Virtual PC: using Windows on Linux

Windows can also be used on a Linux computer. To do this, install Windows in a virtual machine.

With a Linux PC almost all tasks can be done, which can also be done on a Windows computer. With a few simple steps, a Linux system can even be turned into a full-fledged Server. If you want to work with windows in addition to Linux and do not want to set up a Multiboot system, you do not need an additional computer. A virtualization Software for Linux systems handles this task without any problems. We recommend the free virtualization software called Virtualbox for this. For example, you can use financial and accounting programs that are only available under Windows and for which there is no equivalent under Linux.

Install Virtualbox under Linux

Download the current version of Virtualbox for Ubuntu / Debian from the Internet. Then perform the installation by default. In the package installer window, click Install Package. Confirm the Installation of additional components by clicking on “CONTINUE”. In the following window, enter your password and click on “legitimize”. Follow the instructions and complete the Setup.

Create virtual PC under Linux Mint

Start Virtualbox from the entry in the Mint Start menu. In the main window of Virtualbox you now create your first virtual machine. Determine how much memory it should have and how large the virtual hard drive should be. First, click on “New”. An assistant will open to guide you through the setup. Go to “next” and enter a name for your new virtual machine in the next window. Select the desired operating system in the two drop-down boxes below.

After clicking on “next”, specify how much memory the virtual PC should have. For older Windows versions and some Linux distributions 1 GB of RAM is sufficient, for Windows 7, 8 and 10 at least 2 GB are recommended. The virtual machine still needs a hard disk. The option “create disk” is preset. Click on “Create”, and then apply the disk type” VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) “as well as in the subsequent dialog”dynamically allocated”. Confirm with “Next”.

In the next step, apply the suggested name for the virtual disk. The size is preset to 50 GB for Windows 10. Slide the slider to the left or right to reduce or expand the size of the hard drive if necessary. Now click on the button “create”. The Wizard is closed and the new virtual machine for Windows is created.

Installing Windows 10 in the virtual machine

You need a Windows 10 and its license – either as a DVD or ISO file, which you can create under Windows with the Media Creation Tool or download from the Internet. Start the previously created virtual machine in Virtualbox and select either the DVD drive or the Windows ISO file as the installation source. Then install Windows as usual. After the first Start of Windows 10, you should additionally activate the guest extensions via “Insert device guest extensions” (see power tip). After restarting Windows 10, set up your desired programs.

Power tip: the guest Additions from Virtualbox improve the interaction between Host and guest system. With the included graphics card driver, it is possible to leave the window of the virtual PC with the mouse without having to use the default host key. In addition, there is the “seamless window” mode and shared folders for data exchange between Linux and host system.