The rapid development of virtualization technologies has had a significant impact not only on the development of the IT infrastructure of large enterprises. desktop power personal computers reached a level where one physical machine can support several simultaneously running operating systems in virtual machines. Until a few years ago, virtual machines were something exotic for end users who installed them, mostly for evaluation purposes. Now multi-core processors and large volumes random access memory on a home or office computer is not uncommon, and this allows you to come up with new options for their use in the context of virtualization technologies.

Many users find a variety of uses for desktop virtualization platforms, both at home and at work. After all virtual machine, compared to the physical one, has significantly greater flexibility in terms of portability to another physical platform. In addition, the quality of desktop virtualization platforms has grown significantly over the past couple of years in terms of functionality, ease of use, and speed. The relatively recent support for hardware virtualization in the desktop shows that leading processor manufacturers such as Intel and AMD believe in the future of virtualization technologies on personal computers.

Of course, such cumbersome and hardware-demanding operating systems as Windows Vista, are capable of absorbing the power of user desktops, no matter how high they are, however, progress does not stand still, and further development of desktop hardware platforms will soon make it possible to support several such systems simultaneously, satisfying performance requirements. However, many users feel that home virtualization technologies are not necessary and see virtualization as another specific technology that won't affect them much. For the most part, this is due to the fact that they do not see worthy ways to use virtual machines.

In the business world, virtualization technologies are implemented mainly to maintain a company's virtual server infrastructure and have very little impact on end users. In this article, we will show that virtually any PC user can use virtualization technologies to increase the efficiency of their work on a PC at home, as well as for everyday tasks in the workplace.

How to use virtual machines at home

Most personal computer users are often faced with the problem of using potentially dangerous or unstable applications that can either damage the operating system or affect the operation of other programs. Often, a home computer, on which work documents are also located, is used by several people, among whom not everyone understands how to properly handle it so as not to damage important data or the operating system. Creating "User" type accounts does not solve this problem, since many applications require administrative rights to install, and working at the computer in this mode significantly limits its use. Of course, many also face the problem of transferring the operating system and installed applications to another computer when buying it. The category of users who actively use laptops is faced with the problem of synchronizing data between it and a desktop computer. After all, it is necessary not only to synchronize files, but also to use the same applications at work and at home. For many people, it is also important to be able to learn how to work with various operating systems, which in this case do not require high performance. In this case, for example, working in Linux, the user needs to access Windows applications, and for this you have to restart the computer. And the main problem in training is the impossibility of modeling a real network between several computers if one is available. All these and many other problems can be solved by using virtual machines in desktop virtualization systems.

The main options for home use of virtual machines are the following:

• Creation of a personal virtual environment isolated from the host system, which allows you to use several copies of working environments on one computer, completely isolated from each other. Unfortunately, this model excludes the option of using virtual environments for 3D games, since virtualization platform manufacturers have not yet learned how to fully support the emulation of all the functions of video adapters. Ahead of everyone this moment in this regard, VMware, which in the latest versions of its desktop platform VMware Workstation included features for experimental support for Direct-3D and shaders. However, recently PCI-SIG, the developer of the PCI Express standard, published new specifications for the PCI Express 2.0 standard, which claims support for I/O virtualization features that make it much easier for guests to access physical hardware. Undoubtedly, the time is not far off when we will play games on virtual machines.
• Create portable virtual machines that are ready to use on any other architecture-compatible platform. If you need to demonstrate the work of any program, while it or the operating system environment must be configured in a certain way - virtual machines are the best option in this case. Do all the necessary actions in the virtual machine, burn it to a DVD, and where you need to show how everything works, install the virtualization platform and start the virtual machine.
• Obtaining secure user environments for the Internet. When working on the Internet, which, as everyone knows, is fairly filled with viruses and Trojan horses, running an Internet browser in user-mode is not an acceptable solution for many from a security point of view. Indeed, in software, including operating systems, there are many vulnerabilities through which malware can damage important data. In this case, a virtual machine is a more advantageous option, since a malicious program, after gaining control over the operating system in a virtual machine, can cause harm only inside it, without affecting the host OS. By the way, recently viruses have begun to appear that detect their presence in a virtual machine and do not impersonate in this case, but so far such malware units, and in any case, no harm will be done to important data until the infected objects are transferred to the host OS. Therefore, the use of virtual machines in this case does not exclude the use of anti-virus software.
• Creation of environments for experiments with potentially dangerous software. On a virtual machine, you can painlessly try out a new registry cleaner or disk utility. You can also safely install application software that may, under certain conditions, damage the system or your data. In this case, the virtual machine acts as a "sandbox" in which your programs are played. You can safely observe their work and study them without worrying about the safety of data.
• Convenient and simple backup user environments. Ultimately, a virtual machine is just a folder of files on your computer that can be copied to backup media and then easily restored. In this case, you do not need to create images hard drive to backup your system.
• The ability to learn how to work with operating systems other than your host. Of course, you can install a second OS in parallel with your main system, but in this case, if you need any application from the main system, you will have to reboot. In this case, a virtual machine is ideal: you run the OS you need in parallel with the host OS and switch between them if necessary. In many systems, file sharing between the guest and host systems is organized simply by dragging and dropping files and folders with the mouse pointer.

