How to Create a New Virtual Machine in Oracle VM VirtualBox

This article will examine how to install a new virtual machine using Oracle VM VirtualBox on a Windows 11 or 10 operating system.

How to Install a New Virtual Machine on Windows 10 using Oracle VM VirtualBox 6

You must create a new and compatible virtual machine before installing and running a virtual operating system with the Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization program. Because the processor configuration or disk structure and size of the system you will create are essential for it to work more efficiently.

For example, suppose you plan to install a Windows 10 operating system after opening the VirtualBox program. In that case, you must select Microsoft Windows as the system platform and Windows 10 as the system type in the new virtual machine wizard.

With Oracle virtualization software, preparing a virtual machine on your host computer is more accessible than other software because the virtualization program will automatically configure the necessary settings as soon as you write the operating system name.

When preparing a VM with the VirtualBox program, you can select the Fixed option in the virtual disk structure options, and you can first allocate the required disk capacity for the VM from your host disk. Thus, you will get more performance when installing Windows or Linux systems than dynamically expanding disk structure.

In addition, storing your VM’s files on a USB 3.0/3.1 external disk or SSD disk can get more performance gains and create a more streamlined structure.

How to Install a Virtual Machine to Run Windows or Linux Operating System

Before installing the VirtualBox program on your computer, verifying whether your processor supports the virtualization feature is essential. This step is crucial to guarantee a smooth and error-free experience.

If you are using an Intel or AMD branded desktop or laptop processor, download and install the software provided by the manufacturers to your system by visiting the links below and checking the virtualization feature.

• Intel(R) Processor Identification Utility
• AMD-V with RVI_Hyper-V_CompatibilityUtility

Step 1

If you are using an Intel-based mobile processor, you can download and establish the Intel Processor Identification Utility software. Once installed, run the program and navigate to the “CPU TECHNOLOGIES” section. Here, you can check whether the Intel Virtualization Technology feature is active. Please refer to the image below for visual guidance.

If you are sure your computer supports virtualization, enable VTx technology in your computer’s BIOS settings if the corresponding option is disabled when you check the Intel Virtualization Technology feature using this tool.

Step 2

Suppose you attempt to open the AMD Processor Utility on your Intel system. In that case, you will acquire a statement like the one below. This warning message is displayed because the utility is designed explicitly for AMD-based processors, indicating that your computer does not have an AMD processor installed.

Step 3

After checking that the processor of your host computer supports the virtualization feature, run the VirtualBox program and then open the virtual machine wizard by clicking the Machine / New (or Ctrl + N) option on the home page of the program or the New button with the big icon you see on the right.

Step 4

You will see the Name and Operating System window when the new virtual machine wizard opens. In this window, when creating a virtual pc according to the operating system, we will install the VirtualBox program; after typing the OS name, the system type will be automatically determined in the version section. The hardware will be adjusted according to the selected system.

• Name: Type the operating system name you plan to install in the “Name” section.
• Machine Folder: It specifies the location of the virtual computer you will create to be stored on your host device. VMs will, by Default, be stored in the VirtualBox VMs folder. However, installing on an external disk is essential for layout and performance.
• Type: You must choose the platform of the operating system. If you plan to install Windows 10, select “Microsoft Windows” as the OS platform. Alternatively, choose “Linux” from the options if you install Ubuntu.
• Version: After selecting the operating system platform, you must choose one of the system versions in the version field.

In this window, enter the OS name you intend to run. Then, select the appropriate edition of the system from the version section and proceed to the next step.

Step 5

To designate a personalized folder location for the virtual machine on an external hard disk drive or solid-state drive, click the downward arrow within the folder location settings and select the “Other” option from the provided choices.

Step 6

Connect your external disk to your computer and establish a folder in your preferred location. When you finish this step, click the “Select Folder” button to allocate it as the specified folder for the virtual device.

Step 7

After changing the installation location of the virtual machine, check the settings you have made and click Next.

