Continuing with my exploration of Ubuntu…

I want to run Ubuntu as a guest operating system in Windows XP so I can easily switch between the two. To do this, I have three options:

1. I have used VMware Workstation before. But since it is not free, I can only use VMware Player.
2. Use Microsoft Virtual PC.
3. Use VirtualBox.

I chose to use VirtualBox because it is open source. I can look at the source code and figure out how the software works.

I am using:
- VirtualBox 1.6.2
- Ubuntu 8.0.4

1. Create a new VM.

The VirtualBox User Manual is very helpful. It was easy to create a new VM. VirtualBox stores the VMs in C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\.VirtualBox. The location can be changed in VirtualBox Preferences. I used mostly the default settings with the following exceptions:

• Base Memory Size: 512 MB.
• Video Memory Size: 8 MB.
• Hard Drive: 8 GB.

2. Specify the location of the Ubuntu Installation files.

Mount the Guest CD/DVD-ROM to point to the Ubuntu .iso image or if using the Ubuntu CD, point to the Host CD/DVD-ROM drive.

3. Start the new VM to install Ubuntu.

When the new VM is started, it will boot from the CD-ROM drive and start the installation process. Just follow the steps. At the end of the installation, it would reboot the VM.

4. Install Linux Guest Additions

• Click the “Devices | Install Guest Additions…” menu. It would automatically mount VBoxGuestAdditions.iso in C:\Program Files\Sun\xVM VirtualBox. If it doesn’t, mount it manually.
• Open a Terminal Window in Ubuntu.
• Go to the cdrom directory.

  • cd /cdrom

• Run the VBoxAdditions file.

  • sudo ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

• It would install all guest additions. Restart Ubuntu after the installation.

After Ubuntu is restarted, the VM window is larger and the screen resolution is higher. Mouse integration will automatically be enabled. If you want to auto-resize the guest display, enable the “Machine | Auto-resize Guest Display” menu item.

I think this is cool.