We have listed only the main options for using virtual machines at home, of course, there are other, more specific areas of their application. But the real prospects when using desktop virtualization systems open up in business, where availability and saving time and costs for the purchase of additional equipment are important, first of all.

Desktop virtualization platforms in business

For most companies, when it comes to virtualization, it primarily means virtualizing the enterprise's server infrastructure. However, there are many virtual machine-based solutions for end users that significantly increase the efficiency of the company's employees. Consider the main areas of application of virtual machines in business on virtualization platforms for desktop users:

• Creation of repositories of typical templates of user working environments. Depending on the specifics of the organization, its employees need to use a certain set of software. When a new employee joins the organization, he needs to install the operating system, configure it in a certain way, in accordance with the requirements of the organization and security policies, and install all the necessary application software. When using virtual machine templates, this problem is solved very simply: the employee installs a desktop virtualization platform, and a virtual machine from the set of organization templates is launched in it, in which all the necessary software is installed and the corresponding operating system settings are made. This model will significantly reduce the time spent on deployment, as well as provide high flexibility when transferring an employee's virtual desktop to another physical machine. Of course, such a use case may require increased hardware resources of the equipment, but this will more than pay off if the employee has to deal with large amounts of heterogeneous data, the backup of which will require a significant amount of time. For example, marketing people who install a lot of software they need, try things and work with different documents every day. In this case, they can copy the folder with the files of their working virtual machine at the end of the working day, without fear that everything will “break” when installing another program tomorrow.
• Creating a virtual desktop infrastructure that allows you to centrally store user environments on secure company servers. The end users themselves use the means remote access to the desktop of their environments (for example, Terminal Services) stored in the corporate data center. This option of using virtual machines requires significant costs for its implementation, since in this case the support of server virtualization platforms of the company's data center is required. However, this provides the best level of security and availability. Since all working environments are stored and maintained centrally in a secure data center, the likelihood of a leak confidential information is significantly reduced. At the same time, the degree of availability of such environments is significantly increased, because access to them can be provided from anywhere with a high-speed connection. Strictly speaking, this decision does not apply to desktop virtualization platforms, but it does affect end users. An example of such a solution is VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, based on the virtual infrastructure of the organization's servers in the corporate data center. The structure of such a model is shown in the figure:
  
• Application of virtual machines protected by security policies. IT professionals who need to ensure the confidentiality of their personal data, as well as frequent demonstrations of various software to customers, are perfect solutions for creating secure virtual machines, which provide means of restricting access to various functions for working with a virtual machine. You can also set the expiration date of the virtual machine and thus distribute software, so that a certain circle of people cannot use the virtual machine for more than the allowed time. An example of such a solution is VMware's ACE Manager.
• Simplify user training by creating classrooms with virtual machines where various operating systems and application software are installed. If you need to train a group of people in your organization to use a particular product or program, you can create one virtual machine template and install the virtualization platform on each of the computers in the classroom. Further, the virtual machine can be copied to all computers and run with all the necessary number of programs. If you need training for another product, you can create new template virtual machine and also deploy it to all computers in the classroom.
• Development and testing of software in the company. The virtual machine, being an isolated environment, is ideal for software development. Developers and testers can create the configurations of operating systems and user environments they need to simulate the behavior of the program on various platforms. As part of this use case, it is also possible to model the working bundles of virtual machines on the same physical platform that carry out network interaction with each other. In addition, some platforms, such as VMware Workstation, allow you to create virtual machine state trees, each with a specific user configuration saved. Each of these states can be rolled back with a single mouse click. An example of such a tree:
  

Comparative overview of desktop virtualization platforms

Leading companies in the field of desktop virtualization platforms have done a lot over the past two years to make them as easy to use as possible and make them accessible even to the most inexperienced user. The leaders in the production of virtualization systems for end users at the moment are the following companies: VMware with VMware Workstation, VMware ACE and VMware Fusion products, Microsoft with the Virtual PC product, Parallels promoting its virtualization platform for Mac OS with the Parallels Desktop for Mac product, and the company InnoTek with free open source platform source code virtual box. Let's take a quick look at the features of some of these products.

