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Create virtual machines on PC. Installing Windows XP Mode. How to open a virtual machine's VHD disk

I needed to get another, second computer in order to install another operating system and test some programs. The virtual machine that I installed can fulfill my requirements and needs. A virtual machine means a program that emulates physical computer in full force. This means that on one computer I can have several with different operating systems.

You can create a virtual machine using the VirtualBox program. This is a visualization system that will allow you to work on any OS.

How to create a virtual machine in virtualbox

So, you are interested in the question: “How to create a Win 7 virtual machine using VirtualBox?” I will now tell you in detail how I have already gone through it myself. First you need to install the program on your computer. This is not difficult to do. After downloading the file, you need to open it and the installer will launch, where you should click “Next”. A new dialog box will open in front of you with all the program components that will be installed. You can choose the settings yourself, but I recommend not going there and installing everything.

Download VirtualBox - https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Let's move on to creating a virtual machine using VirtualBox

Open the program and click on the “Create” and Next button

A dialog box will open in front of you where you can select the type and version of the operating system. I chose Windows 7.

Click “Next” and select the memory size for virtual machine. For Windows 7 I chose 1.5 GB.

Then you should choose HDD. Since we are creating a new virtual machine, we need to Create new hard disk.

Here I advise you not to change anything and leave everything as default.

Next, you need to select a data storage format. Select a dynamic virtual disk. This means that as you install various programs, your disk will grow on its own. If you select Fixed virtual disk, you will no longer be able to change its size.

At the end you need to specify the location of the virtual machine and the size (20 GB) of the disk and confirm your choice.

You've created a virtual machine, but it's essentially a computer without an operating system. You can do the settings new system. But that's not all, now you need to install the OS itself. To do this, insert it into the CD-ROM installation disk Windows 7. Then go to the program window VirtualBox, select our created virtual machine and click start.

After this, you should see a window with the name First Launch Wizard, click Next. Next, you need to select the installation media, your CD-ROM.

Next, you need to go through all the steps of installing Windows 7. I will not describe the process of installing Windows 7 since it is no different from installing Windows 7 in normal mode. So, in principle, you and I all created a virtual machine and began installing the operating system on it.

You probably thought that creating a virtual machine was difficult and unrealistic, but after understanding it a little, I hope you realized that it is not at all difficult, but very convenient. Additional operating system makes it possible to install new operating systems and run them on suspicious programs without for your main computer. You can also install various applications that are incompatible for some reason with your main OS.

Learning to use VirtualBox is beneficial for everyone. Thanks to this service, you get virtual computers that you can run on your devices without having to buy new hardware. At its core, it's free. software for virtualization.

VirtualBox was created to solve many problems. Thanks to this functionality, you get the opportunity to create virtual computers out of thin air. They don't take up any space on your desk, but they work just like a real PC. They can be created and deleted with a few clicks.

What is VirtualBox? It is a free, open source, cross-platform application for creating, managing and running virtual machines (VMs) - computers whose hardware components are emulated by the host computer, or device, on which the program is running. VirtualBox can run on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris.

Why is this necessary?

Using virtual machines can be extremely beneficial for a number of reasons. For example, you can run it to try software that you think might be dangerous, or you can try a different operating system without changing the way your computer is configured.

You can also use it for security purposes. For example, you can create a virtual machine just for online banking to make sure you don't become a victim spyware or Trojans obtaining your data.

How to install VirtualBox?

The easiest way to get latest version VirtualBox - Download it from the download page of the official website. There you can find suitable version for your platform or? If you use Linux, you can study the list of instructions for the various distributions of this OS.

For each version of Linux, you are given the option to download the "i386" or "amd64" option, 32-bit and 64-bit versions, respectively.

How to install VirtualBox? The process is similar to installing any other program on your platform, so you shouldn't have any problems. If you have any difficulties, you can always read the installation guide on the service's website.

Using VirtualBox

How to use VirtualBox? When you launch the application for the first time, you will be greeted by the VirtualBox Manager. Here you can create virtual machines, enable or disable them and configure access to the virtual hardware available to them, as well as make network settings.

Creating a virtual machine

In order to configure the network in VirtualBox and get started, you will need to create a virtual machine. This is done as follows.

