On which disk to install the virtual machine. Creating and basic configuration of a virtual machine. With text interface

One operating system - virtual - inside another operating system, but already real - this is an ideal find for those who like to test software third party developers and different versions and assembling operating systems.

It's safe, it's interesting, moreover, it's even useful for development. VirtualBox program- perhaps the only one widely famous representative software that provides the mentioned capabilities.

It is free, simple and easy to use even for novice users. Like with using VirtualBox install a virtual operating room Windows system? We will consider this question below.

Step 1. Create a virtual computer

With download and installing VirtualBox unlikely to cause any problems, it can be freely downloaded from developer's official website, and it is installed as standard.

The launched program will open with a welcome window, where you need to click the command - “Create”.

The window that appears will give you a choice of operating systems supported by the program. We select the required version, set a name for the virtual computer. Click "Forward".


We indicate what system we are creating:

Correct operation of Windows XP will be ensured with a volume of 512 MB random access memory, but for Windows 7 it is better to allocate 800-900 MB.

You cannot enter the red section of the scale, thereby giving the virtual computer more than half the hardware potential of the physical computer. Click "Forward".

In the next window hard choice disk, select the option to create a new one hard drive.

In the next window, it is better for beginners to select a storage format - fixed disk, since it works a little faster than dynamic. Click "Forward".

This figure will also be taken from the memory of the physical hard drive, so it is necessary to select the optimal volume, which will be enough for work purposes virtual computer, and it will not be to the detriment physical memory.

For Windows XP you can allocate 5 GB, and for Windows 7 – about 15 GB. Here, using the browse button visible at the end of the first line, select the directory of the physical computer where it will be placed HDD virtual.

Choose better place on a non-system drive. The "Create" command will start the process creating a hard disk of the virtual computer, after which you can admire the parameters of the newly created virtual computer.

Step 2. Install the operating system on the virtual computer

The virtual computer has been created and the operating system can be installed on it. Click the “Run” command.

We select either the operating system boot disk located in the physical drive or the disk image. You can set the path to the disk image using the browse button at the end of the line. Click “Continue”.

The familiar Windows installation menu will open in a separate VirtualBox window. Next steps are no different from the process of installing Windows on a physical computer.

Virtualization is general term, covering resource abstraction for many aspects of computing. Some of the most typical examples of virtualization are given below. In turn, a virtual machine is an environment that appears to the “guest” operating system as hardware. However, in reality it is a software environment that is simulated by software host system. This simulation must be robust enough to allow the guest drivers to operate reliably. When using paravirtualization, the virtual machine does not simulate Hardware, but instead suggests using a special API.

Terms used:

• Host system (host)- a computer running the virtualization platform
• Guest operating system- operating system running inside a virtual machine
• Virtual machine, virtual environment - virtualized computer hardware that can run a guest operating system and applications. Several virtual machines can be running simultaneously
• Virtual application- a virtual machine with a pre-installed guest operating system and fully configured applications, aimed at solving a specific task

IN this manual I will talk about the new virtualization features of the Windows 7 operating system. Virtual PC Windows is a new optional system component that can be used to deploy and migrate compatibility support for applications in Windows 7 that can be managed on legacy operating systems. This component is available when you download the update package.

Virtual PC Windows provides an easy way to Windows management XP and support for compatibility of applications that must be managed on this operating system. Can be used to access virtual Windows image XP, which is ready to provide compatibility settings for the applications the user needs. You can even use Windows XP Mode and Windows 7 to run applications directly from Windows 7, when the applications are, in principle, installed on the virtual Windows machine XP. Windows mode XP Mode is available in Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise, and Windows 7 Ultimate.

Under the Windows 7 operating system, other 32-bit operating systems can also be used in Windows Virtual PC. Namely:

• Windows XP - only Windows XP supported Service Pack 3 (SP3) Professional;
• Windows Vista- only Windows Vista Enterprise and Windows Vista Ultimate are supported;
• Windows 7 - only Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 7 Ultimate are supported;

In this guide, I will describe several options for using Virtual PC - installing Windows XP Mode, as well as installing another operating system. To provide control of the operating system in both cases, virtual machines. Windows XP Mode is more in a fast way, because it involves fewer steps and effort. Once the test operating system environment is installed, we will look at a few key Windows features Virtual PC - such as sharing physical resources: USB devices, printers, and hard drives.

