Menu ☰

VirtualBox and Xubuntu

A virtual machine is a software-based emulation of a hardware device. Although you may be using an Apple laptop, it's entirely possible—and in some cases advantageous—to be able to run other operating systems on that same computer. Here's a screenshot of my Macbook Air running its native OS X (the "host OS"), as well as two virtual machine instances (the "guest OSes"), one of Windows 7 and one of Xubuntu (Linux).

Running a virtual machine is different from installing on a partition of your hard drive, which can sometimes be a risky proposition. A virtual machine runs in your computer's RAM, and does not involve reformatting or re-partitioning your hard drive.

This brief tutorial outlines how to install a virtual machine running Xubuntu on a Windows machine. If you have more specific questions regarding this process and how to accomplish it on your particular computer/operating system, see the instructor or check online for YouTube tutorials.

Step 1. Download VirtualBox and Xubuntu software

There are a number of different virtual machine programs that you can use. The one that we'll be using here is Oracle's VirtualBox, which is powerful, stable, and free.

  1. Go to virtualbox.org and click on the Downloads link to find an installation file for your machine.

  2. Also, download the appropriate Extension Pack for your installation. This will give you additional features that aren't part of the standard install.
  3. Go to xubuntu.org and click on the Download Now! link. Select the appropriate 32-bit or 64-bit version to download. Not sure which version to get? Read this.

Step 2. Install VirtualBox program and Xubuntu from Downloads

Once you have both the VirtualBox installer and the Xubuntu operating system .iso files downloaded, you're ready to install.

  1. In your Downloads folder, or on your Desktop, find the installer for the VirtualBox package. Double-click that installer and give permissions as required for that package to be installed.



    The Setup Wizard will take you perform the installation for you.

  2. Once the Oracle VM VirtualBox program has been installed, click the New icon to create a New virtual machine.

    Launch the VirtualBox program and give your operating system a name like My Xubuntu. You'll also need to select the Type of installation ("Linux") and the Version—Ubuntu (32 bit) or (64 bit), depending on your computer.

  3. As you continue through the creation process, you'll be asked to indicate Memory size, Hard drive, Hard drive file type, Storage on physical hard drive, and File location and size. For our purposes, it's fine to accept the default values given during the installation process. Running Xubuntu will not be a challenge for VirtualBox, so unless you know what you are doing and what to make some tweaks, just accept the default values as set in the installation process. If there are any issues with the values that you've chosen, you can adjust them later on as needed.
  4. You've got a virtual machine that you can start now!



  5. You don't have an operating system installed on this virtual machine yet. Double click on the My Xubuntu machine listed in the left pane, and you'll be asked to select a file that you can start your new virtual machine from.



    Click the folder icon on the right and navigate to the Xubuntu Disc Image file that you downloaded earlier (probably located in your Downloads folder). Then click Start to start that "disk" in your virtual machine.

    At this point, you are essentially booting up an optical disk in your virtual machine, one that you'll be able to use to install the Xubuntu operating system on that virtual machine.
  6. Once the Xubuntu "disk" has booted, you'll be asked if you want to try a a disk-based version of Xubuntu or if you want to install it.



    We want to Install. Remember that we're not actually installing this operating system onto your hard drive—we're installing it in a virtual machine that is running on your hard drive. Understanding that distinction is important when you see warnings from the Xubuntu installer that say things like "Warning: This will delete any files on the disk." You won't be deleting files on your hard disk during this installation process—you'll be deleting (non-existent) files on the virtual machine's "disk."

  7. Continue the Xubuntu installation process by answer questions about your language, time zone, and identity.



    As the installation process moves through its final stages you'll see a series of orientation screens.

Step 3. Using your virtual machine and Xubuntu

  1. Once the installation of the Xubuntu operating system on your virtual machine has completed, you'll be asked to restart the Xubuntu, and from here on out, you're free to start up that virtual machine or close it down as you wish. You can choose to view the "guest" system (Xubuntu) in "seamless" mode, in which that operating system takes up the entire screen, or you can view it as a window in your main "host" system.
  2. When you're not using your guest system you may just want to "Pause" it (the equivalent of closing up your laptop and sleeping it), or fully shut it down. Either way, if your computer is slow or has a smaller amount of memory, it may be more convenient for you to quit VirtualBox when you aren't actively using Xubuntu. When you're ready to start it up again, though, it won't take long to bring things back online.
  3. Settings will allow some degree of interconnectedness between the two systems. Do you want them to share a copy-paste clipboard? Do you want to be able to move files back and forth between the systems? Look around at the settings to see what's available.
  4. If you run into any problems while running your virtual machine, be sure to see VirtualBox's Manual, Chapter 1, which includes lots of good information for beginners.