The first step to creating any virtual machine is to click the "Create" button in the top left corner of the VirtualBox Manager window - this is a big blue Star, which is very difficult to miss.

This will launch the "New Virtual Machine Wizard" which will walk us through the steps required to get it up and running.

Enter the name of the virtual computer. This name is completely up to you, but there are some nuances.

VirtualBox will try to figure out what OS you plan to run in the virtual machine based on what name you enter. If the name mentions "XP", it is assumed that you will be installing Windows XP and configuring it accordingly. However, you can come up with random name. You will then have the option to manually select your OS type from the drop-down lists below. When you do this, click "Continue" to proceed to next step. This example looks at Windows for VirtualBox. Below are instructions for installing this OS as a guest OS and then setting up a network connection.

Selecting RAM

To install a guest OS after running VirtualBox, you will be prompted to select a volume random access memory, which you want to host on the virtual machine. The more volume you give it, the better app will work, but keep in mind that the memory allocated to the virtual machine cannot be used by the host OS (i.e. the machine on which VirtualBox is installed).

So how much RAM should you allocate to a VM? This depends on a number of factors. If you plan to only use the virtual machine while it's running, you can afford to give it more RAM because you won't be asking the host system to multitask. If, on the other hand, you will be using it while running many other functions on the host OS, you should better calculate this value. good general rule is to allocate half of your computer's RAM. So, if your PC has 4GB RAM, give 2GB to the VM, leaving the host with the rest. If you select this value with blunder, you will encounter that VirtualBox does not start.

Storage space

The next step is to create a “virtual hard drive"(VHD). This creates a file on your HDD that can be used by VirtualBox to act as a separate hard drive. This allows you to install the operating system without worrying about your existing data being affected.

Make sure Boot is selected Hard Disk and “Create a new hard drive,” then click “Continue.” This will launch "Create New Master" virtual disk" Click Continue again to complete the action.

You'll then be asked whether you want to create a "dynamically expanding" or fixed-size disk. Each has its own advantages. The great thing about a dynamic disk is that it only takes up as much space as the data it contains. It is also much faster to create than a fixed one of any significant size.

However, you need to keep an eye on this because his flexibility can also be his negative trait. So you create a dynamic disk and assign 50GB to it and then put about 20GB of data on it. Its file will appear as holding only 20 GB of hard drive space, according to your host OS. Therefore, you can take this place with other data and not notice it.

The point is that if you start a virtual machine and try to add more data to the dynamic disk, you will have problems - the virtual disk says it still has 30 GB, but in fact it may no longer have it.

This is also the advantage of a fixed-size disk. Sure, it's inconvenient when you're trying to figure out how much space you'll need, but then you won't have to worry about it anymore.

This example shows dynamic disks, but fixed ones will work just as well. Make sure Dynamically Expanding Storage is selected, then click Continue again. Next, you will be asked to select a name, location, and size for the new VHD. For most uses, you won't need to change the name or location, but you can do so by clicking on the folder icon next to the text field.

The size you should specify depends on how much material you plan to use. If you just want to use it to run a few programs, the suggested size of 10 GB should be sufficient. Make sure the settings are correct, then click Continue and Finish.

At this point, you just need to check everything and make sure that all the settings are set as you expect. Then you just need to click "Finish" and the virtual machine will be created so you can install Windows.

Booting a Guest OS in VirtualBox

How to continue using the service? Now it's time to run the virtual machine for the first time. Make sure the new virtual PC you just created is selected in the VirtualBox Manager window, then click the Start button at the top of the window. When the service starts, you will be greeted with a First Run Wizard window that will help you prepare to install Windows XP. Click Continue. Then the question will open what do you want to use as installation media- a CD or image on your hard drive (usually as an .iso file). Once you've selected your option, click Continue, then Finish.

If you were unable to open the virtual VirtualBox machine After the above settings, you probably have allocated space for RAM or HDD incorrectly. If rebooting does not solve the problem, repeat the previous steps again.

Since there is nothing installed on the virtual hard disk, Windows Setup will automatically load. It will take some time to download all the necessary OS files, but eventually you will see a screen that displays a list of existing partitions and unallocated space on your computer.