Pre-installation steps

To install Windows Virtual PC, you must download and install a specific system update. Before you install Windows Virtual PC, you need to review the requirements to determine whether your computer can run Windows Virtual PC. Windows Virtual PC requires Windows 7 hardware support for virtualization. Virtualization support is available for processors that include a virtualization option—namely, processors with Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) and AMD Virtualization Technology (AMD-V), as well as some VIA processors. You can enable hardware support for virtualization using the BIOS. For more detailed information regarding hardware support for a specific virtualization processor, it is best to consult the hardware manufacturer's Web site.

In order to find out whether hardware virtualization is supported in Intel processors, you need to do the following:

1. Download, install and run Intel Processor Identification Utility;
2. Go to the “CPU Technologies” tab and read the value in the “ Intel Virtualization Technology"

To find out whether hardware virtualization is supported in AMD processors required to download, install and run AMD Virtualization Compatibility Check Utility

The following list shows some models Intel processors, which have hardware support for virtualization:

• Pentium 4 662 and 672
• Pentium Extreme Edition 955 and 965 (not Pentium 4 Extreme Edition with HT) Pentium D 920-960 except 945, 935, 925, 915
• Core Duo T2300, T2400, T2500, T2600, T2700 (Yonah)
• Core 2 Duo E6300, E6400, E6320, E6420, E6540, E6550, E6600, E6700, E6750, E6850 (Conroe)
• Core 2 Duo E7600, E8200, E8300, E8400, E8500, E8600 and some versions of the E7400 and E7500 (Wolfdale)
• Mobile Core 2 Duo T5500, T5600, T7100, T7200, T7250, T7300, T7400, T7500, T7600, T7600G, T7700, T7800 (Merom)
• Mobile Core 2 Duo SU9300, SU9400, SU9600, P7370, P8400, P8600, P8700, P8800, P9500, P9600, P9700, T8100, T8300, T9300, T9400, T9500, T9600, T9800, T9900 n)
• Core 2 Quad Q6600, Q6700 (Kentsfield)
• Core 2 Quad Q8400, Q8400S, Q9300, Q9400, Q9400S, Q9450, Q9550, Q9550S, Q9650 and some versions of the Q8300 (Yorkfield)
• Core 2 Extreme X6800 (Conroe_XE)
• Core 2 Extreme QX6700, QX6800, QX6850 (Kentsfield_XE) Core 2 Extreme QX9650, QX9770, QX9775 (Yorkfield_XE) Xeon 3000, 5000, 7000 series
  Atom Z520, Z530, Z540, Z550, Z515 (Silverthorne)
• all Intel Core i7 processors
• Pentium Dual-Core E6300, E6500 and some versions of the E5300 and E5400*
• Celeron E3000 series

This section of the guide describes the process of installing Windows Virtual PC, as well as installing the virtual machine itself. Additional configuration and technical information in examples.

Installing Windows Virtual PC

After installing Windows Virtual PC, you need to install a virtual machine. You can use Windows XP Mode or create your own virtual machine. If you plan to use Windows XP, you can download it using installation package Windows XP Mode, which was discussed in the "Before You Begin" section

A little about integration components

Integration components make a virtual machine easier to use by improving the interaction between physical resources and the virtual machine environment. They are installed automatically along with Windows XP Mode. For other operating systems, they must be installed manually after installing the operating system itself. Integration components are included with Windows Virtual PC and provide access to the following resources:

Installing Windows XP Mode

Installation process:

Attention

• You should not uninstall a package if you will no longer use it. If you remove it, then the package Windows component XP Mode will no longer be available and you may lose important data. Uninstalling the package removes the virtual machine and also stops access to the data that was stored in the virtual machine;
• Microsoft recommends storing archival copy Windows package XP Mode (WindowsXPMode_xx-XX.exe, where xx-XX is the system language) as a backup, in case you have to restore Windows environment XP Mode. For example, you can burn the .exe file to CD or DVD disc. It is highly recommended to have a backup copy because the Windows XP Mode environment has 2 virtual hard drives- parent virtual hard disk and differential disk. A differential disk cannot be used without a parent disk. If the parent disk is deleted or damaged, you must update the existing Windows XP Mode environment. In this case, you need to use the same parent hard drive that was used previously if you will be installing Windows XP Mode again

The installation process is as follows:

After installing Windows XP Mode, you may want to create new accounts for this component. If you create accounts, they will need to be added to groups Remote Desktop User and Administrators. Accounts can be either domain or local.

