The process of installing an operating system on a virtual host is often interrupted by the “No bootable device found” error immediately after starting the created machine, if the user forgot to connect the ISO image of the distribution kit to the virtual drive. This issue occurs because the default hypervisor attempts to boot from an empty virtual hard disk, ignoring the absence of installation media in the hardware configuration. To avoid a lengthy search for the cause of the black screen, you must immediately check the storage controller settings and make sure that the system image file is activated.
Virtualization allows you to run full-fledged operating systems inside the window of another program, isolating them from the main computer hardware. This is an ideal way to test software, learn new platforms, or run applications that are not compatible with your current OS. Before you begin, make sure that hardware virtualization technology, known as hardware virtualization, is enabled in the motherboard BIOS. Intel VT-x or AMD-V, otherwise the hypervisor will not be able to start the guest machine.
To get started, you will need the hypervisor itself - software that emulates computer hardware. The most popular solutions are Oracle VM VirtualBox, VMware Workstation Player and built into Windows Hyper-V. The choice of a specific product depends on your needs: for home use, free versions are often chosen, while the corporate sector prefers paid solutions with advanced support and resource management.
Selecting and preparing a hypervisor
The first step is to install the software that will manage the virtual resources. The hypervisor takes over the distribution of processor time, RAM and disk space between the host system and guest machines. When choosing, you should pay attention to compatibility with your main OS and supported virtual disk formats.
Modern solutions offer a user-friendly interface that allows even a novice to quickly deploy a new environment. However, it is important to understand the difference between the types of hypervisors: Type 1 runs directly on hardware (for example, ESXi), while Type 2 is installed as a regular application on Windows or Linux. For most users, the second option is relevant, where VirtualBox or VMware act as an intermediary.
⚠️ Attention: Before installing the hypervisor, be sure to check whether the Hyper-V component is enabled in Windows if you plan to use VirtualBox. Conflicting virtualization technologies can result in startup errors or severely degraded guest system performance.
After installing the program, you need to download an image of the operating system that you plan to install. This may be a Linux distribution in the format .iso or Windows installation file. It is important to download images only from official developer sites or trusted repositories to avoid introducing malicious code into your virtual environment.
Creating and configuring a virtual machine
Start the hypervisor and click the Create or New button to initiate the setup wizard. You will be asked to specify the name of the future machine, which will automatically determine the type and version of the guest OS. At this stage, fundamental parameters are laid down that will be difficult to change in the future without losing data or rebuilding the machine.
The key is to allocate resources. You should not give all the available RAM to the virtual machine, otherwise the main system will start to slow down. It is considered optimal to allocate about 25-50% of the total RAM, but not less than 2 GB for modern operating systems. The situation is similar with the processor: highlighting more than 50-70% of the cores can destabilize the operation of the host.
- 💾 Disk space: select a dynamic virtual hard disk that will only take up space on the physical media as it is filled with data.
- 🖥️ Video memory: Increase the amount of video memory to the maximum value in the display settings for comfortable operation of the graphical interface.
- 🔌 Network adapter: the default is NAT, which allows the machine to access the Internet through the host while remaining hidden from the external network.
Configuring the storage controller requires special attention. This is where you need to specify the path to the previously downloaded ISO image. In the program interface, find the “Media” or “Storage” section, select the virtual optical drive and specify the distribution file in the properties. Without this step installation operating system will be impossible, since the machine will have nothing to load.
☑️ Preparation for installation
Operating system installation process
After completing the hardware setup, click the “Run” button. If done correctly, it will start booting from the virtual DVD drive and you will see the installer screen. The interface may differ depending on the distribution, but the logic of actions remains the same for all platforms.
First of all, the system will prompt you to select the language, time format and keyboard layout. Next comes the disk partitioning stage. The virtual machine “sees” the piece of space allocated to it as a blank, unallocated disk. You will need to create the partitions or let the installer do it automatically.
fdisk /dev/sda
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
During the process of copying files and initial setup Windows or Linux Several reboots may be required. Don't be alarmed if the screen goes blank or changes resolution - this is normal behavior of video adapter drivers during the initialization process. Follow the onscreen instructions to set up a username and password.
