All in one, and what a leap ahead!
I am now heavily modifying and simplifying this post, having recently installed VirtualBox for the second time, on a new laptop.
I prefer Kubuntu to all the OS I have used ( MAC OSX – many, Windows – allince MS DOS). But I still need Windows for a couple of work-related applications. So I have been running triple boot systems (one for my preferred Kubuntu version, one for a test Kubuntu version, and one for Windows. Mind you, I am no computer expert, I just like good tools.
Running double-boot systems is terribly time-consuming. But now I have finally tried VIRTUALBOX, and I just have to tell you how very simple it is to set up. I had spent hours and hours preparing and reading about it, and some details seemed extremely complicated. But when I actually got down to it, it was so simple that I think that any Kubuntu user could do it, at least if they have the same physical point of departure as I do. I want to try to convey this simplicity now.
What I started with
1) Kubuntu Lucid Lynx installed from scratch and fully updated
2) Lots of hard disk space (more than 100 GB)
3) At least 2 GB RAM (running two OS simultaneously on less is very sluggish, as pointed out in a reply to this post)
4) A CD and a full license for Windows XP (not just for an OEM) NB: I do not think this can be done with an OEM!
What I wanted
1) Windows XP installed virtually on top of my Kubuntu, so that I could have both OS on my screen and switch freely between them.
2) To be able to install a few proprietary (and expensive!) applications on my Windows
Download and install VirltualBox package
(Completely altered on 30 August 2010)
I have crossed over to Gnome's Synaptic Package Manager, which is more user-friendly than KpackageKit (as Snowhog will confirm any day), and I used it to download and install VirtualBox, rather than using the approach listed in http://kubuntuguide.org/Lucid. (This way is easier and, on my computer, appears to be working flawlessly.)
With it I installed:
virtualbox-ose (3.1.6 dfsg...)
virtualbox-ose-dkms (I think this one was automatically selected as a dependency)
virtualbox-ose-guest-dkms
virtualbox-ose-qt
Setting up «virtual machine»
I had previously downloaded the «end-user manual» from here:
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/End-user_documentation
It seemed pretty daunting!
But I followed the directions in «First steps», meaning basically that I started VirtualBox, which I found in the «Application launcher menu» under «utilities».
NB: No need to worry about QT and DSL or anything else listed in the manual's complicated installation procedure. If you use the package in the repos, this is all taken care of.
The manual explained what DKMS is (installed through the above installation procedure). As i understand, DKMS is VERY important if you don't want to have to reinstall Virtualbox and Windows every time you get a kernel update.
And there are a couple of details you will need to know about – mainly about how your «virtual machine» and Kubuntu share your mouse and keyboard until you have added the so-called «guest additions», so you should take a look at the «first steps» part of the manual! Just don't worry about the extremely complicated instructions for Linux install.
Anyway, having started VirtualBox, it was now on my screen, and I clicked the «new» icon and had to fill in half a dozen or so fields, that were very basic, but again, here it might be a very good idea to refer to the "first steps" for guidance. (In the current version, the useful part starts on page 15 of the manual - Installing and Starting VirtualBox).
At this stage, having completed the steps of creating a space for your Windose, the virtual machine is ready, but empty
Configuring virtual machine
If you are going to install Windows from a CD/DVD, your virtual machine will need to have access to your CD/DVD drive. Put the CD into your CD/DVD reader. Wait till it is recognised by Kubuntu.
Go to VirtualBox Settings -> storage and click the icon of a CD. To the right, beside the CD/DVD device, there is a menu you can pull down. Chose the option that starts with «host».
Network settings (wireless) will be taken care of by Windows, when you install it (if you allow it to so - Windose install will ask you.)
Installing Windows
You already have the CD in the CD reader, so now you click the «start» icon. The wizard starts, and you are in business. This process is just as it would be for any ordinary PC.
NB (again): Please note that now your Kubuntu (the so-called «host») looses contact with mouse/keyboard. Please see the «First steps» in the Virtualbox manual about how to deal with this matter. (To put it simply: you need to click right-ctrl to get back to Kubuntu.)
At the end of the installation and subsequent restart, or whatever Windose does when it has installed itself, you will be told to register your copy, or else be excluded from MS Paradise, within 30 days.
To close down Windose, you can do exacly what you would do (or at least should do) on an ordinary Windose machine, but you can also do something else instead:
right-ctrl+q brings up a menu with three alternatives. You may find the "save the machine state" useful, though it takes longer time than "send the shutdown signal", which is equivalent to normal correct shutdown.
Then ctrl+q VirtualBox.
In future, every time you want to start Windose, you just double-click the Windose icon on the left panel of VirtualBox or single-click the "start" icon.
Adding «guest additions»
Now you will want to get rid of that annoying problem of being locked out of your Kubuntu every time you go into Windose. You might also want to create a «shared folder», so that you can read/write to/from Kubuntu/Windose without using a USB flash drive.
Again very simple!