Installing a virtual machine manually

This method can be used if you do not want your guest system to be Windows XP. In this section, I'll show you how you can create a virtual machine and install the guest operating system that you plan to manage in Virtual PC. You can use the Create Virtual Machine Wizard to create a virtual machine. The wizard will walk you through configuring the virtual machine with basic settings that you can customize to suit your needs for using the virtual machine. For example, you can specify a certain amount of memory that the virtual machine will use. The amount of RAM allocated should be the same as what you would allocate to a physical computer. It is advisable to provide the virtual machine with enough memory so that you can easily manage the operating system and applications installed on it. You should also pay attention to how you will install the guest operating system. For example, to install an operating system you can use network server for installation or physical CD or DVD drive, in which simply place the installation disk with the system. If you are installing a Virtual PC-supported guest operating system, you will need to install the Integration Component Pack after installation.

1. You need to open the virtual machine folder. To do this, go to the menu “ Start", select " Windows Virtual PC" If this item is not immediately available in the menu, you need to click on the menu “ Start" on " All programs", left-click on the folder " Windows Virtual PC", and then select " Windows Virtual PC»

   

2. IN Windows Explorer the folder " Virtual machines" From the menu area, click on “”.

   
   Folder " Virtual machines» provides detailed information about all virtual machines created by the current user, as well as from this folder you can open general access, create and modify virtual machines and virtual disks.

   

3. The Create Virtual Machine Wizard will open. After going through the wizard dialogs, you will select the required settings for installing the guest operating system.

   
   The first step is to name the new virtual machine and specify its location.

   

   In the second step, the virtual machine creation wizard prompts us to specify memory parameters for the virtual machine.

   

   The third step requires you to specify the virtual machine disk settings.

4. At the end of the wizard, the virtual machine will be displayed in the list of files in the “ Virtual machines».

   

5. Installing a guest operating system. If you are using a network installation server, you can safely skip this step. If you are using a CD or DVD, insert it into the drive carriage and proceed to the next installation step. To use the .iso image you need to do the following:
   a) Click right click mouse on the created virtual machine and select " Options»;

   

   B) In the left pane, select the drive where the image is located. In the right pane, select " Open ISO image" Click the button OK.

   

6. Start the virtual machine. In the list of files, select the virtual machine and click " Open" Windows Virtual PC will open the system installer for the virtual machine. The virtual machine will look for the installation disk. The installation will begin once the boot disk is found.

   

7. After the installation is completed, you need to install the integration components. Click on menu " Service" in the virtual machine window and select the item "". If the installation does not start after a few seconds, go to the desktop of the virtual machine and open the CD in it. After this, you need to double-click on the file with the left mouse button IntegrationComponents.msi.

   
   
   

8. Complete the installation using the Integration Components Installation Wizard.

   

9. Reboot the virtual machine. From the menu " Action" in the virtual machine window, select " Reboot»

   

Closing a virtual machine

Before you start performing some actions in the virtual machine, you may want to know how to log out of the virtual machine. When you close a virtual machine, it may hibernate, shut down, or shut down. When a virtual machine wakes up from hibernation mode, it does not boot the system sequentially, so this option is much faster than shutting down and shutting down.

Attention

When you open a virtual machine, Windows Virtual PC provides it with memory and processing resources. The length of time it takes to open a virtual machine depends on how you closed it during your last session. The amount of memory you allocated when creating the virtual machine also matters. By default, when you click the “Close” button in the virtual machine window, the Windows XP Mode virtual machine goes into hibernation mode and prompts you to select the same action for other virtual machines. You can change this option yourself.

