Installing Ubuntu Linux as a Virtual Machine
The software required for
this project is as follows:
- Virtualbox for Windows (Assuming you are running windows)
- A version of Ubuntu
There are several different virtual machines available,
which I'll document down later, it may be best if you go and discover which one
you like personally, although they all offer similar functionality.
For example, Windows 10 Pro comes with its own
virtualisation software already installed, called Hyper-V. However, I don't
have a copy of Windows 10 Professional.
For this
installation, we are going to be using Virtualbox.
Step 1:
- head too https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads
From here, you click on 'Windows Hosts' and follow the straightforward
onscreen instructions.
Once the software has installed, there should be an icon
present on the desktop. If the icon is not there:
- Go to the Windows Start Menu
- Search for Virtualbox
- When you find it, right-click and 'pin to taskbar'
This is so that it can be easily found later and saves
extensive searches every time you wish to access it.
Step 2:
Find the version of Ubuntu you wish to install. For this example,
I'm going to use the most recent release, which is 19.04 (Disco Dingo).
Ubuntu can be acquired from: https://ubuntu.com/#download
The downloads page provides two Desktop options. There is
18.04 LTS, this is the long-term support edition. LTS edition stands for 'Long
Term Support' and is supported by Canonical for five years. The regular version
is support for six months.
Step 3:
When you have downloaded both pieces of Software, it's time
to apply them. Open Virtualbox, and at the top of the interface; Click 'new'.
That should open a new window, which I have entered the
following options:
Name: Ubuntu 19.04
Machine folder: C:\Users\user\VirtualBox VMs
Type: Linux
Version: Ubuntu (64-bit)
Step 4:
It's time to allocate the Memory Size of the machine, this
refers to the amount of RAM allocated to the machine for it to run processes.
for this example; I'm going to leave it set at the recommended, which is 1024MB
(1GB).
Step 5:
To create the Hard-Disk, select the option 'Create a virtual
hard disk now'.
-Click 'Create'
-Select 'VHD (Virtual Hard Disk)'
-Dynamically allocated Storage
-Assign the amount of disk space you'd like to be added to
the Virtual machine
-Click create
Step 6:
Now that you have created the virtual machine, it is time to
power it up and follow the on-screen instructions to install Ubuntu.
-Select Language and the option for 'Install Ubuntu'
-Select your desired Keyboard options, in this case I've
gone for UK keyboard, as that is what I have.
-Setup under Normal install and leave 'install updates after
install' checked.
-Installation type 'Erase disk and install Ubuntu', Select
this option, and Encrypt disk, if you'd like the home drive encrypted for extra
security.
To conclude setup; Create a username, name for your Computer
and a Password.
Passwords should always include Capital letters, numbers and
special characters. This makes it much more difficult for somebody to access
your data.
An example of a secure password: P@ssw0rd1!
Although I'd never recommend using the word 'Password' in
any format.
Congratulations! You've now installed a virtual machine and
a new Operating System. Have fun trying it out.
FAQ
How do I disconnect the mouse from the Virtual machine so
that I can use it on my actual machine?
Pressing the Ctrl key on the right-hand side of your
keyboard will free up the mouse, so that it can be used on your regular
machine.
What do the version numbers of Ubuntu mean?
The numbers stand for year: month that the distribution was
released, therefore, at the time of writing this, the most current release is
19.04. There are two versions released a year. One in April and one in October.
Are there any benefits to using a virtual machine?
You can create snapshots of the Operating system, so should
anything go horribly wrong whilst testing something, you can roll back to an
earlier time when everything was working perfectly.
When you have finished using the machine, make sure to save
all work and power it down, just like you would with a regular computer.