* After starting Windows, go to top menu -> devices -> add «guest additions». This triggers a wizard which downloads and installs the additions. The wizard requires a functioning connection to the Internet.
Please note that in my case, during the «guest addition» procedure, Windose warned me several times (!) that I was installing incompatible software. I was given the option to ignore the warning, which I did. I bravely let the wizard continue installing the «guest additions». And it took quite a lot of time. iWhen it was over, I was told to restart (Windose!, not Kubuntu!), a reasonable request which I complied with. Now the mouse was integrated with Kubuntu.
VirtualBox keeps track of updates to the «guest additions». You will see a pop-up on your Windose screen whenever an update is available. Repeat the exact same procedure as for the initial install of «guest additions» described above starting with
"* After starting Windows..."
Windose will tell you that the video settings were poor and offer to improve them for you. I accepted.
Windose will also insist in updating itself. I reluctantly accept.
Installing programs in Windows
Do exactly what you would do on any windose machine.
But check first that your CD/DVD drive is recognised. If your CD/DVD isn't recognised, go to the top menu and check "devices" -> CD/DVD . You will probably want the option that starts with «host», not anything containing «ISO».
I have, I admit, encountered the situation that Windose cancelled an install from CD/DVD, giving no explanation. When I accesses the CD/DVD from Start-> run -> browse.... etc, I had no further problems.
Transferring files between Kubuntu and Windows
This is explained in the chapter «Guest additions -> Shared folders.
You simply make a folder in your Kubuntu that you are willing to share with Windose. Then you write the path of the folder (you can see the path in Dolphin if you enable, in Dolphin navigation settings, «show full path») . In VirtualBox, you go to Devices (on the menu bar) -> Shared Folders. This brings up a dialogue box. Click the "+" icon. Pate in the path you just copied. You have to decide whether to make this path permanent or transient. If you chose "transient", you have to enter it each time you restart Win. In Windose, you can make a link to the folder and put it where you want.
No programming, no Konsole needed.
__________________________________________________ _________________________
What I have detailed above are only the basic procedures for enabling comfortable use of Windows programs in a Kubuntu environment. I am sure that experienced users of VirtualBox would be able to give you far more in-depth solutions for customising your system.
I would also like to add that i use Windose for windows applications only. I do not use it to go online, except for updates of applicastions that I trust. Since I have made a "share" folder on Kubuntu to which my Windose has access, I do not want any backdoors to Kubuntu.
Finally: the OSE version does not recognise plugged-in USB devices. This is not a problem for me as long as I have the shared folder.
I am now heavily modifying and simplifying this post, having recently installed VirtualBox for the second time, on a new laptop.
I prefer Kubuntu to all the OS I have used ( MAC OSX – many, Windows – allince MS DOS). But I still need Windows for a couple of work-related applications. So I have been running triple boot systems (one for my preferred Kubuntu version, one for a test Kubuntu version, and one for Windows. Mind you, I am no computer expert, I just like good tools.
Running double-boot systems is terribly time-consuming. But now I have finally tried VIRTUALBOX, and I just have to tell you how very simple it is to set up. I had spent hours and hours preparing and reading about it, and some details seemed extremely complicated. But when I actually got down to it, it was so simple that I think that any Kubuntu user could do it, at least if they have the same physical point of departure as I do. I want to try to convey this simplicity now.
What I started with
1) Kubuntu Lucid Lynx installed from scratch and fully updated
2) Lots of hard disk space (more than 100 GB)
3) At least 2 GB RAM (running two OS simultaneously on less is very sluggish, as pointed out in a reply to this post)
4) A CD and a full license for Windows XP (not just for an OEM) NB: I do not think this can be done with an OEM!
What I wanted
1) Windows XP installed virtually on top of my Kubuntu, so that I could have both OS on my screen and switch freely between them.
2) To be able to install a few proprietary (and expensive!) applications on my Windows
Download and install VirltualBox package
(Completely altered on 30 August 2010)
I have crossed over to Gnome's Synaptic Package Manager, which is more user-friendly than KpackageKit (as Snowhog will confirm any day), and I used it to download and install VirtualBox, rather than using the approach listed in http://kubuntuguide.org/Lucid. (This way is easier and, on my computer, appears to be working flawlessly.)
With it I installed:
virtualbox-ose (3.1.6 dfsg...)
virtualbox-ose-dkms (I think this one was automatically selected as a dependency)
virtualbox-ose-guest-dkms
virtualbox-ose-qt
Setting up «virtual machine»
I had previously downloaded the «end-user manual» from here:
http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/End-user_documentation
It seemed pretty daunting!
But I followed the directions in «First steps», meaning basically that I started VirtualBox, which I found in the «Application launcher menu» under «utilities».
NB: No need to worry about QT and DSL or anything else listed in the manual's complicated installation procedure. If you use the package in the repos, this is all taken care of.
The manual explained what DKMS is (installed through the above installation procedure). As i understand, DKMS is VERY important if you don't want to have to reinstall Virtualbox and Windows every time you get a kernel update.