Changes to the default action to close a virtual machine

Shutting down a virtual machine

1. In the virtual machine window, click on Ctrl+Alt+Del. Or you can press the key combination CTRL+ALT+END.
2. In the guest operating system window that appears, click on “ Shut Down».
3. The operating system will be turned off, the resources consumed by it will be returned to the host system.

Attention! If you want the installed software to appear on the desktop of the host operating system, you need to log out of your account before closing the virtual machine.

If you are using certain Windows versions XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 on a virtual machine, then you have the ability to access the application directly from the desktop on the host computer when the application is installed in the virtual machine. Thanks to this feature, you can run Windows 7 on the host machine existing applications, avoiding problems that may arise if they are not compatible with the host operating system.

Business applications running on the Windows XP operating system are great for testing this feature. However, Windows Virtual PC does not support applications that require stereo sound or 3D graphics. It means that custom applications, for example games, cannot be launched in this case.

Using USB devices in a virtual machine.

Windows Virtual PC supports USB devices version 2.0, and it is also possible to share a device or record from a device to a virtual machine. The method you use depends on the type of USB device you are using. If integration components are installed and enabled by the guest operating system, storage devices and smart card readers are automatically shared between virtual machines And physical computer. No required additional actions for these types of storage devices. For other types, their use is possible by attaching them to a virtual machine. For example, you can attach the following USB types devices:

• Digital cameras;
• USB CD drive;
• MP3 players;
• Phone/PDA/mobile device;
• Webcams/video cameras;
• Wireless network adapters.

Printing from a virtual machine

There are several ways to make a printer available on a virtual machine. Some factors that influence the methods you can use include whether a printer driver is available on Windows 7 and whether the printer is connected locally or over a network. You can also use XPS format if your computer supports this printing method.

Using a Local USB Printer

Attention! This method is suitable if drivers are available for both systems - the Windows 7 host system and the guest operating system. You only need to go through a few steps to install the printer on a virtual machine. The following actions assume that you have already printed to the printer using the host operating system.

Make sure the printer is turned on and available for driver installation. For example, you can install drivers on it using a CD.

1. Connect the printer to the virtual machine. To do this, in the virtual machine window, click on “ USB" and then to " DeviceName Sharing».
2. Install the printer driver on the guest operating system. You can install the driver via the Internet or use a CD.
3. Disconnect the printer from the virtual machine. To do this, from the virtual machine window, click on “ USB" and then to " DeviceName Release».
4. Reboot the virtual machine. To do this, from the virtual machine window, click on “ Action" and then to " Reboot».
5. The printer will be available on both systems, both the host and the guest.

If you are using guest system Windows XP, you must manually install the driver for the printer that will be used.

Printing from a virtual machine

1. Go to the virtual machine and go to account, if necessary (you will be logged in automatically if the option to save your password is set).
2. Do the following:
   a) On the desktop in the virtual machine, right-click on the file and select the option “ Seal»
   b) Open an application that has a print option available and use the print command.
3. All printers that are available in the virtual machine are in the list of printers. Select the desired printer and click on the OK button

You can also print to an XPS document from your virtual application or virtual session to save the file to be printed on the host, and then you can print the file using the printer installed on the host computer. This option is useful when drivers are not available for the guest operating system or you do not want to install a printer on it. This method requires the following configuration:

• Microsoft XPS Essentials Pack installed on the guest operating system. Microsoft XPS Essentials
  Pack can be downloaded from following link: Windows Hardware Developer Central site.
• The virtual machine is configured and has access to disks and partitions on the host computer, so you can simply save the file (By default, when Windows XP Mode is installed, the system is configured to have access to disks and partitions on the host system. For other virtual machines, you need to install components integration).
• A working printer must be installed on the host operating system.

At the moment Windows release 7, the bulk of its potential buyers used Windows XP. Among them there were very few who decided to immediately and unconditionally switch to the new product. Most were in no hurry to send the old XP “retirement”, since it turned out that great amount the software simply cannot work under new system. What could Microsoft do? Losing potential customers is not an option, so the solution was found as follows: release an update for Windows 7, which carries a virtualization package - system function, allowing you to run XP directly inside the “seven”.