VMware Workstation

VMware is the undisputed leader in desktop virtualization today. Its products are easy to use, feature rich and fast. Almost all manufacturers of desktop virtualization platforms are guided by the product. The process of creating a virtual machine and installing a guest operating system does not cause any particular difficulties: when creating it, you must specify the amount of RAM allocated for the guest system, the type and size of the virtual disk, the folder where the virtual machine files will be located and the type of guest OS to be installed. A bootable CD or DVD or ISO image can be used as a guest installation distribution. After installing the operating system in a virtual machine, be sure to install VMware Tools and disable all unnecessary emulated devices in the settings in order to optimize performance. It is also possible to create a snapshot (snapshot) of the “clean” state of the guest system, while all data on virtual disks at that moment will be saved, and at any time it will be possible to return to their saved state. TO key features VMware Workstation can be attributed to:

• Support for various types of virtual disks (controllers are emulated for both IDE and SCSI disks):
  • fixed size (Preallocated) or growing as it fills up (Growing), while the former are optimized for speed, and the latter are convenient in that they do not take up much space before they are filled
  • Independent drives that are not affected by operating system snapshots. Such disks are convenient for organizing file storages, the change of which is not required when working with snapshots of the state of the guest system
  • support for disks whose state is not saved when the virtual machine is turned off
  • ability to write directly to physical disk
• Support for various types of network interaction between virtual machines, including the association of virtual machines into "teams" (Teams), which allows you to create virtual subnets consisting of virtual machines with a different number of virtual machines network adapters(up to three). Virtual network interface it can work in three different modes:
  • Bridged Networking- the virtual machine shares the resources of the network card with the host operating system and works with the network external to it as an independent machine.
  • Host-only Networking- The virtual machine receives an IP address on the host's own subnet from the VMware DHCP server. Accordingly, you can work on the network only with other virtual machines on this host and from the OS of the host itself.
  • NAT- the virtual machine also works in its own subnet of the host (but different), however, through NAT, the VMware server can initiate connections to the external network. It is not possible to initiate a connection to such a virtual machine from an external network. Within the host, networking is provided.
  • Disks can also be mounted on the host system using the utility vmware-mount and expand with utility vmware-vdiskmanager(this utility also serves to perform a number of other actions on virtual disks).
• The ability to easily share files using the Drag&Drop interface, as well as by creating shared folders(Shared Folders) between host and guest OS.
• Support for a large list of guest and host operating systems.

The latest version of VMware Workstation 6 also includes the following useful features:

• full support USB interface 2.0
• ability to record virtual machine activity
• integrated product VMware Converter (for Windows hosts) for importing virtual machines from other manufacturers
• running a virtual machine as a service

It's also worth noting that VMware Workstation is currently the only virtualization platform that experimentally supports Direct-3D in guest operating systems. The main and perhaps the only drawback of this platform is the fact that it is not free.

Microsoft Virtual PC

Appeared as a competitor to VMware Workstation, a Connectix product purchased subsequently Microsoft Corporation together with the company, did not receive worthy development in its hands. As a result, at the moment, in almost all respects, it loses to the VMware Workstation platform and can only be launched in the host operating system. Windows system. However, a fair number of users use it as a desktop virtualization platform because Virtual PC is free and satisfies the basic need for using virtual machines. The guest installation process is also very simple and intuitive. After the operating system is installed, you need to install Virtual Machine Additions (analogous to VMware Tools in VMware Workstation), which significantly increase the performance of the guest OS by improving virtualization techniques. VM Additions can also be installed on Linux guest operating systems.

To the main advantages Microsoft product Virtual PC includes the following features:

• Complete Windows support Vista, both as a host and as a guest operating system. In terms of performance, Virtual PC 2007 has taken a significant step forward from the previous version, and now the performance of Windows Vista in a virtual machine is quite acceptable.
• Support for 64-bit host Windows systems.
• Improved performance by taking advantage of improvements introduced in Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2.
• Availability of different types of virtual disks:
  • Dynamically expanding (similar to Growing in VMware Workstation)
  • Fixed Size (similar to Preallocated in VMware Workstation)
  • Differencing - a disk that stores changes from the current state of the virtual disk
  • Linked to a hard disk (similar to direct disk writing in VMware Workstation)
• The presence of various types of networking between virtual machines and the host:
  • analogue of Bridged Networking in VMware Workstation
  • Local only (analogous to Host-only in VMware Workstation)
  • Shared Networking (similar to NAT in VMware Workstation)

It should be noted that the Virtual PC product is aimed more at home users than IT professionals and software developers, while VMware Workstation, having much more functionality, is able to cover the needs of the latter. At the same time, Virtual PC is free and is mainly intended to simplify migration to new operating systems. Microsoft systems and support for their outdated versions. And, of course, the popularity of the Virtual PC platform is rendered free of charge, creating a certain niche for the use of this product.