Step 8

In the Memory Size window, choose a suitable RAM size for your virtual computer that your host can handle, and then click Next. For example, suppose your host computer has 16 GB of RAM installed. In that case, consider selecting 8 GB as the memory value for your virtual PC.

Step 9

In the Hard Disk configuration window, if there is a virtual disk you created before, you can add it to the program by selecting the Use an existing virtual disk file choice and determining the file’s location.

If you are creating a Virtual Machine with Oracle VM for the first time, select Create a virtual hard disk now option as in the image below. Or you can prepare the VM without adding a virtual disk.

Step 10

In the hard disk file type window, VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) is selected by Default by VirtualBox. Use your virtual system with VDI disk type. You will get more efficiency because it works VDI compatible with VirtualBox software.

Oracle software also supports VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) virtual disk structure supported by Microsoft. The VHD disk structure was developed and updated to the VHDX format used by Hyper-V in 2012. VHD supports a maximum disk capacity of 2 TB, while the VHDX disk format has a 64 TB limit.

VirtualBox also supports the VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) virtual disk type used by the VMware Workstation software. This means that a virtual machine created with VMware can be easily imported into VirtualBox.

As a result, select the VDI disk file suggested by VirtualBox and click Next for the virtual PC to work in a compatible, efficient, and performance manner.

Step 11

One of the crucial stages in creating a virtual machine with VirtualBox is ensuring the proper backup of the virtual disk onto the physical disk. Because the method by which the virtual disk will be stored on the host may affect the performance of the virtual PC.

• If you choose the Dynamically Allocated option, the disk creation time for the VM will take less time, and your disk will be created immediately. The virtual disk automatically allocates and expands the disk capacity it will need on the host. In this case, when installing powerful software on the VM, the VirtualBox program will free up space from your host’s disk at that time, so performance will decrease. We recommend that you use this option for testing system setups only.
• With the Fixed Size option, disk space will be reserved on your host’s disk as much as the disk capacity you specified for the virtual disk. By selecting this alternative during installation, you can significantly enhance the performance of your virtual computer, especially when installing it on a high-capacity disk.

Step 12

When you modify the storage location for your virtual machine during the initial step of the setup wizard, you will notice that the File Location and Size window reflects the updated area where the virtual disk will be saved. In this window, adjust the capacity of the vdisk according to your needs, and then click the Create button.

Step 13

After creating the virtual machine, your VM will be visible in the machine list on the left side of the Oracle software. Now click Settings to add an ISO file to the VM, enable virtualization, or enable 3D acceleration.

Step 14

In the Virtual PC settings window, click on the Advanced tab in the General settings and configure the Shared Clipboard and Drag’n’Drop features as Bidirectional.

• Shared Clipboard: The feature allows file transfer between the host and the VM operating the copy-and-paste technique.
• Drag’n’Drop: It enables you to transfer files between Host and VM utilizing the drag and drop method.

Step 15

When you view the System settings, disable the Floppy device in the Boot Order section and set the Optical drive to the first order with the up arrow button.

Leave Chipset and Pointing Device at the default setting, and if you are going to install UEFI, tick the “Enable EFI” option in the Extended Features section.

Step 16

In the Processor tab, determine the Core number for the virtual machine according to the power of your host’s processor device. Also, leave the Execution Cap value at the default value.

Additionally, if you enable the PAE/NX feature, VirtualBox will determine if your host’s processor has PAE and NX capabilities.

• The Execution Cap setting is when the host CPU emulates the virtual CPU. In short, each virtual CPU assigned to the virtual machine determines how hard the host will strain its CPU.
• PAE (Physical Address Extension) enables 32 Bit CPUs to use more than 4 GB of RAM. Some systems, such as Ubuntu Server, can only be run with this feature.
• NX: Working with the PAE feature, NX provides protection duty to CPUs running 32 Bit systems.

