Want to play around with Ubuntu to see if you can work with Linux? Well, it’s completely free, so there’s no reason not to give it a try. However, for it to work, you will need either a spare computer or a spare hard drive on your current computer.
If you don’t have these capabilities, or don’t want to mess up your existing systems, you can install Ubuntu in a virtual machine on your primary PC. The free tool I use is called VirtualBox It is very similar to VMware Workstation, except that it is free.
In this article, I’ll show you how to quickly get a copy of Ubuntu that works like a virtual machine on your current OS, which could be Windows, Mac, or Linux.
Install Ubuntu in VirtualBox
First download VirtualBox using the link above and install it. This is a fairly small program, so it doesn’t take long to set up. Once it is running, download the version of Ubuntu you want to run. I downloaded the PC version which was a 1.4 GB ISO file.
Now click the Create button in the upper left corner to create a new virtual machine.
– /
VirtualBox” />
Please note that once you are familiar with the process of configuring a virtual machine in VirtualBox, you can click the “Expert Mode” button to complete all the settings much faster. The first time you should use a guided wizard. On the next screen, we have to select the operating system.
VirtualBox” />
You can install many different operating systems using this tool, but we’re just working with Ubuntu Linux here. In my case, I chose Linux for Type and then I chose Ubuntu. The program only gave me options for the 32-bit version, because I was using old hardware. Ideally, you should install 64-bit versions of operating systems. If VirtualBox only shows you 32-bit options and does not show you 64-bit options, please see this post for a solution.
VirtualBox” />
Then select the amount of memory that you want to assign to your virtual machine. You will get the recommended amount, but you can always change it manually using the slider.
VirtualBox” />
Then you have the option to add the virtual hard disk to the virtual machine or not. A virtual machine without a hard disk is useless, so select Create Virtual Hard Disk Now if you haven’t already created one.
VirtualBox” />
Click Create, and on the next screen, you will see three options for the hard disk file type. You can choose VDI, VHD or VMDK. VDI is the format used by VirtualBox, VHD is Microsoft Hyper-V, and VMDK is VMware. If you plan to migrate this virtual machine to another platform in the future, be sure to select the appropriate file type.
VirtualBox” />
On the next screen, you must choose if you want the new virtual disk to grow dynamically or if you want to use a fixed size disk. The only advantage of a fixed size disk is that it is usually faster to use. This means your virtual machine will run faster overall.
VirtualBox” />
Next, you can adjust the size of the virtual hard disk. You will receive this screen no matter which option you selected earlier. If you chose dynamic allocation, the disk size you select here will be the maximum size that can grow. If you selected “Fixed Size” then the size here will be the actual size of the virtual hard disk to start with.
VirtualBox” />
After that the Ubuntu virtual machine should be created. Please note that we have not installed Ubuntu yet! We still need to point the VM to the ISO file and then boot from that ISO to install Ubuntu. To do this, you need to select Ubuntu from the list and then click on “Settings”.
VirtualBox” />
Click on Storage on the left and then click on Controller: IDE. You should see Ubuntu.vdi under Controller: SATA. Click on the left icon with a small green plus sign. This will add the optical drive to the IDE controller.
VirtualBox” />
In the pop-up window, click Select Disc and then navigate to the location of the ISO image. Select it and make sure it is added to the list in the IDE.
VirtualBox” />
Now go back to the main interface and click the “Start” button. This will start the virtual machine, it should automatically detect the ISO image and start downloading the Ubuntu installer.
VirtualBox” />
If everything went well, you should see a dialog box where you can select Try Ubuntu or Install Ubuntu if you’re ready.
VirtualBox” />
The Ubuntu installation process is pretty straightforward, so I won’t go into details. The only place where you can adjust the settings is when you select the hard drive to install. Since it’s in a virtual machine, just select Erase Disk and install Ubuntu.
VirtualBox” />
That’s all! In the next post, I will write how you can install VirtualBox Guest Additions on an Ubuntu virtual machine. Enjoy!
–