After this you should configure XP, so press Enter. You will be asked how you want to format the drive. You need to select the option “Format partition using file NTFS systems(Quick)". Make sure you select the "Fast" option or you will be waiting for a very long time!

Windows Setup will then format the VHD and then begin copying the files to the drive. Your participation in this process is not required. Once the files are copied, Windows Setup will automatically restart your computer to move on to the next step.

When the PC reboots, it will try to boot from the CD using the "Press any key to boot from CD..." window. Ignore it! If you do this you will repeat it again previous step for no reason.

You can prevent this systemic issue by clicking right click Click on the CD icon at the bottom of the virtual machine window and click “Remove disk from virtual disk.” Once this window closes, you will see the familiar screen Windows boot XP before it switches to the second stage of installation.

Once the “Windows XP Installation Wizard” is displayed, click “Next” to begin it. You'll first be asked to set your regional and language settings, which basically involve clicking "Customize..." (to select your country) and then "Details" if you need to change your keyboard layout.

Once everything is selected, click Next again. After this, you will need to enter your computer name and administrator password. It's better to choose a name that has some meaning instead of a random string of automatically generated characters. How complex you want to make the administrator password depends on how important the security of the virtual machine is.

After clicking Next, you will see the date and time settings, which you do not need to change. When you click this button again, the window will disappear for a while, Windows will apply all the settings and continue with the installation. Now you can use VirtualBox guests additions.

After a minute or two another window will appear, this time for network settings. It is more convenient to choose the first option (a network that does not have a domain). To do this you need to enter a name working group- default is Rward, and all values ​​are default. However, you may need to select "Direct3D Support" when asked to identify components.

How to work with the network?

Networking in VirtualBox is extremely powerful, but setting it up can be a little tricky. To understand this, you need to consider various ways VirtualBox network settings with a few pointers to what configurations should be used and when.

Oracle VM VirtualBox 5.1 allows you to configure up to 8 virtual network adapters(controllers network interface) for each guest virtual device (although there are only 4 in the GUI).

Main modes:

  • Broadcast network addresses(NAT).
  • Bridge networks.
  • Internal network.
  • The network is for hosting only.
  • NAT with port forwarding.

Oracle VirtualBox offers them as based on the guest OS type you specify when you create the virtual machine, and you rarely need to modify them. But choosing a network mode depends on how you want to use the device (client or server) and whether you want other computers on your network to see it. So, you should look at each VirtualBox network configuration mode in a little more detail.

Network Address Translation (NAT)

This is the default mode for new virtual machines and works fine in most situations where the guest OS is a "client" type (i.e. most network connections are outgoing). Here's how it works.

When the guest OS boots, it typically uses DHCP to obtain an IP address. Oracle VirtualBox will send this DHCP request and inform the operating system of the assigned IP address and gateway address for routing outgoing connections. In this mode, each virtual machine is assigned the same IP address (10.0.2.15) because each one considers itself to be on its own isolated network. And when they send their traffic through the gateway (10.0.2.2), VirtualBox rewrites the packets so that they appear as if they came from the host, and not from the "guest" (running inside the host).

This means that the guest OS will work even if the host moves from network to network (such as a laptop moving between locations), from wireless to wired connections.

However, how does another computer initiate a connection with it? For example, you need to connect to a web server running on guest computer. This is not possible (usually) using NAT mode because there is no route to the guest OS. So for running virtual machine servers you need a different network mode and a different VirtualBox network setup.

NAT connection (network characteristics):

  • Guest OSs are on their own private network.
  • VirtualBox acts as a DHCP server.
  • Mechanism NAT VirtualBox translates addresses.
  • Destination servers display traffic originating from the VirtualBox host.
  • No configuration is required for the host or guest OS.
  • Works great when the "guests" are clients but not servers.

Bridged networks

Bridged Networking is used in cases where you want your virtual machine to be a full member of the network, that is, equal to your host device. In this mode, the virtual network adapter is "connected" to the physical one on your host.

This is because each virtual machine has access to physical network just like your host. He can access any service on the network - external services DHCP, name lookup services and routing data and so on.