The update under the name “Virtual PC” and number KB958599 was released in 2008. It is a virtual machine - an application that emulates computer hardware and creates inside the operating system isolated environment, where you can install another OS, including a type other than Windows.

Virtual PC from Microsoft is included in the package Windows updates 7 editions Ultimate, Professional and Enterprise. This virtual machine is specifically designed for installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 and solving problems with software that won’t start.

How to install Virtual PC?

Checking hardware virtualization support

If your PC has “seven” Ultimate, Enterprise or Professional installed and the function is enabled automatic update, You already have Virtual PC. Before you start using it, you need to make sure that your processor supports hardware virtualization. To check this, Microsoft has created a utility called Hardware-Assisted Virtualization Detection Tool, which you can simply download and run.

If the utility displays a message like in the screenshot below, it means that hardware virtualization is supported and you can use Virtual PC without additional settings.

If there is no such support (message in the window below), you need to make some more changes to the system.

Please note: Hardware virtualization is enabled and disabled in the BIOS, so if it doesn't work on your PC, try activating it in Settings BIOS Setup. The option may be called Intel_Virtualization Technology (for Intel processors), AMD-V (respectively, for AMD), Virtualization Extensions, etc.

In this example, the Intel_Virtualization Technology option is disabled. To enable it, you need to change the value from Disabled to Enabled.

If you cannot use hardware virtualization, Microsoft offers to install a patch that will still allow you to run Virtual PC on Windows 7. On the download page, you need to select the file version in accordance with the bitness of your system.

Installing Virtual PC manually

Manual installation of a virtual machine in Windows 7 includes the installation of 2 components:

• Windows Virtual PC;
• virtual Windows disk XP Mode;

Virtual PC is installed first. For this:

• download update KB958599 from the official website, corresponding to the bit level of your Windows 7, and run it;

• accept license agreement;

• wait for the installation to complete;

• close the installer window and restart your PC.

Next you need to put virtual disk Windows XP Mode:

• run the installer downloaded from the official Microsoft website;

• select a location for the virtual disk;

• wait for the installation to complete;

• Check the “Run Windows XP mode” checkbox and click “Finish”.

First launch of Windows XP mode

After installing Windows XP mode, “Seven” will further configure it and create a virtual disk.

The first window will open in front of you, where you will have to accept the license agreement for using the program and click “Next”.

Next you will be asked to specify the folder where the virtual disk will be installed and create the first user.

Then – enable protective functions created system(optional).

After clicking on the “Start installation” button, the installation process of the virtual machine with Windows XP will begin. All we have to do is wait for it to finish.

Creating a new virtual machine on Windows 7

• Through Start or File Explorer, open the location of the XP Mode virtual disk.

• Click the “Create virtual machine” button in top menu folders.

• After this, the wizard will launch and your new virtual machine will begin to be created. In the next box, enter her name and location.

• Configure network settings and the amount of RAM ( virtual Windows XP can make do with 512 megabytes of RAM, but more can be allocated).

• Create a virtual hard disk (or use an existing one). Specify its type (dynamically expandable or fixed volume) and location. Click “Create”.

• After this, the newly created one will appear in the list of virtual machines. Right-click on it and select “Open” from the menu.

• In the list of parameters, click on “DVD drive” and specify the path to the physical laser drive, where the disk with Windows XP is inserted. If you are going to install the system from an image, find its installation iso file in the directory - images of the format iso virtual The machine considers it “optical drives”.

After this, the normal Windows XP installation process begins.

Using alternative virtual machines

In addition to its own Virtual PC component, Windows 7 supports virtualization systems from third party manufacturers. Among them, the two most famous and widespread are Oracle VM VirtualBox and VMWare Workstation. Let's look at the principles of working with them using one example. Let's take VirtualBox from Oracle and create a new virtual machine on it to install the same “seven”.

After installing VirtualBox, open its main window – the virtual machine manager. Click in the top horizontal menu“Create” button.

In the next window, write the name of the virtual machine and select its version and bitness from the list. In our example, this is Wibdows 7 32 bit.

Configure the amount of RAM that the virtual (guest) system will use.

Create a hard drive (or select one of the ones you created earlier).

Specify the disk type. If you don't know the difference, leave this option at the default (VDI).

