Ubuntu 9.10 VirtualBox and Windows XP a HowTo

Image by Andrew Mason via Flickr

One of the depressing facts for anyone that works on many platforms is that there is always going to be that one or two Apps that we can't replace on our OS of choice.  As I have mentioned in other posts, Ubuntu 9.10 is very close to replacing the Windows desktop, but if you just can't do without those Apps then there is the option of VirtualBox.

VirtualBox lets you create Virtual Machines (VM) within Ubuntu and run Windows and those programmes that you need.  Unlike Wine, which emulates a Windows environment, VirtualBox lets you create a Windows desktop to play with.  This means less problems getting software to work because as far as the software is concerned, it is being installed on Windows.

There is also heaps of other things you can do, but first lets just install and setup a Windows XP.  Remember that you will need a copy of Windows XP to do this.

Installing VirtualBox

VirtualBox OSE can be installed easily through the "Ubuntu Software Centre", or if you prefer the Terminal window you can enter:

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-ose

Once installed, it can be found under "Applications -> Accessories", and can be run from there.  

If you are not familiar with the concept of Virtual Machines, then you may want to wade through the Wiki on VM's to get some background.  If not, just think of VirtualBox giving you the tools to make a virtual hard drive within your computer, in which another OS can be installed/run within your existing OS.  So you're not dual booting, but running the other OS like a program.

Setting up the Virtual Hard Drive
Setting up is pretty easy with only a couple of settings to set.

Hit "New" to begin.

Give the VM a name, and choose the type of OS you're going to install.

Here you set the RAM that will be available to the VM.  I haven't done much testing to see if there is much of a performance boost by adding more RAM, but it does run well on 200MB+, and you can change it afterward.

Setup a new hard disk and then....

Set up the size, then you're done.

Once done, click the "CD/DVD-ROM" area and select the Host Drive that your install disk for Windows XP is sitting in.  There are also a couple of other tweaks as shown in the video below.

Installing the New OS
Once the VM is ready, you just start it and install Windows XP just like normal.  When you're up and running, there is just one thing to do and that is install the "Guest Additions" which will help the VM play nice with the Host OS (Ubuntu).

This is easily done from the Devices menu.

If I have missed anything, let me know, but you should be now right to install and play with any Windows software within your Ubuntu install.  I'll work on some other posts around integrating VirtualBox into the Ubuntu desktop, so check back soon.

Jason Remnant

...if it's not Broken, then fake it with the real thing, in a VM.