It is possible that at some point you have needed for any reason a different operating system than your computer, or a different version of it. A fairly typical example can be a computer with a Windows operating system in which you need Ubuntu temporarily, or that has Windows 10 and you need Windows XP.
If this is your case, it is possible that the most practical solution will be to install the operating system from scratch on your computer, creating, for example, a partition on the hard disk with which you will have several possibilities when starting your computer. However, if you don't want it for a long period of time, or you want to test things without affecting your computer, you can use a virtual machine, using for this a software like VirtualBox.
What is a virtual machine?
First of all, it is important that you have a good understanding of what a virtual machine involves. We are talking about a kind of virtualized equipment, that is, from a simulated environment. In this way, the changes that are made will not affect your own computer, since the hard disk drive is a simple virtual file, and internal components such as RAM or processor are shared between the different virtual machines and your own computer according to your own decision.
So you can create virtual machines with other Windows operating systems using VirtualBox
Once you have clarified the concept of virtual machine and what it implies, if you want to create one one of the most used programs in many operating systems is VirtualBox, taking into account the large number of options and compatibilities that it offers, and how simple it is.
Download and install VirtualBox for free
First of all, in order to use this program, you will need to download it. To do this, you will only need to go to their website through the link below and download the version for Windows, something that you can access by clicking on "Windows hosts" on the download page, with which you will get the installer for your computer without any problems and officially. Optionally, if you wish, you can also download and install later the Extension Pack, with which you can access some more features for free.
Once downloaded, you just have to proceed with its installation like any other Windows program. It should be noted that, if you want your machines to have access to the Internet, you will have to allow the installation of some virtual devices on your computer, in addition to counting that for a few seconds it is possible that your connection is interrupted, something completely normal and what you should not worry about.
Creating virtual machines with VirtualBox
Once you have installed the program, you can start creating your own virtual machines. For it, you will need to download the installation program for each operating system you want to install on VirtualBox (generally in ISO format). If you have this, you can now proceed to create the first virtual machine. You will only have to follow the steps that we detail below:
- In the top menu, select the "New" option to begin with the creation of the virtual machine, for which the corresponding wizard will open.
- First of all, you will have to select some basic things, like the operating system, assign the machine name or similar. Once adjusted, you just have to continue.
- Afterwards, you will have the option to choose how much RAM you allocate to your virtual machine. The ideal is to stay in the green zone, in order to avoid damaging the current operating system itself, although it depends on the operating system you need to install and what you prefer.
- Now you will have to create a virtual hard disk for the machine. It is best to do this in the VDI format since it is the simplest, plus you can do it like dynamically reserved, so it will only occupy the space you need for its installation, and it will expand as you use it. Also, if you have little space available, you can select an external drive to store the hard drive.
- Once you have done this, your virtual machine will now be ready to boot, for which you will need an ISO file of the operating system that you want to install on it, or insert an installation CD or similar into your computer.
Once this is done, if you wish, you can go to the virtual machine configuration in order to select other additional configuration parameters and, once you have finished, you can proceed to start the virtual machine, by clicking on the button of the upper part. Being the first time, it will ask you to choose a drive or attach a disk file (can be an ISO, for example Windows 10) to mount it so that you can begin the installation of the operating system. You only have to choose this and the machine will boot from it, allowing you to perform the installation on the virtual hard disk.
Finally, you will only have install and start enjoying the operating system you want. When you finish if you want you can install the calls Guest Addons on said system if it is compatible, with which the different drivers and the like will be installed to guarantee better performance, although this already depends on you and is not mandatory at all.
And where can I get the Windows 10 ISO ???
Hi Jon! If you want to get a Windows 10 ISO file to install, you can following the steps in this tutorial simply and free of charge. Greetings 😉