Specify the data storage format - dynamically expanding virtual disk or fixed-size disk.

By moving the slider, set the size of the disk, and also indicate its name (if you want it to differ from the name of the “virtual drive”).

After clicking “Create”, the new virtual machine will appear in the list of the main window. WITH right side its settings are located.

To begin installing the operating system, click on the machine icon and click the “Run” button from the top panel.

Following this, another window will open - the one in which you will monitor the progress of the OS installation and continue to work. The virtual machine manager window (the main one) can be minimized for now.

Here, as when creating a virtual machine on Virtual PC, you need to specify the path to the “seven” installation disk or iso image.

After the OS installation is completed, the virtual machine is ready for use. You need to launch it by clicking on the corresponding icon in the left vertical list of the main VirtualBox window. As you can see, creating “virtual computers” is not at all difficult.

Creating a virtual machine on VMWare Workstation is also intuitive and in many ways similar to the procedure just discussed.

More Windows users 7 want to try the capabilities of the eighth version of this operating system. For these purposes, the use of virtual machines is perfect, on which you can completely install the system without harming the native system.

On this moment there are several popular programs on virtualization for Windows 7: WMWare, Virtual Box and Virtual PC. In this article we will consider exactly latest program, since it provides rich virtualization capabilities compared to other virtual machines and is quite easy to configure and operate.

General algorithm of actions

1. Download the application installation package. Virtual PC is a freeware program developed by Microsoft specialists, therefore fully compatible with both Windows 7 and more earlier versions. You can download the installer from the official website of the corporation.
   
2. Run the file and follow the instructions. Before installing the application, make sure that your current user has administrator rights. To avoid this situation, right-click and select the “Run as administrator” context menu item. If this is not done, errors may occur during the installation stage (described below).
3. After installation, a VirtualPC shortcut will appear on your desktop. Launch it and select “Create”. After this there may be a slowdown Windows operation 7 and the feeling that the program has frozen. At this time, data is collected about the parameters of your system and calculations take place. optimal characteristics for a virtual machine.
   
4. Next are the settings for the VirtualPC virtual machine. When starting for the first time, leave the settings unchanged. If you act carelessly, it is possible to use more capabilities than can be allocated. This will cause general disruptions to the local and virtual operating systems. We only change the version of the operating system being installed and at the very end of the setup, select the source from which we will install (CD, disk image from the hard drive, bootable flash drive).
   
5. Attention should be paid to the installation stage, at which you are required to specify shared network folders. These resources allow the system that we will install to use the resources of the local computer.
   
6. After all the setup steps in Virtual PC it will be active button"Run." When you click it, the first time you start it, the Windows 7, Windows 8 or other OS you have chosen will begin to be installed into the virtual machine system, and when you launch it again, it will load the operating system that was previously installed. The installation steps are fully consistent standard installation on local computer and do not require any additional actions from the user.
   
7. Once the process is complete, the system you installed will start and be fully available for testing. If there is a need to change the parameters of the virtual machine, at the top of the Virtual PC interface window, look for the “Machine” - “Configure” menu item. In the window that appears, you can increase the available amount of RAM, free space etc.
   

Common mistakes

When installing according to the above algorithm for Virtual PC at step 6, a message about Windows error 7 associated with the disabled virtualization feature.

To fix it, you need to enable system virtualization in the settings panel and for some versions motherboards make BIOS settings.


Besides this problem occurs when running antivirus in Windows 7 software with its own firewall and firewall. Therefore, before installing a virtual machine, it is recommended to disable or pause all antivirus programs.

Since we all love to experiment, tinker with the system settings, and launch something of our own making, we need to think about safe place for experiments. Such a place for us will be the VirtualBox virtual machine with installed Windows 7.

When starting the VirtualBox virtual machine (hereinafter referred to as VB), the user sees a window with a completely Russian-language interface.

Let us remind you that when you install the application, the shortcut is automatically placed on the desktop. If this is your first time creating a virtual machine, in this article you will find detailed instructions, which may be useful at this stage.

So, in the new window, click "Create", after which you can select the OS name and other attributes. You can choose from all available operating systems.