The downside to this mode is that if you run a lot of virtual machines, you can quickly run out of IP addresses or your network administrator will be overwhelmed with requests for them. Second, if your host has multiple physical network adapters (such as wireless and wired), you must reconfigure the bridge if it reconnects on the network.

What if you want to run servers in a virtual machine, but don't want to involve a network administrator? Maybe one of the following two modes will work for you, or maybe you need a combination additional parameters, for example NAT vNIC + 1 Host-only vNIC.

Bridged network characteristics:

  • VirtualBox bridges are for the host network;
  • good for any guest OS (both client and server);
  • use IP addresses;
  • may include guest configuration;
  • best suited for production environments.

Internal network

When you configure one or more virtual machines to run on an internal network, VirtualBox ensures that all traffic on that network remains within the host and is only accessible to the device on that virtual network.

The internal network is a completely isolated system. It is good for testing. In it, using a virtual machine, you can create complex internal networks that provide your own services(For example, Active Directory, DHCP, etc.). Note that even the host is not an element.

This mode allows the virtual machine to run even if the host is not connected to the network (for example, on a plane). However, with this type of connection and network setup, VirtualBox does not provide such “convenient” services as DHCP, so your device must be statically configured or provide the DHCP/Name service.

Installation of several internal networks is allowed. You can configure virtual machines to allow multiple network adapters to reside in internal and other network modes, and thereby provide routes if necessary. But all this looks complicated and inaccessible to a non-specialist.

What if you want the internal network to accept the VirtualBox host while providing IP addresses to the guest OS? To do this, you may need to configure a host-only network.

Internal network characteristics:

  • guest operating systems can see other “guests” on the same internal network;
  • the host cannot see the internal configuration;
  • network configuration required;
  • even if the host is not a party to the connection, the internal network can be used in conjunction with a bridged connection;
  • well suited for multi-user networks.

Hosting only network

Works almost the same as an Internal Networking connection, where you specify which network the guest server is on. All virtual machines located on this network will see each other and the host. However, others external devices cannot see "guests" on this network, hence the name "host only".

It is very similar to an internal network, but the host can now provide DHCP services. To set up such a connection, go to VirtualBox Manager and select the default settings.

Network characteristics:

  • VirtualBox creates a private internal network for the guest OS, and the host sees the new NIC software.
  • VirtualBox provides a DHCP server.
  • Guest operating systems cannot access the external network.

NAT with port forwarding

Now you can imagine that you have learned enough modes to handle every case, but there are exceptions. What if your development environment is on a laptop, for example, and you have one or more virtual machines that need other computers to connect to? And you are constantly forced to use different client networks.

In this scenario, NAT will not work because the external machines must be bridged. It's possible a good option, but you may need IP addresses. Additionally, software may not always be able to cope with changing networks.

If you use an internal network, you may find that your virtual machines need to be visible on the network. What to do in such cases?

Configure the virtual machine to use a NAT network, add port forwarding rules, and external computers connect to "host". The port number and connection will be forwarded by VirtualBox to the guest OS number.

For example, if your virtual machine runs a web server on port 80, you can configure the above rules. It provides a mobile demo system that does not need re-tuning every time you connect your laptop to a different LAN/Network.

Ultimately, VirtualBox has a very powerful set of options, allowing you to customize almost any configuration you might need. To choose the option you need, read the VirtualBox instructions on the official website.

Computer users are sometimes faced with a situation where they need to work with old programs that worked successfully on previous versions of Windows. Managing two computers at once is not always convenient. But it is possible to install another edition of the operating system on a work laptop. Parallel work two systems can be provided by a Windows 7 virtual machine (VM). From this article you can learn:

  • what is VM;
  • what programs exist for this purpose;
  • How to install and configure Windows 7 in a VM.

A second computer is real

Virtual machine- software. It creates a copy real computer With:

  • hard virtual disks;
  • optical software drive;
  • analogue of network adapters;
  • BIOS, etc.

A virtual laptop with its own operating system runs in a separate window and occupies a certain amount of space on the physical hard drive. It looks like this:

The example shows how in a real operating system with installed Windows 7 Professional, the program runs with the virtual Windows XP operating system. And it performs the same actions as on a real device.

VM tasks

Almost everyone is faced with a situation where downloaded from the network and installed program pulls a trail of unnecessary applications. This is why more advanced users prefer virtual system install the downloaded application and check it both for functionality and for unexpected surprises.

