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Virtual machine for Windows 10. Start the virtual machine

Many have heard about virtual machines, but here is what virtual machines are for Windows 10 or any other operating systemnot everyone knows how they work and what they are for. Next, we will consider several popular clients that allow you to configure any configuration in the tenth environment. windows versions, as well as in any other OS.

Virtual machines for Windows 10 or other operating systems: general concepts

The virtual machine (VM) itself is a kind of a semblance of a real computer with the only difference that it functions exclusively in the software environment of another system.

In the simplest definition, a virtual machine for Windows 10 x64 or x32 can be regarded as a kind of constructor with details from which the desired configuration is assembled. In this really not existing computer you can set the volume of the hard drive yourself and random access memory, install a virtual video card, floppy drives, select an operating system, and even use an Internet or local network connection. That is, all this virtual configuration in the form of a software shell will work in the same way as a real-life system.

What is this software environment used for?

Virtual machines for Windows 10 or other environments have several top priorities to use. So, for example, install a second operating system on hDD very often it seems completely inappropriate, since errors and failures can appear in it.

In addition, it is not always possible to install Linux in parallel with Windows. And "apple" operating systems in PC configurations do not work at all and function exclusively on Intel platforms (not to be confused with processors).

If virtual machines for Windows 10 are installed, they can emulate the operation of the above systems and test softwaredesigned exclusively for installation and use on these operating systems. But software products for windows environment when tested in a virtual machine, they have no effect on the host system. You can easily emulate the damage of a child OS by a virus, but this will in no way affect the main system.

How to install a virtual machine on Windows 10 using Hyper-V as an example: initial steps

Starting with the seventh modification, Windows systems have their own tool for creating and running VMs called Hyper-V.

Installing a virtual machine on Windows 10 at the first stage involves activating this module in the system. This is done from the section of programs and components, called from the standard "Control Panel", where in the presented list a selection is set on the square opposite the name of the module and its components.

Upon activation, a reboot will follow, and upon restart, the Hyper-V Manager icon will appear in the administration menu.

The created VM may not work if not used bIOS settingswhere in the general settings section the Advanced menu is selected and the use of Virtualization Technology is activated by setting the Enabled parameter. For intel processors and AMD, as well as for different versions BIOS or UEFI, names may vary.

Creating a virtual network adapter

The second step is to create a so-called virtual switch to use your internet connection.

This is done in the manager, where the name of the computer is selected, and from the right-click menu, the action line is used with the transition to the "Manager of virtual switches". When creating a network and connecting, it is better to select the "External" parameter, so as not to complicate your work, set the desired network name and press the "OK" button. The created adapter will use network card or module wireless Wi-Fi.

VM creation process and launch

The VM is created from the dispatcher with the selection of the appropriate command, after which its name and the location of the machine files on the hard disk or in the logical partition are indicated.

Then you will be prompted to select the VM generation. It is better to use the first one, since the second generation will create a VM with UEFI, and booting from images is not always supported.

The next step is to choose the amount of RAM. The default value can be increased because the main system practically does not use memory while the VM is running.

A previously created adapter is selected in the network settings, after which the parameters are set virtual hard disk (name, location of files on the hard drive and size).

How to start virtual machine on Windows 10? Yes, just double-click on it in the dispatcher's list and click the "Enable" button. After that, the OS will be installed (if this has not been done before).

Best Third Party Programs

Programs that allow you to use virtual emulators of real computer systems, today you can find quite a lot. However, by right the most powerful and advanced packages are VirtualBox from developers from Oracle and VMWare Workstation.

Let's take a quick look at each of them. The processes for creating a VM in them are very similar to those with the Hyper-V module, but there are some differences.

VirtualBox

During the initial installation of this program, you should pay attention to several points with additional components, among which it is desirable to install support for connecting any devices via USB (VirtualBox USB Support) and network adapters for local area networks and internet connections (VirtualBox Networking). Programmers and developers can leverage support for programming languages \u200b\u200b( ordinary user it is not necessary).

