Zorin OS is an Irish-made distribution of the GNU/Linux operating system based on Ubuntu and aimed primarily at users new to GNU/Linux, but also familiar with Windows operating systems.
In fact, Zorin OS is currently, along with Linux Mint, ChaletOS2 and Q4OS, one of the few GNU/Linux distributions whose user interface is more similar to Windows.
One of the objectives of this distribution is to try, from the outset, to provide the user with a friendly graphical interface similar to that of Windows 7 and Windows XP systems, also allowing a certain degree of compatibility with these systems through the use of Wine. .
Additionally, it offers a series of small proprietary tools that simplify some related configurations, such as the graphical interface and/or choice of software.
How to create a virtual machine and install Zorin OS inside it.
Important.
Zorin OS will run much slower in a virtual machine. For the best performance, please install Zorin OS directly onto your computer by following these instructions ›
This is a quick tutorial about getting Zorin OS to run in a virtual machine. It’s especially useful if you want to test drive Zorin OS without having to commit to installing it onto your computer yet.
Before continuing, please make sure to do the following things:
Download your Zorin OS .iso file.
Install VirtualBox from the Software store (in Linux) or the official website.
Launch VirtualBox.
This is the initial screen of VirtualBox.
VirtualBox start screen.
Click the “New” button in the toolbar at the top of the window.
Create the new virtual machine.
You should see a screen where you can select the name of the virtual machine and the type of operating system.
VirtualBox new machine.
We use the name “Zorin OS” but you can use whatever you like.
Set your type to “Linux” and the version to “Ubuntu (64 bit)”.
Your screen should look like the screenshot above. Click the “Next” button to proceed to the next screen.
Allocate memory.
Set the memory to at least the minimum RAM required for your edition of Zorin OS. You can set it to as high as you like to get better performance.
VirtualBox memory size.
Click the “Next” button to proceed to the next screen.
Create a virtual hard disk .
To install Zorin OS to your virtual machine, you will need to create a virtual hard disk.
Accept the default option to “Create a virtual hard disk now” and click the “Create” button.
Choose hard disk file type
You can accept the default option “VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image)” and click the “Next” button.
VirtualBox hard disk file type.
Set drive allocation type,
This dialog asks you how you want to grow the disk as you put content on it. The default “Dynamically allocated” option is usually the best choice as it allocates only the space you will use.
VirtualBox storage.
Click on the “Next” button to proceed to the next screen.
Set location and size of hard disk
Feel free to keep the default name and location for the virtual hard drive.
Set the hard disk size to be larger than the minimum storage required for your edition of Zorin OS.
VirtualBox hard drive size.
After adjusting the hard disk size, click the “Create” button.
Start the virtual machine.
Press the “Start” button with the green arrow in the toolbar at the top.
VirtualBox start.
Select the Zorin OS .iso File
To start installing Zorin OS, the virtual machine needs a start-up disk. In this case, it’s the Zorin OS .iso file that you downloaded.
Using the below dialog, click on the little icon with the folder and the green up arrow.
VirtualBox select start-up disk,
In the next dialog, press the “Add” button in the top-left corner to add the Zorin OS .iso file.
VirtualBox add start-up disk,
Navigate to your Downloads folder to select the Zorin OS .iso file you downloaded and click “Open”.
VirtualBox select Zorin OS .iso file.
In the next dialog, make sure that the Zorin OS .iso file is highlighted and press the “Choose” button.
Finally, press the “Start” button in the next dialog.
Begin installing Zorin OS.
The virtual machine should now start up. When you reach the Zorin OS boot selection menu, make sure that the top “Try or Install Zorin OS” option is highlighted and press the Enter key.
VirtualBox running Zorin OS.
Visit our installation instructions to learn how to complete the setup process.
If the screen resolution is too small
If you notice that the installer for Zorin OS is too large to fit into the default screen resolution in VirtualBox, please follow these steps:
Move the installation window slightly (but not completely) out of the way. You can press and hold the Super/Logo key or Alt key (in Zorin OS Lite) to drag from any part of the installation window.
Right-click on the desktop and select “Display Settings”.
Change the “Resolution” to 1024 x 768 or above.
Click the “Apply” button in the top right-hand corner.
You will now be able to continue with the installation.
For many VirtualBox is considered the best virtualization software. One of its great advantages is that it is freely available under the GNU license for public use. It is a tool that can be run on Windows, Mac OS, Linux and Solaris operating systems.
ReplyDeleteVirtualBox is virtualization software, also known as a type 2 hypervisor, which is used to virtualize operating systems within our existing computer, creating what is known as a virtual machine. A type 2 hypervisor differs from a type 1 hypervisor in that it requires an operating system to function, as opposed to a type 1 hypervisor in which the hypervisor itself runs on the hardware, or host machine.
DeleteThere are several factors to take into account when we need to use a hypervisor, but in general VirtualBox, and type 2 hypervisors in general, are used when we do not need to dedicate the entire host machine to perform virtualization tasks, for example, to time to test software.
VirtualBox, unlike alternatives such as VMWare, is free, so it is not necessary to pay a license to have access to this hypervisor, but we will still be able to do everything we need to maintain a virtual environment for whatever the need to require it.