Parallels Workstation and Parallels Desktop for Mac

The product is intended for use on Windows and Linux platforms as a desktop virtualization system. Due to the fact that Parallels (actually owned by the Russian company SWSoft) has now focused mainly on the product, the development of this product is currently somewhat suspended and functionality it is behind the two leading desktop platforms from VMware and Microsoft. Therefore, we will talk about the Parallels Desktop for Mac platform, which is now the main one for computers from Apple. In addition, at the moment the development of this platform is very dynamic, which is due, first of all, to the fact that VMware is seriously intending to invade the virtualization market for Macs with its VMware Fusion product, which is almost ready for final release. Key features of the Parallels Desktop for Mac platform:

• Easily create virtual machines in three steps with Parallels Installation Assistant. Creating a virtual machine and installing a guest operating system in it is effortless.
• The presence of the Parallels Transporter utility, which allows you to migrate from a physical machine to a virtual one.
• Full support for Windows Vista guest OS. This provides a simple file exchange between the guest and host operating systems.
• USB 2.0 interface support
• Support for Mac OS X "Leopard"

Like most products for the Mac OS X platform, Parallels Desktop provides the user with a simple and user-friendly interface. It's no secret that many Mac users often feel the need to use products for Windows, and Parallels Desktop provides them with this opportunity, allowing them to feel "in two worlds."

You can also mention Parallels products such as Parallels Compressor Workstation and Parallels Compressor Server, which allow you to compress disks not only of Parallels virtual machines, but also of VMware, which is a solution to one of the problems that users often face.

virtual box

InnoTek recently entered the desktop virtualization market with an unexpected free and open source solution. At a time when it seemed new platform virtualization is difficult to bring to a decent level, InnoTek has achieved unexpectedly rapid success and popular recognition.

Many bloggers loyal to VMware, however, have stated that on their desktops, virtual machines on the platform run noticeably faster than virtual machines in VMware Workstation. In addition, until recently, the VirtualBox platform was available only for Linux and Windows hosts, and at the end of April the first assembly for Mac OS X appeared, where the platform is planned to compete with such "monsters" of virtualization systems as Parallels and VMware. And, of course, she has every chance of winning. Given the full openness of the platform and its free, many enthusiasts are ready to take on the refinement of the platform and increasing the functionality, hopefully, without compromising its performance. At the moment, VirtualBox does not have as wide functionality as the leading platforms, does not support 64-bit systems and networking with Windows Vista, but on the site you can get up-to-date information on which system functions are being worked on. At the moment, the platform has the following main features:

• A fairly large list of supported host and guest operating systems.
• Support for multiple snapshots of the current state of the guest system (snapshots).
• Dynamically expanding and fixed size disks.
• Ability to install Guest Additions (similar to VMware Tools) to increase the degree of integration with the host OS

Of course, in terms of functionality, VirtualBox is a very immature product, but its performance indicators indicate that the platform has a future, and the Open Source community will make every effort to improve and develop it.

What to choose as a desktop virtualization system?

Summing up, we can say that each of the platforms described above currently occupies its own niche in the field of application of virtualization technologies on desktop computers. Each of the virtualization systems has advantages and disadvantages. Over time, of course, many of them will acquire the necessary functionality that satisfies most of the needs of users. It is also to be hoped that tools will be provided to convert virtual machine formats between platforms.

No doubt when we are talking about using desktop virtualization at home on Windows hosts, you should choose between the Microsoft Virtual PC or VirtualBox platforms, as they are free and have the necessary functionality to support virtual machines at home. However, when it comes to the use of virtual machines in business, in the corporate environment of an enterprise, where the deployment of desktop virtualization systems places high demands on functionality and reliability, one cannot do without VMware Workstation, which is significantly superior to other platforms described. The VirtualBox product can also find its place here, as the most optimized for performance.