The process of creating a VM in this shell is practically no different from the above (unless you need a switch). Only at the stage of type selection virtual disk you can install a dynamic (expandable as it fills) or fixed size disk.

Once the machine is created, it can be configured in terms of video memory used, CPU load, etc. After that, the start button is launched, and the program asks for the path to the OS image. Then the installation starts, which is no different from the usual installation. If you are prompted to boot from CD / DVD-ROM, you will need to unmount the image file from the drive (in the media section use eject disc).

VMWare Workstation Pro

Creation of a VM using this software environment is performed using a special "Wizard", in which it is better to choose the usual (recommended) configuration.

When creating a virtual disk to increase performance in the save type, it is better to use one file rather than splitting into several.

Hardware configuration is performed from the section of the same name, but in order to improve device support, you should agree with the installation of the VMWare Tools driver package when the guest OS is fully functional. By the way, even in the guest system, you can take a snapshot of the state at a certain moment, and, if necessary, return it to the rollback point.

Which one to prefer?

What's the best virtual machine for Windows 10 is hard to say. Some people like VirtualBox, despite having its own tool on the system. This is confirmed by many reviews. The program is easier to use and configure in comparison with the same Hyper-V module and VMWare workstation. But by and large, all programs are good, and the Hyper-V module can be used without the need to install additional software. But in any program of this type, a VM is created, started and configured very simply. If you look at the example with the Hyper-V module and master the basics, there will be no problems with other emulator shells.

To have several operating systems with a separate workspace and applications at hand, you do not need to buy a second (third, fourth, etc.) computer. Because it all fits into your only PC. How? Thanks to virtual machines (VM) - special programs that create (emulate) imaginary (virtual) computers inside the main operating system.

The virtual PC is almost like a real one. It has its own processor, memory, hard drive, network adapter And all the rest. Of course, these are not physical devices, but they are made in such a way that operating systems consider them just like that - real.

On one physical computer several virtual ones can work simultaneously. How much depends on hardware resources: the faster the processor, the larger the RAM, the more spacious the drive, the more. A typical home PC with average performance windows based 10 handles the simultaneous operation of three to five lightweight operating systems (such as Windows XP, Android and Lubuntu + base system). Or two or three relatively heavyweight ones (for example, basic Windows 10 + virtual Windows 7 and Mac OS X). As you already understood, emulator applications virtual computers allow you to install and run a variety of operating systems on them.

General purpose virtual machines (as opposed to specialized virtual machines such as, for example, VM Java) use:

  • To run applications that the main system does not support.
  • To protect the system from potential harm from unverified programs.
  • As an additional barrier against viruses when visiting questionable web resources.
  • To create an isolated environment for studying malware activity.
  • As a testing ground for debugging your own designs.
  • To master the technologies of building networks.
  • For double authorization on some game portals and much more.

And of course, virtual machines are widely used to distribute server working resources.

Today we will not touch upon the industrial application of VMs, but consider only what can be useful for home users of Windows.

Oracle Virtualbox

Let's take a look at the process of creating a new virtual machine and starting the installation of Windows 10 into it.

  • Click the "Create" button in the top panel.

  • In the first window of the VM creation wizard, we will indicate the OS name (it will be displayed in the list of guest systems), its type (Windows, Linux, etc.) and version. In our example, this is Windows 10 32 bit (you can also install 64 bit, but it will require more resources). Click Next to go to the next step.

  • Next, we will indicate the size of the VM's RAM. By windows default 10 x86 is allocated 1 GB, but you can increase this amount by moving the slider to the right. If your PC does not have a lot of RAM, do not give the VM more than 2-3 GB, otherwise the main system will slow down due to lack of memory.

  • Next we create virtual hard disk. If you are installing the system for the first time, select the "Create new" option.

  • Leave the default virtual disk type.

  • A data storage format is an area on your computer's physical storage that is assigned to a VM. It can have a constant or dynamically expanding volume within the limits that you define further. To save space, let's choose a dynamic format.

  • Next, we will indicate the name of the volume (virtual disk C) and its size. The default is 32 GB.