Note: If you want to run the 32 Bit version of Windows 10 or other distributions with a RAM value greater than 4 GB, do not forget to enable the PAE/NX option.

Step 17

Check if the Hardware Virtualization feature is enabled in the Acceleration tab of the system settings.

The Paravirtualization Interface ensures that the operating system software on a virtual computer can run efficiently, accurately, and adequately. By default, its value is Default, but when you view the drop-down list, you will see the options None, Legacy, Minimal, Hyper-V, and KVM.

• None: It disables any paravirtualization interface supported by VirtualBox.
• Default: The default interface, selected by Default, automatically configures the paravirtualization setting according to the operating system platform and version entered while preparing the virtual PC.
• Legacy: It is recommended to use the Legacy interface when virtual machines created with old versions of VBox are wanted to run in new versions.
• Minimal: This interface, which transmits TSC and APIC frequencies to the guest system, is generally recommended for macOS guest systems.
• KVM: This interface, which uses the Linux kernel and supports virtualized clocks and SMP Spinlocks, is generally recommended for Linux guest systems.
• Hyper-V: Microsoft Hypervisor interface supported by Windows 7 and newer operating systems, supports virtualized clocks, guest system reporting, timer checks, and APIC frequency reporting. This interface is recommended for Microsoft Windows guest systems.

As a hardware virtualization solution, it is recommended that you enable the Nested Paging feature. Nested Paging is active in enhancing virtual computer performance by using an additional paging technology and VT-x or AMD-V hardware virtualization technologies supported by the host CPU.

Step 18

Enable the 3D Acceleration option under Graphics Controller in the Screen tab of the Display settings of the virtual machine and configure the video memory as 256 MB.

• Video Memory: After enabling 3D acceleration, configure the video memory of the virtual graphic card of the guest machine to 256 MB. The video memory of the guest machine will be allocated from the host machine’s graphics card.
• Monitor Count: The Monitor Count setting allows you to utilize multiple screens within your virtual machine, supporting 8 virtual screens. This is particularly useful when you require an extended display setup.
• Scale Factor: It scales the screen resolution of the guest machine and adjusts the scaling as much as the number of virtual monitors. This setting only applies to a single virtual machine. Still, Preferences / Display settings can be configured to set the screen scaling of all virtual machines to be installed.

In the popup window in the Graphics Controller section, VBoxVGA, VMSVGA, VBoxSVGA, and None options are available. Configure the graphical interface for guest machines in this window. You must install Guest Additions on the Guest machine to use the VMSVGA and VBoxSVGA controller types.

• VBoxVGA: Enabling it on Microsoft’s Windows 7 and earlier operating systems and for Oracle Solaris is recommended. This 3D acceleration feature is not supported in the graphics controller type.
• VMSVGA: Supported by Default for Linux guest machines, this graphic controller is recommended to be enabled when using virtual machines created with VMware on VirtualBox.
• VBoxSVGA: According to the VBoxVGA type, it is a high-performance graphics controller that activates 3D acceleration. It is recommended to enable it for Windows operating systems released after Windows 7.
• None: As the name suggests, no graphic controller is applied to the guest machine.

Step 19

In the storage settings, you can add the ISO file of the operating system you will install on the virtual machine. You can also enable VirtualBox to see the Windows10.vdi virtual disk as a Solid-State Drive (SSD).

In the Storage window, you can see the Windows10.vdi virtual disk file listed under Controller: SATA. By default, the SATA disk controller is automatically activated on a new VM installation with VirtualBox. If you want to choose another disk controller like NVMe instead of SATA, click the green + (plus) button under the Storage Devices tab.

Virtual disk controllers that Oracle VirtualBox supports for guest machines:

1. AHCI (SATA)
2. PIIX4 (Default IDE)
3. PIIX3 (IDE)
4. ICH6 (IDE)
5. LsiLogic (Default SCSI)
6. BusLogic (SCSI)
7. I82078 (Floppy)
8. LsiLogic SAS (SAS)
9. USB
10. NVMe (PCIe)
11. Virtio-Scsi

Step 20

To add the ISO image of one of the Windows, Linux, or macOS systems to your virtual computer, select Empty, then click the CD/DVD icon and click Choose a disk file from the open options.