Virtual PC should be used when providing support for older versions of Windows and running Windows Vista as a guest OS. And Mac users cannot do without Parallels Desktop product: this is evidenced by the fact that the result of more than 100,000 sold copies of the product was recorded back in 2006. Mac users should also take a look at VMware Fusion, which claims to be the leader in desktop virtualization platforms in the future.

Virtualization technologies for personal computers are getting closer to the end user and can now be used both in the daily work of employees of organizations and on home computers to create secure or isolated personal environments. In addition, the use of virtual machines on desktops is not limited to the described options. For example, in a VMware virtual machine, in the windowed mode of the guest operating system console, you can set a higher resolution supported by the monitor, while the guest window will have scroll bars. This will allow you to test the website or application on high resolutions in the absence of an appropriate monitor. This example shows that the options for using virtual machines on desktops are up to your imagination. And rapidly evolving custom virtualization platforms will help you meet your needs.

What is a virtual machine?

A virtual machine program is special software that creates a virtual machine. computer system with virtual hardware. This virtual machine runs in a separate window as a process in the real operating system. The virtual machine can be downloaded from installation disk(or Live CD), and the operating system will "perceive" the virtual computer as a real one. It will install and work just like on a real physical PC. To load such an operating system, it is enough to open the program for working with virtual machines and run the virtual OS in a separate window right on the desktop.

The operating system of a virtual machine is stored on a virtual hard disk, a multi-gigabyte file that resides on a real hard disk. The operating system perceives this file as a full-fledged disk, so there are no difficulties with creating partitions.

Virtual machines place an additional burden on real system resources, so they do not run as fast as the operating system installed on a real computer. This creates particular difficulties for modern games that require powerful graphics cards and multi-core processors, so virtual machines are not the best option for running Windows games on Linux or Mac OS X (unless they are old or resource-intensive).

Why you might need a virtual machine

Virtual machines are not only good fun for geeks, but also a very useful tool. They allow you to experiment with alternative operating systems without abandoning the current one. This a good option, for example, in order to try Linux in general or a fresh distribution in particular, without installing it on your main computer and without even booting from a Live CD or USB. When the operating system gets bored, the virtual machine can simply be deleted. In addition, the virtual machine good way test new version Windows. When will the trial be out? Windows assembly 9, you can avoid potential system stability issues by installing it in a virtual machine.

The virtual machine also makes it possible to use software written for other operating systems. For example, on Linux and Mac, you can install Windows programs in a virtual machine. And even on Windows, you can use a virtual machine to run Linux programs, rather than Cygwin or a second operating system in alternate boot mode.

In addition, virtual machines are isolated from the main operating system, so the programs installed in them cannot harm the real OS. Virtual machine - good decision for testing dubious programs. For example, when we received a fraudulent email purporting to be from Microsoft, we ran the file attached to it in a virtual machine to see what it did, and the attackers failed to harm our real operating system.

Unprotected operating systems can also be run safely in an isolated environment. If you can't get rid of applications that only run on Windows XP, you can create a virtual machine for them. Of course, it would be better not to use Windows XP at all, but if you do, it's better to run it in a virtual machine than on a real computer.

Programs for working with virtual machines

There are several programs for working with virtual machines:

materials

Let's take a closer look at what virtual machines for Windows are and what they are for. Learn all about the best OS simulators and how to get started using them.

A virtual machine (VM) is a computer application with which a user can create a simulation of an operating system. An OS image is installed on the machine for use inside an existing system. Very convenient, isn't it? But there are also pitfalls. Read what you will encounter during installation and which virtual machine for Windows versions 7.8 and 10 is better to choose.

Why do you need virtual machines for PC?

In most cases, VMs are used to test software in . To work with multiple operating systems, you need only one computer, which significantly speeds up the work.

You can run multiple virtual machines on the same computer at the same time. Their number depends on the available RAM and space on the child's disk, since the virtual OS consumes exactly the same memory resource as the regular copy installed on the computer.

With the help of virtual machines, you can work with programs and functions that are not available in the main OS. Also, it is possible to create backups VM, with their subsequent movement and use on other computers.

Viruses, bugs and other failures of the virtual OS do not affect the operation of the main system. After the machine is closed, the additional OS stops and the RAM is freed.

During the operation of the VM, the device may slow down, because the increased consumption of storage resources leads to an increase in the processing time of requests.

Reasons for installing a VM:

• You want to get acquainted with the work of other operating systems without their full installation. If there is a need to replace an existing OS, first use the virtual simulator to test other software options. This will save you from possible bugs and incompatibility with the hardware;
• You are a developer and want to create a comprehensive system for testing applications you create.

virtual box

VirtualBox is a virtual machine for Windows 7,8,10. The virtualization environment is distributed free of charge and can be installed both to work with operating systems and to deploy network infrastructure and hosting sites.