And there are a couple of details you will need to know about – mainly about how your «virtual machine» and Kubuntu share your mouse and keyboard until you have added the so-called «guest additions», so you should take a look at the «first steps» part of the manual! Just don't worry about the extremely complicated instructions for Linux install.
Anyway, having started VirtualBox, it was now on my screen, and I clicked the «new» icon and had to fill in half a dozen or so fields, that were very basic, but again, here it might be a very good idea to refer to the "first steps" for guidance. (In the current version, the useful part starts on page 15 of the manual - Installing and Starting VirtualBox).
At this stage, having completed the steps of creating a space for your Windose, the virtual machine is ready, but empty
Configuring virtual machine
If you are going to install Windows from a CD/DVD, your virtual machine will need to have access to your CD/DVD drive. Put the CD into your CD/DVD reader. Wait till it is recognised by Kubuntu.
Go to VirtualBox Settings -> storage and click the icon of a CD. To the right, beside the CD/DVD device, there is a menu you can pull down. Chose the option that starts with «host».
Network settings (wireless) will be taken care of by Windows, when you install it (if you allow it to so - Windose install will ask you.)
Installing Windows
You already have the CD in the CD reader, so now you click the «start» icon. The wizard starts, and you are in business. This process is just as it would be for any ordinary PC.
NB (again): Please note that now your Kubuntu (the so-called «host») looses contact with mouse/keyboard. Please see the «First steps» in the Virtualbox manual about how to deal with this matter. (To put it simply: you need to click right-ctrl to get back to Kubuntu.)
At the end of the installation and subsequent restart, or whatever Windose does when it has installed itself, you will be told to register your copy, or else be excluded from MS Paradise, within 30 days.
To close down Windose, you can do exacly what you would do (or at least should do) on an ordinary Windose machine, but you can also do something else instead:
right-ctrl+q brings up a menu with three alternatives. You may find the "save the machine state" useful, though it takes longer time than "send the shutdown signal", which is equivalent to normal correct shutdown.
Then ctrl+q VirtualBox.
In future, every time you want to start Windose, you just double-click the Windose icon on the left panel of VirtualBox or single-click the "start" icon.
Adding «guest additions»
Now you will want to get rid of that annoying problem of being locked out of your Kubuntu every time you go into Windose. You might also want to create a «shared folder», so that you can read/write to/from Kubuntu/Windose without using a USB flash drive.
Again very simple!
* After starting Windows, go to top menu -> devices -> add «guest additions». This triggers a wizard which downloads and installs the additions. The wizard requires a functioning connection to the Internet.
Please note that in my case, during the «guest addition» procedure, Windose warned me several times (!) that I was installing incompatible software. I was given the option to ignore the warning, which I did. I bravely let the wizard continue installing the «guest additions». And it took quite a lot of time. iWhen it was over, I was told to restart (Windose!, not Kubuntu!), a reasonable request which I complied with. Now the mouse was integrated with Kubuntu.
VirtualBox keeps track of updates to the «guest additions». You will see a pop-up on your Windose screen whenever an update is available. Repeat the exact same procedure as for the initial install of «guest additions» described above starting with
"* After starting Windows..."
Windose will tell you that the video settings were poor and offer to improve them for you. I accepted.
Windose will also insist in updating itself. I reluctantly accept.
Installing programs in Windows
Do exactly what you would do on any windose machine.
But check first that your CD/DVD drive is recognised. If your CD/DVD isn't recognised, go to the top menu and check "devices" -> CD/DVD . You will probably want the option that starts with «host», not anything containing «ISO».
I have, I admit, encountered the situation that Windose cancelled an install from CD/DVD, giving no explanation. When I accesses the CD/DVD from Start-> run -> browse.... etc, I had no further problems.
Transferring files between Kubuntu and Windows
This is explained in the chapter «Guest additions -> Shared folders.
You simply make a folder in your Kubuntu that you are willing to share with Windose. Then you write the path of the folder (you can see the path in Dolphin if you enable, in Dolphin navigation settings, «show full path») . In VirtualBox, you go to Devices (on the menu bar) -> Shared Folders. This brings up a dialogue box. Click the "+" icon. Pate in the path you just copied. You have to decide whether to make this path permanent or transient. If you chose "transient", you have to enter it each time you restart Win. In Windose, you can make a link to the folder and put it where you want.
No programming, no Konsole needed.
__________________________________________________ _________________________
What I have detailed above are only the basic procedures for enabling comfortable use of Windows programs in a Kubuntu environment. I am sure that experienced users of VirtualBox would be able to give you far more in-depth solutions for customising your system.
I would also like to add that i use Windose for windows applications only. I do not use it to go online, except for updates of applicastions that I trust. Since I have made a "share" folder on Kubuntu to which my Windose has access, I do not want any backdoors to Kubuntu.
Finally: the OSE version does not recognise plugged-in USB devices. This is not a problem for me as long as I have the shared folder.
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