In addition to this, other tasks are solved:

  • Possibility to test the program.
  • To avoid harmful effects from suspicious programs.
  • Emulate a second computer network.
  • Check the consequences of changing settings in the system.
  • Safely perform autosurfing over the network.
  • Reduce the likelihood of a real laptop becoming infected with computer viruses.
  • Running programs that are incompatible with the real operating system.

The most popular emulators

You can find many programs with which you can create a virtual Windows. But it’s best to familiarize yourself with the most popular ones.

This is the most common demon paid program, with which you can emulate the most popular operating systems:

  • Windows(with support for different versions).
  • MacOS.
  • Any operating system from the family Linux.
  • Interaction with VMs from paid version emulator VMware Workstation .

Windows 7 and the created virtual machine can be easily configured by the average user. The program differs in both performance and stability. In addition, despite its free nature, it has wide possibilities, clear interface. It is better adapted than others for home use.

VMware

Also known and popular program. It found its main application in large corporations.

There are two versions of this product:

  • Workstation;
  • Player.

Version Workstation will be able to fully satisfy the user's needs, but this is a paid program. Regular users can use free analogue Workstation - VMware Player.

The paid version supports work with 32- and 64-x systems, sees USB 3.0, and various operating systems work quite successfully. VMware Workstation- an advanced version of a computer emulator, but due to its cost it has found its use mainly among large companies, and not for ordinary users.

Microsoft Virtual PC

A similar virtual machine for working in Windows 7. It has wide functionality and a clear, convenient and practical interface. But there is also a significant drawback - it can only work with operating systems Windows family. Other operating systems, such as Linux or Mac OS, cannot be run on it.

In that brief overview the three most popular virtual machines are described. Now you can see that for home needs it is best to use the program. Next, the procedure for installing and configuring it will be discussed.

Installing Windows 7 in a VirtualBox virtual machine

The installation process of a virtual operating system can be divided into several stages:

  1. Install the program .
  2. Download the file with the Windows 7 image for the VM.
  3. Installation virtual Windows 7.

Let's consider all these processes separately.

Install VirtualBox

First of all, you need the virtual machine itself. As already mentioned, there are several of them. We are interested in . You can download it from the official website https://www.virtualbox.org. From the proposed list, select VirtualBox 5.1.14 for Windows hosts.

The process of how to install a virtual machine is described in other articles, but there are a few points:

After the Internet connection is restored, you can begin downloading and installing the finished VM file in Windows 7.

Finding a ready VM

Microsoft, in order to test various Internet versions Explorer (8, 9, 10, 11) has specially prepared several options for downloading VMs from its website pre-installed Windows versions (7; 8.1; 10) https://developer.microsoft.com/ru-ru/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/. If this link is not available, the browser will automatically redirect to English version site https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/

So first you need to choose Windows image 7 with any version of IE (8, 9, 10, 11).

From the drop-down list, select the item which virtual machine will undoubtedly be used. In our case it is .

And click on the Download .zip button. The zip file download process will begin.

All that remains is to install and run the virtual machine on Windows 7.

Adjusting virtual Windows 7

The virtual Windows file itself is extracted from the archive “IE10.Win7.For.Windows.VirtualBox.zip”.

After the file is extracted, right-click on it
and from the drop-down list we select “ To open with».

In principle, nothing needs to be changed in the import parameters. You can leave it as is and click the Import button.

The configuration process will start. The "" window looks like this:

After the process is completed, the new seven and VM will appear in the program list. To launch it, just double-click on the VM itself, or click on the arrow button “ Launch" The operating system startup process will begin immediately. If you install it for the first time, it will take a little longer, however, the same thing happens when installing a real OS. Once the installer has completed all the necessary steps, the desktop will appear with working system Windows 7.

Windows 7 on English language and the created virtual machine are ready to launch.

Set up a virtual system

All VM controls are intuitive. But if you have any questions, you should carefully read the pop-up tips in Russian. You can turn to help for help, where you can find answers to all your questions.

Typically, both the mouse and keyboard work only in the VM and are blocked in real Windows. But it is possible to switch between the two systems using the Right Control host key.

