Ubuntu Desktop Edition 10.10 & virtual machines

[Zen]

I was just fairly curious as to find out if Ubuntu 10.10 (32bit) can be loaded onto a "virtual machine"? For recently I have entered the world of virtual machines and drives. I downloaded Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 and have been using that to install several versions of older Windows Operating Systems, without one single problem.

Now I would like to start dabbling in the world of Linux and Ubuntu and the like. So can I just go ahead and set up a virtual machine as I would do to install an older Windows O.S.? Just making sure the hard drive size is set to a size that Ubuntu likes. For I've seen some information around here that Ubuntu can be loaded onto a CD and ran from there. Also that Ubuntu can be loaded onto a USB flash drive and run from there as well. So why not loading Ubuntu onto a virtual drive on a virtual machine, I would suspect that this can be done, but just want to play it safe first by asking the question.

Thank you to anyone who might offer up an answer or advise here!

 

[Leeky]

I run it virtually all the time without issues at all, but I use Virtualbox for my guest OS requirements.

I'm not sure if MS Virtual PC 2007 will cover Linux installs, but assuming it does it should be fine. Just download the latest ISO and mount it within the virtual console to use the disk.

The Ubuntu setup guide in my signature was produced using Virtualbox to run Ubuntu as a guest OS.

 

[Zen]

Thank you Leeky for this information, now I feel a bit more confident trying to install Ubuntu 10.10 on a virtual drive within a virtual machine! I'm going to have a go at it, by trying to use Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, I don't see why it wouldn't work, for it does allow one to pick "other" as far as Operating Systems when initially setting things up.

I downloaded it from it's site, something like 690MB's big, I opening it with WinRar and copied the files over to my CD drive and burned them all. So as long as Virtual PC 2007 picks up on those files at the time of the install, things should be fine.

I will report back the end results, hopefully I will report back a success story!

 

[Zen]

Well as promised I'm reporting back, unfortunately with not much of a success story! To me, it appears that Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 isn't very much up to the job of installing anything other than true blue Windows Operating Systems. People might think it "overkill", but I was able to create many virtual machines with separate virtual drives and I'm not joking, I was able to install everything from Windows 95, Windows 98 1st & 2nd, Windows M.E., Windows 2000 Pro., Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003, all these systems went in without a hitch!

Now when it comes to trying to install Ubuntu 10.10 it was a failure. At first I thought all was well on my first attempt, but nope, the install froze up when trying to install language packages. The next freeze up came on my second attempt when it was at the tail end of copying files. And the final stall out came when on my third attempt it froze up when trying to select what hard drive to put it on. So I believe that Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 was never designed for third party Operating Systems.

Now I'm going to take some time to research that "virtualbox" thing you spoke of, I am going to Google it and see if there are any free versions out there. If I can find it, I will grab it and study on how it works and I guess when I know what I'm doing with it, I shall give Ubuntu another try.

" I want to see what is beyond the great Windows void, want to try new things and I feel that Linux based systems may hold my key to non Windows experiences!

"I'm not giving up yet"!

 

[Leeky]

http://www.virtualbox.org/

I highly recommend it, but others will have different views too. Its a personal thing I guess. I'm yet to find something that won't install in it though.

 

[Zen]

http://www.virtualbox.org/

I highly recommend it, but others will have different views too. Its a personal thing I guess. I'm yet to find something that won't install in it though.

Alrighty then, thanks for setting my foot on the right path, "I shake my fist at Virtual PC 2007"!

Virtualbox here I come.......

 

[LNCPapa]

Another vote for VirtualBox here. I use it with a Windows and a Linux host.

 

[Zen]

We Hit Pay Dirt ! ! !

Well, well well...............looky what we got here.........!

Wow, I think this looks like Ubuntu 10.10, I don't know, I think my 4th attempt at this with a different virtual machine manager has made all the difference in the world.

It appears that this "Virtualbox" thing can handle just about anything that is thrown at it! Talk about a much nicer and more streamlined virtual manager that Microsoft Virtual PC 2007. Heck I wished I heard of this manager first before going off and dabbling with that Microsoft thing. Talk about real simple and easy to use! In half the time compared to Microsoft Virtual PC 2007, through Virtualbox I was able to set up a virtual machine with its own virtual drive in half the time than it takes with Microsoft.

Now I went ahead and let Ubuntu take up a whole lot of time last night grabbing all 315 updates! When that was finished I saw on Leeky's Ubuntu tutorial that one should grab those "restricted" updates, so I got those as well.

Before I jet off here as to go play with Ubuntu for a while, I wanted to say thank you Leeky for your awesome Ubuntu step by step tutorial, that I found in another section of this "The Alternative O.S." section.

Now I'm off to play........

 

[Leeky]

No worries mate, glad it proved useful to you. I'll be doing another round of updates to it shortly as well, to bring it back up to date in the next month or so.

Virtualbox is rather brilliant to those that use it. There might be better out there, but I've not come across anything as easy to use, and as flexible as it yet.