Ubuntu in a Box

Linux is a wounderful operating system for coding and development, but Windows or Mac OS also have advantages. My favorite Linux distribution is Ubuntu (even if there are good reasons to use Linux Mint or Xubuntu). To combine the best of different operating systems, you don’t have to install them side by side: In many cases a virtual machine (VM) is sufficient, especially if your system has a SSD, 8 GB ram and an eight-core processor.

I’m using Oracle Virtual Box, because it’s free and together with an extension pack it delivers a bunch of useful options and features (like a shared clipboard or shared folders and so on).

Before you set up your virtual machine, you should check if your BIOS has virtualization enabled. You should turn it on to get 64bit support for your guest system. Restart your computer and press del or probably a F-Key like F12 to get to your BIOS setup. Most of the time you will find this option in the advanced CPU settings tab (see figure 1).

BIOS Virtualization
Figure 1: The setting can be found under “Virtualization Technology” or “Intel® Virtualization Technology”, mostly under the tabs “CPU Configurations”, “System Configurations”, “Advanced” or “Security”.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.