VirtualBox main window:

The main feature of this virtual machine is cross-platform. It works great on all versions of Windows. Also, from the developer's site you can download installers for Mac OS, Debian. In the virtualization environment itself, you can install any desktop OS.

With VirtualBox, you can get acquainted with the functionality of the OS or in safe mode test the program without harming the main system. Often users prefer to install old games on virtual machines that are incompatible with modern operating systems.

After the simulator is completed, all data and changes will be saved. The next time you turn it on, you will be returned to the desktop and can continue to perform tasks.

Advantages and disadvantages

Benefits of VirtualBox:

• Free distribution. 90% of similar software is paid, while VirtualBox can be obtained completely free of charge. The functions and capabilities of the program are not limited to the developer;
• Ability to create screenshots - screenshots virtual system. The resulting image will only display the additional OS window. Taking screenshots with the main OS degrades the resolution and also captures your regular desktop;
• Creation of an exact copy of an existing virtual machine;
• Ability to drag and drop folders, shortcuts and other objects inside the simulator;
• Unified file system - from the virtual machine you can access the directories that are stored on the PC, and vice versa;
• Simultaneous work with several machines.

Also, distinctive feature new VirtualBox 4 is a convenient virtualization management system and an intuitive program workspace. Also, in the new assembly, the ability to capture video from the screen of an additional OS is available.

VirtualBox supports working with USB-drives connected to the computer.

Program disadvantages:

• Computer slowdown. Even if your PC has good technical specifications, enough space for RAM and permanent memory, when using a virtual machine, you will experience slower performance of all functions. If during the process of creating a VM you allocated too much memory to it, the computer will freeze or shut down severely;
• Insufficient video memory. If you need to get the most quality image, it will be difficult to do this with VirtualBox. The program allows you to configure the settings for using the video card only at the basic level.

How to install

To install the VirtualBox program, download the installer from the official website of the developer - Oracle. The installation process is standard and does not require additional settings:

• Run the EXE file;
• Select HDD, which will contain the root folder with the program;
• Wait for the installation to complete. If necessary, the user can view hard disk usage statistics during the installation process.

In the "Custom Setup" field, it is possible to disable support for USB, network services. This allows you to reduce the final size of the application.

Video tutorial on how to install two OS using VirtualBox

After installing the program, you can start creating the first virtual machine. Click on the "Create" button in the upper left corner of the window. The VM settings tab will open:

In the setup wizard window, select the type of virtual OS (Windows, Linux, Debian, MacOS) and its version. Specify a name for the created simulator and click on the "Next" button.

Then, the program will give you the opportunity to independently specify the amount of RAM that will be allocated for an additional OS. For novice users, we advise you to set the value that is indicated in the "Recommended main memory size" field.

The size of the RAM for the VM should be determined depending on specifications your PC. If your computer has 4 GB of RAM available, 512 MB-1 GB will be enough for the simulator to work properly.

Next, the program will ask you to select file system OS image (which matches the previously specified family and version). When the setup is completed, a window will appear with a brief listing of all parameters. Click on "Finish".

After installation is complete virtual Windows, an icon for starting the OS will appear in the main window of VirtualBox. Click on it and wait for the desktop to load. If necessary, install the drivers.

For automatic update drivers, open the "devices" tab on the toolbar of the virtual machine. Then click on desired type media and in a new window, follow the instructions to obtain new software.

Ready. Now you can start working with the virtual operating system. To exit the program, first turn off the OS, and then close VirtualBox.

VMware

VMWare Workstation is the best virtual machine for Windows 10. The developer positions the program as a convenient platform for creating . Compared to other popular counterparts, VMWare supports more features for customizing a virtual machine and allows you to synchronize the simulator with software development tools.

This virtualization environment is popular among programmers, web designers and other professionals who often have to test their projects for cross-platform.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of VMWare are:

• Convenient toolbar;
• Synchronization with Microsoft development tools, in particular the .NET platform and the Visual Studio software environment;
• Safety system. Built-in VMWare tools provide a high level of protection for your files in an additional OS. The simulator can detect attempts malicious activity eliminate them;
• Operation of encryption services for the created virtual machines.

Application disadvantages:

• Paid distribution. User can download free trial version utilities, but to get full version applications with all available features will need to pay for an annual or monthly subscription;
• Not suitable for beginners. If you have not used operating system simulators before, we recommend starting with more simple options. For example, VirtualBox and Hyper V standard for Windows. VMWare is suitable for advanced users who prefer to manually configure the system.

