Windows Virtual Machine Installation on Windows - hawkinsw/CS5138 GitHub Wiki

Windows Virtual Machine Installation on Windows

Installing VirtualBox

  1. Go to https://www.virtualbox.org/ and download the most updated version of VirtualBox.
  2. Once downloaded begin the installation process and select the location of where you are going to save it.
  3. Create entries and shortcuts
  4. Click install to install necessary files and packages
  5. Install certificates if prompted then click finish when the installation has completed

Install from ISO

  1. Navigate to "Download Windows 10" link at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO/ .
  2. On this page, click "Download now" and follow the instructions until the windows ISO is downloaded.
  3. Run downloaded "MediaCreationTool21H2.exe"
  4. Click "Accept"
  5. Click "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC" and click "Next"
  6. Make sure "Use the recommended options for this PC" is checked and click "Next"
  7. Select "ISO file" button and click "Next"
  8. Save ".iso" file onto machine (eg. C:\Users<User>\Downloads\windows.iso) and click "OK". Note: This will take a while
  9. Click "Finish". Note - the prompt may ask if you wish to burn the .iso to a disc. A disc will not be required.
  10. Ensure you've previously installed VirtualBox (these directions have been provided above). Open VirtualBox. Select the New button to create a new Virtual Machine (VM). A popup (dialog) box will open.
  11. Enter the name of the VM (E.g., "Win10"). Enter the folder in which the VM will reside (this may consume a large amount of space, so ensure a drive with plenty of space is selected). If on Windows, and want to change the folder where the VM will reside, make sure you run VirtualBox with administrator privileges. Select the machine type as Windows. Select the version as "Windows 10 x-bit" where x is the version of Windows that was installed (I selected 64-bit to match my ISO file download).
  12. The dialog's next page is for memory allocation. The value one enters for this will be dependent upon his/her system. For me, I entered 4096MB. As a recommendation, if you have at least 8GB of ram, set the memory size to at least 2048MB.
  13. On the next page, I selected “Create a virtual hard disk now” and clicked Create.
  14. On the next page, I had “VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image)” selected as the hard disk file type.
  15. The next page is titled “Storage on physical hard disk.” I selected “Dynamically allocated” and clicked Next.
  16. For the size of the VM, like with the memory allocation, what one enters will be dependent upon his/her system. I assumed that Windows installations require a bit more storage, and I entered 50GB.
  17. The Win10 VM that was just created should now be visible in the left section of the VirtualBox window. To install the VMs, one must now select the Win10 VM (it should be highlighted when selected) > Settings (button at the top in the right section) > Storage.
  18. In this section, under “Storage Devices,” the text should read “Controller: IDE”. To the right of this text are two icons. Click the round icon.
  19. In the dialog that appears, select Add. The file explorer will appear. Navigate to the Win10 ISO file that was downloaded earlier and select Open. Now select the ISO that was just opened and click OK. NOTE: For one student, the path was was "Choose Disk" -> "Add" (top left) -> -> "Choose" -> Right Click and remove "Empty" CD entry under SATA section -> "OK"
  20. Now, while the Win10 VM is highlighted in the left section, select the green arrow Start icon in the right section. The VM will start. If you get a fatal error upon booting, turn the machine off, go back to Storage, and remove the empty disc.
  21. From there, follow the setup instructions. Note - A windows product key is not necessary. When asked, in the bottom right corner near the Next button, select the 'I don't have a product key' link. Additionally, if the install options list Upgrade instead of Install, select the custom installer; The upgrade option does not work when installing via windows media creation. Once completed, the Win10 VM will be installed and available to use on your system.
  22. If you wish to use a local account instead of providing a Microsoft account during the boot-up process, use Settings > Network > Attached to 'Not attached' to allow you to skip providing a Microsoft account.
  23. INSTRUCTIONS DOUBLE CHECKED: Yes [X] No []

Doc with Screenshots for instructions above(Does not include the full Windows install screens): (https://github.com/hawkinsw/CS5138/files/7884229/VirtualBox_Windows_Install_Screenshots.docx)

Install from OVA

  1. Download Windows 11 from https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/virtual-machines/ by selecting your preferred virtualization software. After the download completes, extract the virtual appliance from the .zip file.
  2. Open VirtualBox, and select File > Import Appliance (Ctrl+i)
  3. Select Source: Local File System, and provide the path to the .ova file that was extracted in step #1. Click on "Next" and "Import".
  4. Power on the virtual machine.
  5. Create a snapshot from the initial state that can be rolled back to after the evaluation period ends by selecting Snapshot > Take (Ctrl+Shift+T) in the VirtualBox menu.

Note: The vms listed on the website "expire" on March 4, 2022. While they may continue to work, it's not firmly known, so downloading the ISO may be preferable.

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