Now that the virtual machine is installed and running, you can configure Windows. The first thing you need to do is install software components(drivers) for everyone virtual devices. This process is quite simple. You need to go to the main menu and in the line “ Devices" click on " Install guest OS additions».

After installation is completed, the VM is rebooted. Now the picture has become clearer, the VM window can be dynamically changed, support for mouse integration will be enabled, and access to the Internet will open.

It is also possible to expand the display functions. In this mode, windows that open in the VM will be displayed on the real desktop, and not in a separate program window. This makes it possible to facilitate access to all controls and installed VM programs.

Shutdown virtual Windows 7

As in real laptop in VM Windows installed requires compliance a certain order to complete. You can complete the job by pressing the button to stop the job. A menu will open offering three options for closing the VM.

« Save machine state» - before turning off, the machine will save everything running applications at the time of shutdown. When the VM is turned on again, work in it can continue from the moment it was turned off.

« Send a shutdown signal"- all applications can be closed, and the machine will turn off automatically.

« Turn off the car" - the same as if a real computer was de-energized.

Conclusion

From this small review it is clear that working with virtual machines, such as, makes it possible to connect several different operating systems on one device at once. Naturally, the more powerful the real device (RAM and CPU), the faster the virtual computers will work. Disabling the antivirus on your native machine or if it’s on the exception list will also help speed up the work. antivirus program add virtual directory.

Video on the topic

Installing VirtualBox usually does not take much time and does not require any skills. Everything happens as usual.

Today we will install VirtualBox and go through the global settings of the program.

1. Run the downloaded file VirtualBox-4.3.12-93733-Win.exe.
When launched, the installation manager displays the name and version of the application being installed. Installation program simplifies the installation process by giving the user hints. Click "Next".

2. In the window that opens, you can delete unnecessary components applications and select the desired installation directory. Pay attention to the installer's reminder about the required stock free space– there must be at least 161 MB of free space on the disk.

Leave all settings as default and proceed to the next step by clicking "Next".

3. The installer will offer to place the application shortcut on the desktop and panel quick launch, as well as establish an association with files and virtual hard disks. You can select the desired options from the ones offered and uncheck the unnecessary ones. Let's move on.

4. The installer will warn you that during installation the Internet connection (or connection to local network) will be torn apart. We agree by clicking "Yes".

5. By pressing a button "Install" We start the installation process. Now you just need to wait for it to complete.

During this process, the installer will prompt you to install drivers USB controllers. This should be done, so click on the appropriate button.

6. That's all the stages VirtualBox installations passed. The process, apparently, is not difficult and does not take much time. All that remains is to complete it by clicking "Finish".

Settings

So, we have installed the application, now let's look at setting it up. Usually, after installation, it starts automatically, unless the user disabled this function during installation. If the launch does not happen, open the application yourself.

When launched for the first time, the user sees the application's welcome message. As virtual machines are created, they will appear on start screen along with the settings.

Before you create your first virtual machine, you must configure the application. You can open the settings window by following the path “File” – “Settings”. More quick way- pressing a combination Ctrl+G.

Tab "Are common" allows you to specify a folder for storing virtual machine images. They are quite voluminous, which should be taken into account when determining their location. The folder must be located on a disk with enough free space. Anyway specified folder can be changed when creating the VM, so if you have not yet decided on the location, at this stage you can leave the default directory.

Paragraph "VDRP Authentication Library" remains the default.

On the tab "Enter" You can set key combinations to control the application and the virtual machine. The settings will be displayed in the lower right corner of the VM window. It is recommended to remember the key Host(this is Ctrl on the right), but there is no urgent need for this.

The user is given the opportunity to set the desired application interface language. He can also enable or disable the option to check for updates.



You can configure the display and network separately for each virtual machine. Therefore in in this case in the settings window you can leave the default value.



Installation of application add-ons is performed on the tab "Plugins". If you remember, add-ons were downloaded when installing the program. To install them, press the button "Add plugin" and select the desired add-on. Please note that the versions of the plugin and application must match.

And the last setup step - if you plan to use a proxy, then its address is indicated on the tab of the same name.

That's all. Installation and setting up VirtualBox completed. Now you can create virtual machines, install the OS and get to work.

