This article shows how to install Windows 10 on a new machine created using the Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization program.
You can install one of the Windows 10 or Linux-based operating systems using VirtualBox on your host computer. You can also make the VM more efficient by installing the Guest Additions software on the Windows 10 system you install on the virtual machine.
With the Guest Additions software, you can exchange files between the host and the virtual computer and use the screen resolution in full-screen or auto-scaled mode.
After installing the Oracle VM VirtualBox software on your computer, click on Machine / New from the tool menu of the program. After opening the VM creation wizard, follow this video or the following steps.
Step 1: First, download the latest version of the Windows 10 operating system to your computer as an ISO file using Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool.
Step 2: Run the Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization program and click the New button to start the VM creation wizard.
Step 3: In the Name and Operating System window, after typing Windows 10 in the Name field, the System’s Type and Version values will be automatically set by VirtualBox. Configure the Machine Folder location to store the VM in a different place. Here, making the location where the VM will be installed on a portable disk will provide you with an increase in performance.
Step 4: In the Memory Size window, set a suitable RAM value for the Windows 10 virtual machine according to the RAM capacity of your physical computer. Do not forget to configure 4 GB as the minimum RAM value.
Step 5: Create a new virtual disk for the Windows 10 VM in the Hard Disk window. Since the Create a virtual hard disk option is enabled by default, you can continue this step by clicking Next directly. If you have a Win10 virtual disk that you have previously installed, you can continue with the Add an existing virtual HDD option and select your virtual disk with VDI extension from your physical disk.
Step 6: The VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) option is enabled by default in the Hard Disk File Type window. VHD is a virtual disk file used by Microsoft. VMDK is a virtual disk file that other virtualization software, such as VMware, uses. Using the VDI disk file recommended by its developers would be more convenient if you use VirtualBox.
Step 7: After selecting the VDI disk file and clicking Next, you can see the location where the virtual HDD will be stored in the File Location and Size window. If you want to change the location of the virtual HDD file, you can click the folder icon and choose a different location. In addition, the minimum 50 GB disk space for the Windows 10 virtual machine is automatically determined by the program. If you use programs that need high disk space on your VM, you should increase this setting.
Step 8: After creating the Windows 10 virtual computer, click Settings to add the ISO file to the VM and make other necessary settings.
Step 9: In the virtual machine’s settings, change the Shared Clipboard and Drag and Drop options to Bidirectional to enable file sharing in the General / Advanced section.
Step 10: In the System / Motherboard settings, set the Boot Order configuration to Optical as the first order, and if you want to install UEFI, you can also enable the EFI option.
Step 11: In System / Processor settings, configure four vCPUs as the number of virtual processors to the VM.
Step 12: Enable the 3D Acceleration option in the Display / Screen settings and configure the Video Memory value to 256 MB.
Step 13: Select the SATA controller in Storage settings and enable the I/O Cache feature. Set the Windows10.vdi virtual disk file as SSD (Solid-State Drive), and finally click on Empty and then the DVD icon to add the Windows ISO file to the VM and the image file.
Step 14: After preparing the Windows 10 VM, click the Start button and start the installation.