Linux installation features
When installing Linux, you often need to manually create swap and root partitions. For beginners, it is recommended to choose the automatic “Erase disk and install Linux” scheme, since in a virtual environment this will not harm your real data.
Comparison table of popular hypervisors
To better navigate the choice of virtualization software, it is worth comparing their key characteristics. Different products have their own strengths, which can be critical for specific tasks, be it testing software or running old games.
| Parameter | VirtualBox | VMware Workstation | Hyper-V |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | Open Source (GPL) | Proprietary (Paid/Free) | Built into Windows Pro |
| 3D support | Basic (OpenGL/DirectX) | High (DirectX 11/OpenGL 4.1) | Limited |
| Difficulty | Low | Average | High |
| Compatibility | Windows, Linux, macOS, Solaris | Windows, Linux | Windows only (host) |
The choice of a specific solution affects the final performance. For example, for graphic tasks it is better suited VMware, while there are quite enough opportunities for training and simple tests VirtualBox. Built-in Hyper-V good for server scenarios, but can be difficult to configure audio and USB devices for the average user.
Installing drivers and guest additions
Immediately after the first boot of the installed OS, you will notice that the screen resolution is low and the clipboard is not working between the host and the guest. This happens because the system has standard drivers that are not optimized for virtual hardware. To correct the situation, you need to install the Guest Additions package.
In the hypervisor menu, find the item “Install Guest Additions” or “Install VMware Tools”. The system will mount a virtual disk with drivers. On Windows, just run the installer and agree to all the suggestions, after which a reboot will be required. On Linux, you may need to install compilation packages via the terminal.
⚠️ Attention: If after installing the add-ons the guest system stops booting or is unstable, try rolling back the changes or updating the hypervisor itself to the latest version. Kernel version conflicts are quite common.
After successful installation of the drivers, shared folders, USB device forwarding, and improved graphics performance become available. Now you can fully use operating system to work by copying files with a simple drag-and-drop and using the full resolution of your monitor.
Tip: Always take a “Snapshot” of the system immediately after a clean installation and configuration of drivers. This will allow you to roll back to a perfectly working state at any time if experiments with the software lead to a failure.
Optimization and creation of control points
For comfortable work, it is important to properly configure resource management. Virtual machines can take up a lot of disk space, especially if you actively use the system and install heavy programs. Regularly clearing temporary files and defragmenting the virtual disk will help maintain performance.
Snapshots are a powerful virtualization tool. They record the state of the machine at a specific point in time. Before installing questionable software or making changes to the registry, always create a new restore point. It takes seconds, but can save hours of work reinstalling the system.
- 📸 Hierarchy of images: do not create too long a chain of snapshots, this may slow down the disk.
- 💾 Disk compression: Use the virtual disk compression feature in the hypervisor menu to reclaim unallocated space on the physical media.
- 🚀 Disabling effects: In the guest OS, you can disable window visual effects to reduce the load on the host CPU.
Proper operation of the virtual environment ensures its stability and long service life. Remember that a virtual machine is just a collection of files on your hard drive. Regular backup of the machine folder to external media guarantees data safety even if the main computer fails.
Main conclusion: The success of installing an OS on a virtual machine depends not only on the correct actions in the installer, but also on the competent allocation of resources and timely installation of guest additions for drivers.
Is it possible to run a virtual machine without administrator rights?
In most cases, administrator rights are required to create and run virtual machines because the hypervisor needs access to network drivers and low-level processor functions. However, some portable versions of VirtualBox may work with restrictions if the administrator has previously configured the system.
How many virtual machines can I run at the same time?
The number of simultaneously working machines is limited only by the resources of your computer (RAM and CPU). Theoretically, there can be as many of them as you like, but in practice, 2-3 heavy systems can completely load a regular home PC.
Is it safe to run viruses in a virtual machine?
This is relatively safe if the machine is isolated from the main network and does not have access to shared folders. However, there are viruses that can escape from a virtual environment, so always keep your hypervisor updated and use network isolation mode.
What to do if the mouse cursor gets stuck in the virtual machine window?
Typically, a special host key is used to release the cursor (by default in VirtualBox it is right Ctrl, in VMware it is Ctrl+Alt). If this doesn't help, check to see if you have Guest Additions installed that provide mouse integration.