Let's move on to next step by pressing "Next". Now you need to specify how much RAM should be allocated for the VM. For its normal functioning, 512 MB is enough, but you can choose more.

After this, we create a virtual hard disk. If you have previously created disks, you can use them. However, in this article we will focus on how they are created.

Mark the item "Create new hard disk" and move on to further stages.

In a new window you need to indicate where it should be located new image disk and what size it is. If you are creating a boot disk containing Windows 7, then 25 GB will be enough (this figure is set by default).

As for placement, then the best solution will place the disk outside system partition. Failure to do so may result in overload boot disk.

If everything suits you, click "Create".

When the disk is created, the parameters of the created VM will be displayed in a new window.

Now you need to configure the virtual machine hardware.

In the General section, the 1st tab displays key information about the created machine.

Let's open the tab "Additionally". Here we will see the option "Folder for pictures". It is recommended to place the specified folder outside the system partition, since the pictures are large.

"Shared clipboard" involves the operation of the clipboard when your host OS and VM interact. The buffer can operate in 4 modes. In the first mode, exchange is carried out only from the guest operating system to the main one, in the second - to reverse order; the third option allows both directions, and the fourth disables communication. We choose the bidirectional option as the most convenient.

"Mini toolbar" is a small panel that allows you to manage the VM. We recommend activating this console in full screen mode, since it is completely repeated by the main menu of the VM working window. The best place for her is top part window, since this way there is no risk of accidentally pressing one of its buttons.

Let's move on to the section "System". The first tab offers to produce certain settings, which we will look at below.

1. If necessary, you should adjust the amount of RAM in the VM. At the same time, only after its launch will it become completely clear whether the volume has been chosen correctly.

When choosing, you should proceed from the size of physical memory installed on the computer. If it is 4 GB, then it is recommended to allocate 1 GB for the VM - it will function without any “brakes”.

2. Let's determine the loading order. The floppy disk (floppy) player is not needed, disable it. The CD/DVD drive should be assigned first in the list in order to be able to install the OS from the disk. Note that this could be like physical disk, and a virtual image.

Other settings are given in the help section. They are closely related to the hardware configuration of your computer. If you set settings that do not comply with it, the VM will not be able to start.
On the bookmark "CPU" the user specifies how many cores are on the virtual motherboard. This option will be available if hardware virtualization is supported AMD-V or VT-x.

Regarding hardware virtualization options AMD-V or VT-x, then before activating them you need to find out whether these functions are supported by the processor and whether they are included initially BIOS– it often happens that they are disabled.

Now let's look at the section "Display". On the bookmark "Video" The amount of memory of the virtual video card is indicated. Activation of two-dimensional and three-dimensional acceleration is also available here. It is advisable to enable the first of them, but the second parameter is optional.

In chapter "Carriers" all disks of the new virtual machine are displayed. You can also see here virtual drive with an inscription "Empty". We will mount the image into it installation disk Windows 7.

The virtual drive is configured as follows: click on the icon located on the right. A menu opens in which we click "Select an image optical disk» . Next, you should add an image of the operating system boot disk.

We will not cover issues related to the network here. Note that network adapter initially active, which is a prerequisite for the VM to access the Internet.

On the section COM There is no point in going into detail, since nothing is connected to such ports today.

In chapter USB check both available options.

Let's go to « Shared folders» and select those directories to which the VM plans to provide access.

The entire setup process is now complete. Now you can start installing the OS.

Select the created machine in the list and click "Run". Herself Windows installation 7 on VirtualBox is very similar to normal installation Windows.

After downloading installation files A window will open asking you to select a language.

We accept the license terms.

Then select "Full installation".

In the next window you need to select a disk partition to install the operating system. We have the only section, so we select it.

During installation, the machine will automatically reboot several times. After all reboots, enter the desired user and computer name.

Here we enter the product key, if available. If not, then just click "Further".

Set the time zone and date.

Then we choose which network to assign our new virtual machine to. Click "Home".

After these steps, the virtual machine will automatically reboot and we will be taken to the desktop of a freshly installed Windows 7.

Thus, we installed Windows 7 on virtual VirtualBox machine. Next, you will need to activate it, but this is a topic for another article...