116

I would like to know if anyone can help me with installing Ubuntu on VirtualBox

3
  • Are you using VirtualBox inside Windows, or inside Ubuntu? Not sure if its still relevant, but could you please also let us know if your using the Community Edition (i.e. the ones usually found in the official repos) or are you using the Standard Edition (i.e. using the repos provided by Sun/Oracle).
    – hazrpg
    May 26, 2012 at 17:49
  • Not an answer, but a Virtualbox networking tutorial will definitely solve thousand problems that may come up. So here you go: dedoimedo.com/computers/virtualbox-network-sharing.html Jun 19, 2012 at 16:45
  • 3
    You can use the regular Ubuntu Desktop iso files. For example in VirtualBox you can boot directly from the iso file (when the iso file is in the host machine). From the live system you can install Ubuntu into a virtual drive created in VirtualBox.
    – sudodus
    Mar 13, 2019 at 15:54

6 Answers 6

134
  1. Open VirtualBox and select New . A new window will come out.
  2. Choose your guest OS and architecture (32 vs. 64 bit, e.g select Ubuntu)
  3. Set your Base Memory (RAM)
  4. Click next until it show the vm storage size. Put how much space you need depending on your hardisk and finish the wizard by clicking the create button.
  5. On VirtualBox main window, select START and pick your MEDIA SOURCE. In your case, select the .iso on your desktop.
  6. Finish the installation as normal install.
  7. Remove your installation .iso from the virtual optical disk drive before restarting the VM.
  8. Install Guest Additions.

Follow this guide:

Open Virtualbox and click at New button.

enter image description here

Setup Wizard will appear and click at Next button.

enter image description here

Enter your Virtual Machine name, and choose your guest OS and architecture (32- vs. 64-bit) from the dropdown menu and click Next button.

A 64-bit guest needs the CPU virtualization technology (VT-x AMD/V) to be enabled in BIOS.

enter image description here

Enter memory (RAM) to reserve for your virtual machine and click Next button.

Leave enough memory to the host OS.

enter image description here

Tick at Startup Disk and Create New Hard disk and click at Next button.

enter image description here

Choose the type of file that you want to use for virtual disk and click Next button.

enter image description here

Choose your storage detail and click Next button.

enter image description here

Enter the size of your virtual disk (in MB) and click Next button.

A dynamically growing virtual disk will only use the amount of physical hard drive space it needs. It is better to be rather generous to avoid running out of guest hard drive space.

enter image description here

You will see the detail of your input here. Click Create button to continue.

enter image description here

The "New Virtual Machine Wizard" will close and back to VirtualBox Manager. Select your Virtual Machine and click Start button.

enter image description here

"First Run Wizard" will appear and click Next button.

enter image description here

Click at 'folder' icon and choose your Ubuntu iso directory.

enter image description here

Select your Ubuntu iso file and click Next button.

enter image description here

In 'Summary' box, click Start button.

enter image description here

This screen will appear when it start boot.

enter image description here

After a successful installation we have to remove our installation .iso image from the virtual optical drive before we reboot. This can be done from the "Devices" menu or by removing the .iso from the VM settings:

enter image description here

For smooth graphics, and to be able to use shared folders it is recommended to install the guest additions.

8
  • 1
    Thanks dear , but problemo is that in Step 12 " Select installation Media" I dont have Disk Drive now its gone rogue . But I do have .iso image in my hard drive. Can u please tell me how to mount it . So i can select it in Step 12
    – OmiPenguin
    Jun 19, 2012 at 18:52
  • Just locate your iso, or to make it easy, copy iso file to Home folder and locate from VirtualBox.
    – penreturns
    Jun 19, 2012 at 19:01
  • 1
    locate from VirtualBox? How, coz when ever i try to run virtual box it immediately show this error " Fatal: No bootable medium found! System halted" And i copied the .iso image in /Home folder.
    – OmiPenguin
    Jun 30, 2012 at 16:33
  • @UmairMustafa Create the VM with the default settings and then on the First Run Wizard you get when you start the VM, browse to the .iso file. You must tell VirtualBox to use that ISO to boot. Delete the VM and create it again, following the last 4 images and steps carefully.
    – nanofarad
    Oct 6, 2012 at 14:57
  • You have to follow exactly the tutorial. Just run and follow the wizard. Im sure you miss the 'Click at 'folder' icon and choose your Ubuntu iso directory' part.
    – penreturns
    Oct 6, 2012 at 14:59
11

Installing Ubuntu under virtual box

  1. open virtualbox
  2. than click New
    creating
  3. then click Next
  4. Set name something like Ubuntu 12.04 (it will automaticly set type to linux)
  5. Set memory f.e. 1024 MB
  6. Select Create new hard disk
  7. Select VDI then Next
  8. Select Dynamically allocated then Next
  9. Set location(let it stay its default) and its size (f.e 20GB) then Next
  10. Then Create
  11. Then again Create
  12. Here is two ways
    • Install from .iso
    • Install from DVD
  13. Start VM
  14. There select what kind of installation you want(from iso or from dvd)
  15. then the installation will start
9

Go to the home page on Ubuntu's website and then go to the download section, and get Ubuntu if you haven`t done so already. You can burn the image to a CD or use it as is ISO image. Install VirtualBox if not installed already.