A virtual machine is special program capable of acting as an emulator of a real computer with all its existing components (BIOS, complete system hardware, including motherboard, graphics, network, hard drive, etc.).

Naturally, on such a “computer” you can easily install a variety of operating systems, and for them - any programs designed to work on installed system. Thus, you can install several operating systems (even very different ones) on one computer, with which you can easily work, and between which you can exchange data over the “network” (if it is configured correctly).

Not every user needs a virtual machine. Most often, it is used by advanced users to be able to work with other operating systems (say, Ubuntu), or gradually master them without stopping efficient work, say, on Windows. This is also necessary for testing various software, safe start programs downloaded from suspicious sites that may be infected with particularly dangerous viruses. You can also emulate an entire computer network this way.

Why do you need a virtual machine under Windows 7?

1. You have this particular OS installed, but you want to use programs for Windows XP, more modern Windows 8, or even for Linux, which works on a completely different principle and the usual “compatibility” will no longer be able to help here.

2. To pick up suitable program, for example, video processing. They are quite large and, if you immediately install them on a work computer, you can easily litter the registry. This is especially true if you remove programs incorrectly - you can carelessly leave “tails” of files that can turn into a real problem in the future.

3. For a simple program test. For example, to explain to readers how to use it or to see how it behaves on different systems what errors may appear and how to deal with them.

4. For experimental installation of programs. Let's say, see how data is encrypted, how the program behaves under critical loads, and, ultimately, what will happen if it is infected with a virus.

The most popular virtual machines for Windows 7

WindowsVirtualPC– is already fundamentally built into the OS and is a completely free module for working with applications that are incompatible with the “seven”. Applications running in Windows XP mode can easily run directly on the computer desktop, which is extremely convenient. Programs can also be installed by anyone in a convenient way– download via the Internet, from a flash drive, using DVDs. In general, in any convenient way.

The minimum requirements for installation are Windows 7 operating system at least “maximum” or “professional”, a 1 Ghz processor, 1 GB of RAM, 15 GB of free hard disk space.

You can start this virtual machine in a simple way to everyone who is present official version Windows 7. To do this, you need to open “All Programs” in the “Start” menu and click on “ Windows Virtual PC". If this item is missing, then you just need to install the update called “Windows6.1-KB958559-x86” (designed for 32-bit systems) or Windows6.1-KB958559-x64 (for 64-bit). After this, you can safely get to work.

VMWare Workstation from VMWare, Microsoft's main competitor in the virtual machine market. Mostly useful for developers who often need to test and verify their own applications for different operating systems.

This virtual machine for Windows 7 has already won about 50 different awards from IT specialists thanks to a thoroughly thought-out environment for use, a built-in set of functionality and, last but not least, high performance and optimization. Perfect for those who need to do everything quickly. It also has the ability to “release” system resources a simple stop already running processes, which relieves the processor and significantly speeds up data processing. Necessary for working with demanding applications.

VirtualBox. A computer virtualization system similar to those described above. Can work in dynamic translation mode (processing of the main part of the data is transferred to real, not emulated, equipment). Universal because it can be installed on any of listed systems Mac OS, Windows, Solaris, Linux. You can install on it: GNU/Linux, Windows, Solaris, BSD.

Advantages - completely free distribution, fairly high performance, small size, ability to work with virtual VMware images. The most significant disadvantage is that it is impossible to drag files into the application window using the mouse.

Windows 7 virtual machine installation

Since Windows Virtual PC is already included, we will install VirtualBox - it is free, unlike more serious products. After installation, of course, we’ll start setting it up.

So, go to the official VirtualBox website and download the latest version of the program from the site. We launch the installer and see this welcome window

We confirm that we wish to continue with the installation and move on to the next step.

Here we are shown which program components are present and where they will be installed. Of course, you can freely change the directory and install the machine on any disk, but it’s better to leave all the components, especially if you are new to using virtual machines. I agree that you may not need all the components in the near future, but if you need them, you will have to reinstall this program again. And also everything that you install on your virtual computer.

Next stage of installation

Here you just need to indicate where the program shortcuts will be located.