  • After clicking the "Create" button in the last window, a new virtual machine will appear in the list. Its parameters are shown in the frame on the right.
  • To go to windows installation click on the "Run" button in the top panel.

  • In the window that will open after that, a window will appear “Select boot disk". Click on the folder icon and specify the path to the system distribution kit. It can be an image in .iso format or physical media (DVD, flash drive). After selecting the distribution, click "Continue".

  • The further course of OS installation into a virtual machine does not differ from its installation on a physical computer.

Some VM and guest settings

A click in the virtual machine window captures the mouse cursor (i.e., it will only move within the virtual screen). Press Ctrl + Alt to return the cursor to the main OS.

To access the full range of functions of the guest OS, you need to install special add-ons. Go to the "Devices" menu, click "Mount Guest OS Additions Disk Image" and follow the further instructions.

To connect a folder to the guest system for sharing files with the main one, click on the "Devices" menu item "Shared folders". Click on the "folder +" icon in the window that opens and through the "path to folder" field specify it in the explorer (it shows the directories of the main system).

If you want the setting to work all the time, check "Auto connect" and "Create permanent folder". a shared folder will be accessible from the virtual machine explorer as a network one.

To change the order of polling boot devices (for example, to boot a virtual machine from DVD), shut down the guest OS, open its settings (in the main Virtualbox window) and go to the first tab of the "System" section. In the Boot Order list, mark the desired media and use the arrow buttons to move it up.

VMware Workstation Pro

Some options for Hyper-V virtual machines

To take a snapshot of a running guest OS, open the top menu of its Action window and click Checkpoint. Or press the combination Ctrl + N.

Access to the settings of an individual virtual machine is opened from its context menu in the list of the main window of the dispatcher and is hidden behind the "Options" button.

Other features of the program are also very straightforward and are mastered without much difficulty.

There are situations when it is required to install more than one operating environment on a computer, but several. For example, when you want to check the work on your own experience ubuntu systems or Mandriva, and the computer is already running a brand new Windows 10. Installing a second operating system on a hard drive is not always a rational decision, because it may affect the performance of one of the operating systems. The question arises - what to do in this case? You can, of course, use the LiveCD tool, but this option is only suitable for a cursory acquaintance with the emulated environment. In the case when you need access to the full functionality, you should resort to using a virtual machine.

The main function that a virtual machine performs is to emulate the computer's software environment. This article will focus on Virtualbox, how it is installed on Windows 10, and how it works.

The Virtualbox application does not differ in demanding computer hardware resources. You will need to make sure your computer meets the following requirements:

  • X86-based processor;
  • 200 MB free hard disk space;
  • Windows 10 will require hardware rendering support. Without this, the program will simply not be installed on the computer.

However, one important point should be taken into account - the main load on the computer is not borne by the Virtualbox virtual machine itself. Basically, the computer will be loaded with guest operating environments and virtual devices that will be installed on it.

For example, the size of virtual hard drives in many cases will be at least several tens of GB. And if Windows 7 is used as a guest system, then it will require about 16 GB of free space (not to mention the fact that Windows 10 itself requires 16 to 20 GB of disk space). All of these must be considered when planning a virtual machine installation.

Installation

So, the main features and requirements of the Virtualbox virtual machine have been discussed, now you can consider installing the product on windows system 10. Installation of Virtualbox (as well as similar virtual machines) is quite understandable for any user. The installation package is downloaded from the official website. After double click mouse over the executable file, the usual program installation window will appear.

In order to proceed with the installation of Virtualbox for Windows 10, click "Next". In the next window, you can choose which specific components will be installed. Can be installed uSB support, Python networking environment, networking support.

If you wish, you can create a shortcut on the desktop windows desktop 10 and panels quick access... Immediately before the start of the installation process, a window will appear with a warning that during the installation of the virtual machine, Internet access will be closed. The user will have to agree with this, otherwise the installation of the Virtualbox machine will not be possible.

That's it, you just have to click on the "Install" button, after which the installation process of Virtualbox will begin. During installation, the program will offer to add some additional components, namely:

  • Network service;
  • Network adapters;
  • USB controllers.