• Live CD/DVD: It ensures that the virtual optical disk reader is not removed from the virtual machine when a disk image mounted on the virtual system is rejected.
• Hot-Pluggable: A virtual or optical disk can be pluggable while the guest machine runs. You can liken this feature to portable HDD boxes or USB CD/DVD devices installed in a host machine.

Step 21

Find an image file you downloaded to your physical PC, then hit the “Open” button to proceed with the selection.

Step 22

After adding the ISO file to your virtual PC, check your settings from the Storage section.

Step 23

Enable the Audio device for the sound device of your virtual computer, and you can change the Audio Controller options when you encounter audio problems. The Network setting is selected as the NAT adapter type by Default. Still, you can configure your VM according to your projects and your host machine’s network settings.

By default, Serial Ports devices are disabled. However, if you have plans to use serial ports in your upcoming network projects, you can enable this setting. Enabling it allows you to utilize your host’s serial port as a virtual serial port within the virtual machine.

You need to select the USB devices according to the support of the system you will be using. The Windows 10 system has USB 3.0 support to activate the xHCI Controller option within this window.

Step 24

After installing Windows 10 with VirtualBox, you must enable Nested virtualization if you use Hyper-V in your virtual system.

• Nested VT-x/AMD-V: It transfers the virtualization capability and feature of the host machine to the installed guest virtual machine, thus enabling nested virtualization.

The Nested VT-x/AMD-V option is inactive by default, but this feature can be enabled per virtual machine with VBoxManage.

Step 25

Go to the location where Oracle VM VirtualBox is installed and click the right button while holding down the Shift key. Then click “Open PowerShell window here” in the mouse menu and open PowerShell.

After opening PowerShell, run the following command to enable Nested Virtualization in the virtual machine.

VBoxManage modifyvm "YourVirtualMachine" --nested-hw-virt onCopy

Step 26

When you view the settings of the processor device of your virtual computer again, you can see that the Nested VT-x/AMD-V setting is enabled this time.

Step 27

After thoroughly preparing the virtual machine, clicking the Start button to install the operating system with the ISO image file is enough.

Step 28

After running the VM, select the ISO file as the startup disk and click the Start button again.

Step 29

When you select the startup disk, Windows or other systems will be installed.

How to Delete a Virtual Machine

When deleting the virtual machines you have created using VirtualBox, there are two methods to choose from. The first option involves removing the VM solely from the machine list, while the second option entails completely deleting the VM from the host disk.

Step 1

To begin, navigate to the location of the virtual machine and inspect its file size. Right-click on the VM folder, select Properties and analyze the Size field to see the file’s size.

Since we shut down the VM without installing the Windows 10 system, its size in the installation location will appear to be approximately 4 MB.

Step 2

Within VirtualBox, right-click on the left area where the installed VMs are listed. Select the VM you wish to remove from the machine list, then hit on the “Remove” choice.

Step 3

If you want to delete the Windows 10 VM only from the VirtualBox machine list, click the “Remove Only” button in the Question window.

Step 4

Upon completing the previous stage, you will notice that the guest machine has been successfully removed from the list of devices.

Step 5

Upon inspecting the installation location of the VM, you may observe that the essential files still need to be deleted. Double-click the Windows10.vbox file to add the VM back to the VirtualBox program.

Step 6

The Windows 10 VM will be visible in the machine list again, and there will be no problems when you run it.

Step 7

To thoroughly delete the virtual machine from your host disk, click the Right Button / Remove option again and this time click the “Delete all files” button.

Step 8

Upon rechecking the installation location of the VM, you will notice that all pertinent files have been effectively deleted from the host disk.

Video

Installing on Older Versions

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