How to install

You can download a virtual machine for Windows from the official website of the developer VMWare.com.

During the installation process, it is recommended to turn off Windows Defender or another working antivirus. This is only necessary for the correct installation of all files and encryption algorithms that the program uses for virtual machines. No harm will be done to your main OS, since the product is downloaded from an official source.

Overview of the functionality and the first setup of the program

To create the first virtual machine in VMWare, you will need to download the OS distribution kit that you want to use in the emulator to your computer. Then open a window installed application and click on the "Create a new virtual machine" field

Note! The user can create a group of virtual machines instead of several simulators. This allows you to reduce the resource of consumed RAM and speed up the computer and the OS simulator.

In the VM Configuration Wizard window, specify the path to the operating system image (it can be a file in the computer's memory or a boot disk). Also, it is possible to set up a virtual machine without installing the OS (you can install it later).

• In the window that appears, specify the OS name, username and password for accessing the account;
• Specify on which disk of your computer the virtual machine will be stored;
• Allocate the amount of RAM you need to run the VM;
• Set up the equipment (automatically or manually).

After completing the virtual machine setup, wait for the OS image to install and start working:

Microsoft Virtual PC

Microsoft Virtual PC is another popular virtual machine emulator. The program is well compatible with all versions of OS Windows. If you are using a Microsoft product as your main OS, we recommend choosing Microsoft Virtual PC for emulation.

Advantages and disadvantages

Emulator Benefits:

• Excellent compatibility with all versions of Windows OS. In most cases, the user does not need to install any additional drivers for the virtual OS. All of them are synchronized with the main system;
• Shared access to the file system. Access files stored on the PC hard drive through the VM window;
• Support for 64-bit Windows OS in "Guest host" and "Guest environment" operating modes;
• Support for hardware virtualization.

Flaws:

• There are paid features. The program is distributed free of charge, but you will have to buy a subscription to support setting up a group of virtual operating systems;
• There is no support for Linux-like systems.

Overview of the functionality and the first setup of the program

To install a virtual OS, first load its image into the computer's memory, and then open the Microsoft Virtual PC application. Click on the "Create a virtual machine" button and in the new window configure the following settings:

• Set the name of the new OS;
• Allocate space for her hard drive and the amount of RAM;
• Select which devices the VM will support (network environment, flash drives, and so on).

Outcome

We have told you about the best virtual machines for Windows, but not all of them. If you think that these are not the best - write in the comments! Help novice readers decide which emulator to start with.

Virtual machines such as Virtualbox are used to emulate virtual hardware and run multiple operating systems on a computer. The better your CPU and the more RAM you have, the faster the virtual machines on your computer will run.
I offer a few tips to help you save time when setting up virtual machines for the first time. This will be useful for working with virtual VirtualBox machines, VMware, Parallels, or whatever.

Be sure to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions or VMware Tools

After installing the guest operating system in a virtual machine, the first thing to do is install the virtual machine software - "Guest OS Additions for VirtualBox" or VMware Tools for VMware". These packages include special drivers that will help your guest operating system run faster on using the hardware of your main machine.

Installing the package is easy - in VirtualBox, once the guest operating system is loaded, click the Devices menu button and select "Install Guest Additions". If you are using VMware, select "Install VMware Tools" from the Virtual Machine menu. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation - if you are using Windows as your guest operating system, it will be the same as installing any other application.

Make sure you have the most latest version Guest Additions - If you see a notification that an update is available for Guest Additions or VMware Tools, you should install it.

Creating a fixed size disks on initial setup

When creating a virtual machine, you can create two various types virtual disks. By default, the program usually suggests using dynamically allocated disks that grow with the guest OS footprint.

For example, if you create a new virtual machine with a dynamically allocated disk with a maximum size of 30 GB, it will not take up to 30 GB of hard disk space at once. After installing the operating system and programs, the disk can only take up to 10 GB. As files are added to the virtual disk, it will expand up to a maximum size of 30 GB.

This can be convenient - each virtual machine will not take up unreasonably much space on your hard drive. However, this is slower than creating a fixed disk size (a disk with preallocated space). When you create a fixed disk size, all 30 GB will be occupied immediately on your computer.

There is a trade-off here - a fixed disk size takes up more hard disk space, but works faster with a virtual hard disk. You will also get rid of file fragmentation - the space will be occupied by a large block instead of smaller pieces being added all over the disk.

Exclude the virtual machine directory in your antivirus

Your antivirus can scan virtual machine files as they are accessed, slowing down performance. The antivirus will not be able to detect a virus inside a virtual machine running on your guest operating system, so this check only hurts.