Once installing Virtualbox is completed, a standard window will appear on the screen with a message about this and a proposal to start the virtual machine. You can do this right away, since for correct operation you will also need to install the Virtualbox Extension Pack plug-in, which will allow you to work with the high-speed interface of modern flash drives, webcams, and also control a remote desktop.

To install the plugin, you need to do the following sequence of actions:

  • In the program window, open the menu item File - Settings.
  • The available program settings will appear on the screen.
  • You will need the Plugins tab.
  • Once you click on it, a window will open showing the available plugins.
  • The list is still empty, as the virtual machine was only recently installed.

You can select the extension you need by clicking on the button to the right of the list. You select the required plug-in, the program recognizes it and offers to install it. Before the installation begins, you must agree to the terms of the license.

Beginning of work

So, Virtualbox is installed on a Windows 10 system and is ready to go. It remains to be seen how this virtual machine works. In the main window of the program there is a button "Create". You need to click on it, after which the wizard for creating a virtual machine will open. You can specify a name for the machine, and also determine the type and version of the emulated system. Next, using the wizard, are installed the following parameters virtual system:

  • The amount of RAM is determined;
  • A virtual bootable HDD device is selected (an existing hard disk can be defined as such);
  • The parameters of the display, audio and video outputs, network, etc. are set.

After all the manipulations, a window will appear with the parameters of the virtual system, which will work on the basis of real Windows 10. The installation of a virtual operating system does not differ from installing an OS on a real computer. After completing the installation of the virtual system that suits you, you can start working in it.

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If you want to set up a virtual machine, we recommend that you download VirtualBox for Windows 10. The program, which has already become a classic for virtual machines, has recently been updated, and the latest version is much easier to use, while its capabilities have expanded significantly.

Features:

VirtualBox is software that is clearly meant for those who know what to do with it. Without basic programming knowledge, you can of course set up a virtual machine, but this software is capable of more. Therefore, before using, be sure to check technical information... Thanks to VirtualBox, you can run other operating systems on your Windows 10 device:
  • GNU / Linux;
  • Solaris;
  • Previous versions of Windows;
And this is not yet full listbecause VirtualBox knows no boundaries. What's more, you can adjust performance settings different from what your device actually offers. Latest version VirtualBox works in Russian, and a lot of bugs have been fixed in it, some of which are critical. Therefore, we recommend downloading the latest version of VirtualBox for Windows 10.

Running virtual machines is possible not only on an ordinary computerbut also on a laptop and even a tablet. We have a version of VirtualBox for Windows 10 64 bit on our page, but there is also a 32-bit version. If you already have VirtualBox installed, but an outdated version, then either replace the program with ours, or download the update separately. New versions of VirtualBox have a lot of advantages over outdated ones.

And if you don't need to create a virtual machine, you just want to turn Windows 10 into appearance to another OS, you can either download it separately


If you need to run some other OS on your Windows 10 device, then you need to download a virtual machine for Windows 10. This specialized software will help you run any other OS, including the second one. copy of Windows 10.

Features:

As a rule, those who are wondering where to download a virtual machine are aware of why it is intended. Special program allows you to run multiple OS versions on the same device. Of course, this can be done without software, simply by installing a second OS, but this will load the system. By starting the virtual machine, you will avoid such problems and will be able to run:
  • Other versions of Windows;
  • Linux;
  • Any other OS;
Within the framework of a virtual machine, you can conduct various experiments, and not be afraid that you will damage the integrity of your OS. Some users even check viruses in a virtual machine. Although, it is better not to deal with viruses, in this case or will help you out.

When choosing which virtual machine to download for Windows 10, be sure to observe the bitness. This means that if you have Windows 10 x64, then the distribution of the virtual machine should be the same. The same applies to the 32-bit version of the OS. For those who are worried about whether they can run a virtual machine on a tablet or a weak laptop, let's say - don't worry, the program is undemanding. We suggest you download the latest and most recent version - this is one of the best solutions that works on both tablets and laptops. Modern computersare of course supported too. The OS you will be installing have requirements, so be guided by them.