Installing Windows on a Virtual Machine (VM)

 Installing Windows on a Virtual Machine (VM)

More and more people are using virtual machines to test software, learn system administration, or run applications that require a different operating system. In this article, I'll show you how to install Windows in a virtual machine (VM) easily and securely.

Why install Windows on a VM?

A virtual machine allows you to run a secondary operating system without interfering with the main computer system. Here are some of the advantages:

•  Security – you test files and applications in an isolated environment

• No need to partition the disk

• Ability to create snapshots (restore points)

• The perfect environment for learning and testing

What do you need?

1. Computer with at least 8 GB RAM (16 GB recommended)

2. Minimum 50-60 GB of free disk space

3. Windows ISO file (e.g. Windows 10 or 11)

4. Virtualization software, e.g.:

   • VirtualBox (free)

   • VMware Workstation Player

   • Hyper-V (built into Windows Pro)

Installing Windows on a VM – step by step (using VirtualBox as an example)

1. Download and install VirtualBox

Visit the official VirtualBox website and download the latest version. After installation, run the program.

2. Create a new virtual machine

Click "New" and then:

• Give it a name (e.g., "Windows 11 VM")

• Select type: Microsoft Windows

• Version: Windows 10 / Windows 11 (depending on ISO)

3. Allocate resources

RAM:

• Minimum: 4 GB (4096 MB)

• Recommended: 8 GB (if your computer allows it)

Hard drive:

• Select "Create Virtual Disk Now"

• Type: VDI

• Dynamically assigned

• Size: minimum 128.0 GB

4. Mount the ISO file

Go to Machine Settings → Media →
Select Optical Drive → select the downloaded ISO file from Windows.

5. Run the installation

Click "Start ." The machine will boot from the ISO image and the standard Windows installer will begin.

Then proceed as with normal installation:

• Select language

• Enter product key (or skip)

• Select your system version

• Install the system on the created virtual disk

Once the installation is complete, Windows will start in the virtual machine.

Installing Guest Additions

After the first run, it's a good idea to install Guest Additions (VirtualBox) or VMware Tools (VMware). This will:

• screen scaling works more smoothly

• shared storage is available

• graphics performance improves

• it is possible to share folders

Most common problems

Unable to start VM

Check if virtualization (Intel VT-x / AMD-V) is enabled in BIOS/UEFI.

Windows 11 won't install

TPM 2.0 may be required – in VirtualBox and VMware it can be enabled in the machine settings.

If you want to bypass this, please go  here .

Poor performance

Increase the amount of RAM or the number of CPU cores in the VM settings.

Summary

Installing Windows in a virtual machine is a great solution for developers, administrators, testers, and IT learners. The process is relatively simple, and the benefits are enormous—especially if security and flexibility are important to you.

If you are just starting your adventure with virtualization, VirtualBox will be a good and free choice to start with.