The next stage may frighten inexperienced users, although the program warns that the computer will now be disconnected from the network for a short time. So if you haven't followed wise advice carry out installation with closed programs and are now actively downloading something from file hosting services, you must either wait for the download to finish or interrupt the download yourself.

After that, we agree with everything – “Yes”, and move on. The program will inform you that everything is ready for installation, which means click “Install”.

Now you will have to wait a while until the virtual machine is installed on your computer. At this time, pop-up windows may appear on the screen offering to install different software for our device. We agree with all of them and establish absolutely everything.

After installation is complete, click “Finish”. If everything was done as it should, and you did not uncheck the corresponding box (as shown in the image), then the virtual machine will start automatically immediately after installation is complete.

Machine creation and customization

To do this, you need to create in the “VirtualBox” working window new car. To do this, you just need to click the appropriate button (“Create”, upper left corner).

Afterwards the program will ask you to choose what type of machine will be created. Here you just need to enter its name and select the type of operating system. Please remember that some care must be taken to be accurate.

I need a virtual machine to test the most different programs before installing them in the main directory of the computer. This means that I will create a computer running Windows 7.

Now we’ll tell the program how much RAM will be allocated for our new virtual computer.

Everything must be done carefully, since this option depends on the OS you are going to use and will consume the RAM that is available on the computer. Virtual car windows 7 requires no less than a normal operating system, which means we need at least 1 GB. But I set it to 1.5 because I can afford it and am going to test programs that will also consume RAM.

Windows XP will therefore require less RAM. But all the same, it is advisable to always give it “with reserve”. And here lies another danger - you cannot give the virtual machine more than half of the computer’s “live” memory, otherwise the computer will start to glitch and may even freeze altogether. However, if you have powerful computer, which has more than 8 GB of memory, then the virtual machine can easily be allocated about 5-6 GB.

The next stage is the hard drive.

Every computer must have a hard drive. Virtual ones are no exception, and therefore it must be created. Therefore, we create a new virtual hard disk.

Then we indicate its type.

And if the names of all these formats mean absolutely nothing to you, then we simply leave everything “by default” and move on. Click “Next”.

Next window

It invites us to indicate to the machine the format for storing data on the virtual machine. What is important is that the dynamic hard drive is “rubber,” so to speak, and can be more or less easily expanded. Fixed has a hard specified size and will never take more. It all depends on your needs and preferences. But I will need a hard drive that can be enlarged if necessary, which is why I choose “dynamics”.

Now all that remains is to name it and indicate the original size.

Let's create it and move on to the next stage.

Setting up a virtual machine

On the right top corner There is a “Customize” button. Click it and get here - “Settings”

Here you can change the most different parameters. Adjust the amount of RAM, if you made a mistake before, the boot order of various devices, the use of acceleration, etc.

There are several sections in total. The version I use has 9 sections, but it would take too long to go into detail about each one. And it’s better to do this yourself, consciously, watching how the behavior of the virtual computer changes. In addition, there is convenient system help - just hover your mouse over the item you are interested in and a tooltip will appear.

But here short description settings by sections:

1) General. Here is the name of the virtual machine, the OS it uses, removable media and clipboard;

2) System. Everything that concerns hardware our virtual machine (RAM, processor, chipset, device boot order, acceleration);

3) Display. Video memory and its settings, the number of monitors used, the ability to connect to remote monitor, acceleration, video capture.

4) Media. Setting up existing virtual hard drives;

5) Audio. Everything is clear here - the sound and everything connected with it;

6) Network. Ability to configure virtual network adapters;

7) Com ports. Their inclusion and configuration;

8) USB. This controller and filter settings;

9) Shared folders. Their configuration and management.

If a serious error was made during the settings, then smart program will report this immediately. And at the bottom of the settings window a warning message “Detected incorrect settings" If you hover your mouse over " Exclamation point", then they will tell you what exactly was done wrong.

However, most likely you will only need the first 3 types of settings: “General”, “System”, “Display”. If the virtual machine starts to work slowly and slows down, you can try increasing the amount of RAM it uses or increasing the processor power.

After completing the settings, confirm everything (“OK”). To start the selected virtual machine, just select it and click the “Launch” button. Now all that remains is to install the previously selected OS on our virtual computer, configure it and we are ready to work.