To speed up the process, you can add your machine's virtual directory to the antivirus author's exclusion list. Once it is in the list, your antivirus will ignore all files in that directory.

Allocate more memory

Virtual machines love a lot of virtual memory. Microsoft recommends 2 GB of RAM for 64-bit Windows 7, and this recommendation also applies to Windows 7 x32 when running in a virtual machine. If you are running large applications in a virtual machine, you may want to allocate more than 2 GB of RAM.

You can allocate more RAM in your virtual machine's settings dialog (the virtual machine must be turned off to do this). If your computer does not have enough memory to comfortably work with a virtual machine, you may notice a very large decrease in computer performance when using a paging file on your hard drive.

Allocate more processors

If you have a computer with multiple processors or cores, you can allocate additional processors for your virtual machine from the VM settings window. A VM with a dual-core (or quad-core) processor will be more responsive.

If you are going to install OS of MS-Windows family and in the future in order to be able to use more cores during installation, specify 2 cores in order to install the correct HAL, after installation you can turn off the machine and set 1 core by default for everyday use. But for the future, you can always add kernels without uninstalling the OS. The Linux VM can dynamically detect any number of cores when the OS boots.

Adjust video settings

Tweaking your video settings and allocating more video memory will also help improve the speed of your virtual machine. For example, enabling 2D acceleration in VirtualBox improves video playback in virtual machines, enabling 3D acceleration will allow you to use some 3D applications.

By and large, you need to minimize the use of 3D for example Windows 7 by disabling Aero.

Make sure Intel VT-x or AMD-V features are enabled

Intel VT-x and AMD-V are special processor extensions that improve virtualization speed. New Intel and AMD processors usually include these features. However, some computers do not automatically enable VT-x or AMD-V - you will have to enable this setting in your computer's BIOS.

To determine if your Intel processor Intel VT extension, use the utilities that show system information. If your processor supports this feature, but the option is not available in your virtual machine, you must enable this feature in your computer's BIOS. This setting is usually enabled by default in motherboards with AMD processors.

Put the virtual machine files on a different drive

Disk performance can limit the speed of your virtual machine. Placing virtual machine files on a separate physical disk or not system drive- can improve performance. Your virtual machine and system will not concurrently read and write from the same disk.

However, you must not start the virtual machine with external drive(USB) - this will be much slower.

1. Dedicating additional processors is rarely a good idea. Use 1 CPU for desktop OS.
2. Try not to use graphical hypervisors for server operating systems.
3. Don't allocate more cores to running VMs than you have on your computer.

If you have ever installed any programs, carried out some experiments on your computer, then you are well aware of how much time it takes to restore its original state. Often, for this, you have to completely reinstall the system.

In order to avoid such serious consequences, users go to all sorts of tricks: only from trusted sources, use the most powerful and quality antiviruses do in case of problems. But ordinary ones are more reliable than all this.

What is a virtual machine?

Imagine that on your computer, a second operating system is installed in parallel with the first one, which simultaneously works with it. It is completely independent of the “real” OS, and any risky experiments can be carried out on it.

Represented? So, virtual machines allow all this, as they are special software "containers" in which you can run almost any operating system. Unlike the OS that's on your hard drive, it won't have direct access to the computer's hardware through a shell program.

As a result, you can launch at least a whole brood of viruses in it: they cannot do any harm. An ideal example is the virtual vmware machine, which advanced users use to launch new versions of operating systems, to test dubious programs and drivers. In the realities of our country, it is even more often used to launch keygens to generate keys to programs. All this allows you not to spoil your system in vain.

But do not assume that virtual machines are the prerogative of Windows alone. They are more commonly used by users of Linux-like systems, since in many cases they may need to run some small utility that only works on a Microsoft system. Messing with Wine for her sake is simply unjustified, while the "virtual" easily eliminates this need.

Often, users are looking for a comparison of virtual machines, trying to choose the best one among them. It should be noted that the same VMware, which has a number of undoubted advantages, often pops up in disputes. The developers of the program are constantly adding support for almost all existing operating systems, including those that have just come out, into their product. In particular, it was this application that at one time allowed you to run Windows 8, while in the popular Virtual Box system refused to start at all.

But the leader of the unspoken competition has one drawback. The program is paid. Of course, professionals who use its capabilities to test their programs have no difficulties, but I would still like to advise others not to mess with broken programs and use the free Virtual Box. Although these virtual machines are not very popular among professionals, their capabilities will be enough for you in abundance.