Ubuntu is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: Desktop, Server, and Core for Internet of things devices and robots. All the editions can run on the computer alone, or in a virtual machine. Ubuntu is a popular operating system for cloud computing, with support for OpenStack. Ubuntu’s default desktop changed back from the in-house Unity to GNOME after nearly 6.5 years in 2017 upon the release of version 17.10.
VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 3. See “About VirtualBox” for an introduction.
Installing Ubuntu on a virtual machine (VM) is a great way to try out the operating system or run Ubuntu alongside your existing operating system. Here are the general steps to install Ubuntu on a virtual machine:
In this example, we will be using VirtualBox.
Before You start : make sure to enable Hardware virtualization, Virtualization lets your PC emulate a different operating system, like Android™ or Linux. Enabling virtualization gives you access to a larger library of apps to use and install on your PC.
- Download and install a virtual machine software:
You’ll need to use a virtualization software such as VirtualBox or VMware Workstation to create a virtual machine.
- Download the Ubuntu ISO file: You can download the latest version of Ubuntu from the official Ubuntu website.
- Create a new virtual machine: Once you’ve installed the virtualization software, launch it and create a new virtual machine. You’ll need to specify the type of operating system you want to install (Ubuntu) and allocate resources such as RAM and hard disk space to the virtual machine.
- Mount the Ubuntu ISO file: Choose a name for the virtual machine, Location where it will be stored, Select the Ubuntu ISO image that you have downloaded with Linux type and the appropriate version 64bit if more than 3.5 GB ram then press Next.
- Configure the installation : Fill in username and password to login into Ubuntu.
Select the amount of ram you want to allocate for the system, for 32 bit (also names 86x) systems it only uses 3.5 GB, I wouldn’t go over half the available RAM and CPU cores, so the host windows keeps running smoothly, Allocate disk space according to your needs.
- Boot the virtual machine: Start the virtual machine, and it should boot from the Ubuntu ISO file. You’ll see the Ubuntu installer screen.
- Note : If you see the error shown in the image below it means Hardware Virtualization is not enabled, enable it first then try to boot again.
- Follow the installation instructions: The Ubuntu installer will guide you through the installation process, which includes setting up the language, keyboard, partitions, and user account.
These are the general steps to install Ubuntu on a virtual machine. Note that the exact steps may vary depending on the virtualization software you’re using, but the overall process should be similar.