To install Virtualbox you can download it from VirtualBox

Once downloaded, navigate to where the file was downloaded, and then double click on it to install.

Once you have done the previous steps go here for a complete tutorial on how to install Ubuntu inside a virtual box.

1
  • I think OP may be currently running windows. Aug 29, 2013 at 6:43
3

You can get images specifically configured for virtual machines (for example, they might have VirtualBox Guest Additions preinstalled), but AFAIK they're all third-party.

To install Ubuntu on a virtual machine, you can use the regular Desktop images. For example in VirtualBox you can set up the VM, add a .iso file as a CD, boot from it, then install via the live system, just like on a physical machine (and then you'd want to install Guest Additions).

For more details, see

0
1

Most of the answers here are from 2012, below is one that is describing the 2020/2021 software situation better. Many options differ, others has changed.


NOTE: 20.04 LTS was used while creating the text, the version or variant (KUbuntu, XUbuntu, Mint, ...) should make no difference to as the actual INSTALL is stated very generally in step 16 below. There MAY well be performance differences though, comparing variants with e.g. gnome and xfce window managers).

Further notes:

  • The VM below was setup on an Ubuntu 20.04 host
  • The hardware: i4770K, 32G RAM, nVidia 2060, SSD for system and HDD:s for data and VM:s/Virtual disks/... .
  • The performance of the VM is generally always lower than the host system.

  1. Install virtualbox (version 6.1.10 was used to create the text below here).

  2. Download "Ubuntu install and live media" (an *.iso file, from e.g. https://ubuntu.com/download)

  3. Start virtualbox

  4. Select Machine > New from the menu (CTRL-N)

  5. Type in a Name - e.g. Ubuntu_20_04

  6. Set Type and Version to Linux and Ubuntu (64-bit) - click Next

  7. Set memory size for Ubuntu (8GB [8192 MB] or above, depending on what you will use the VM for) - click Next

  8. Select Create virtual hard disk now - click Create

  9. Click VDI (Virtualbox Disk Image) - click Next

  10. Click Dynamically allocated (less space required) OR Fixed size (faster install) - click Next

  11. Set filename and Size for the virtual disk (this image file will be the first harddisk of the virtual machine) - click Create

  12. Ubuntu_20_04 is selected in the left side pane - click Settings (icon, upper row in VBox window)

  13. Click Storage and then Empty under Controller: IDE

  14. click the CD icon to the right of Optical drive, a menu appears, select Choose a disk file and select the ISO file you downloaded in step 2.
    ALSO:
    General -settings, Advanced tab, bidirectional Clipboard and Drag'n'Drop,
    System -settings, Processor; Set at least TWO (best: at top of green range),
    Display settings - raise the amount of Video memory (best: at top of green range).

  15. click OK, click Start

  16. Install Ubuntu in the VM (Virtual Machine), exactly the same way as when using a computer (follow the instructions provided for the chosen Ubuntu variant).

  17. Reboot, login - Now one needs to install the build-essential package to succeed with the next step:
    hold CTRL and ALT, hit T - to get a Terminal running. Type

    sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)
    

    and press ENTER, answer Y and ENTER on the verifying question, then wait for the task to complete (no more text appears, there is a $ and a blinking(?) cursor next to it)

    To get further: VERIFY that there was no fatal ERROR or FAIL -text displayed (those would need to be resolved, not handled here).

    Type exit to close the window.

    Lastly select Devices > Insert Guest additions CD image from the VB menu to install the "drivers" (e.g. display, mouse and sharing; also note 'USB' in Virtualbox settings ).

  18. Handle the VM the same way as a hardware-computer - note the icons at the bottom edge of the window, use the menus for e.g. 'reset' (ctrl-alt-delete).

2
  • What is the specific with 20.04 what is not covered by the top voted answer?
    – Pilot6
    Jan 4, 2021 at 14:40
  • Steps 14 and 17 mostly. From a quick look, on top of that; There are a number of options that just are not present in the current Virtualbox. All of it is 8 years old things has changed.
    – Hannu
    Jan 4, 2021 at 14:47
0
  1. Download Ubuntu ISO
  2. Download Oracle Virtual Box and install it. https://www.virtualbox.org/
  3. Create a new Virtual Machine, go with the flow and choose settings as you feel right.
  4. You would be booted in a live mode and greeted with a desktop where you can see install Ubuntu icon.
  5. Click on it and complete the installation.
  6. Once done, restart the VM and now you have a complete VirtualBox running Ubuntu.

Source : Install Ubuntu 20.04

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .