But cool that you are showing others. I run Kubuntu - and I just run VB with the apt comment ( std installer ). the only issue i had was VB 6.x on Kubuntu 22 - after an update - the VM's stopped running. I loaded VB 7 from Oracle and then they are running again.

[@sundaywhitewood1499]

Hello , you forget Hyper V , it can be more powerful for some case. But always good video and didactic.

[@jekylltraveler]

A suggested companion video would be to run a VM on a Linux host. Using a tool like cockpit makes it fairly easy.

[@ExplainingComputers]

That video I have already made! :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYjQdWull9Znm7M

[@zetectic7968]

Too many years ago to remember, I got my first taste of Ubuntu running it in a VMware virtual machine as it would run Folding@Home more efficiently & quickly than Windows 7. A lot more use of the command prompt then but the forums were helpful in showing what to do. I will try to use Virtual Box to explore Linux before the end of the year. I wasn't aware that Python was needed.

[@BrianRonald]

I'm not convinced that Python is needed.

[@simonbyrd6518]

I just found out with PowerToys installed, you can shift-right-click a folder and get an "Open Linux Shell here" option, saves time over starting a CMD terminal and navigating to the directory and launching WSL, which I use a lot to run Bash scripts in Windows.