VirtualBox lets you run Windows 7 on a Linux system. To run Windows 7 successfully, you'll need at least VirtualBox 2.1.0 - I ran it on the latest version, VirtualBox 2.1.2. The first step is to download a copy of VirtualBox. VirtualBox should run on any recent CPU, but it does best with high-end processors that support hardware virtualization enhancements such as Intel's VT-x and Advanced Micro Devices' AMD-V. In my testing, I found that Windows 7 would actually run on as little as 512MB, while Vista really needs at least 1GB of its own. In general, you'll need at least 1GB of RAM to run VirtualBox and a guest operating system. (Other virtualization applications, like Xen, require tweaking before they'll support USB.) Both versions can run Windows 7. VirtualBox OSE (Open Source Edition), also free, does come with the source code and includes several enterprise-level features, such as an RDP (Remote Display Protocol) Server and USB support. The full VirtualBox is free for personal use and evaluation, but doesn't come with the complete source code. While not powerful systems, these proved to have more than enough CPU power to run both their native operating system and Windows 7. Each PC came with a 2.2-GHz Intel Pentium E2200 dual-core processor with an 800-MHz front-side bus, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB SATA drive and an Integrated Intel 3100 Graphics Media Accelerator. In my case, I decided to use VirtualBox to run Windows 7 on two Dell Inspiron 530S systems, one running Windows XP Pro SP3 and the other running MEPIS 7 Linux. Second, you can use it with several operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Macintosh and OpenSolaris. While there are, of course, other virtualization programs out there, such as VMware's Workstation and Parallels Desktop, VirtualBox has two significant advantages over the others. To test out how well Windows 7 works on a virtualized system, I decided to use Sun's VirtualBox software.
That's when being able to use a virtualization program can come in darn handy. Everyone likes to try new and shiny technology toys like the Windows 7 beta, but when the price is having to replace your existing operating system, that's too much for most people.
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