Need some Linux tools with your Windows 8 machine?
There are several options you can do it:
- Install Cygwin in windows. The problem is that you might run into some portability issues.
- Install Linux with dual boot. It is fast but you will need a reboot to switch between Windows and Linux.
- Use virtual machine. You can use either Windows or Linux as host and the other as virtual machine running in the host.
In my opinion the virtual machine is the most flexible solution to have both systems in one machine. It is relatively slower but if you don’t require heavy duty operations. It is going to be OK.
Download the Files
Virtual Machine tool:
I am using Oracle VM VirtualBox as my virtual machine software (latest version 4.2.6). You can download it from here.
The files you need are:
1 2 |
<a href="http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.2.6/VirtualBox-4.2.6-82870-Win.exe" name="VirtualBox-4.2.6-82870-Win.exe">VirtualBox-4.2.6-82870-Win.exe </a> |
1 |
<a href="http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.2.6/VirtualBox-4.2.6-82870-Win.exe" name="VirtualBox-4.2.6-82870-Win.exe"></a><a href="http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.2.6/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.6-82870.vbox-extpack" name="Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.6-82870.vbox-extpack">Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.6-82870.vbox-extpack</a> |
1 |
<a href="http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.2.6/VBoxGuestAdditions_4.2.6.iso" name="VBoxGuestAdditions_4.2.6.iso">VBoxGuestAdditions_4.2.6.iso</a> |
Operating System Installation File:
I am using Ubuntu Desktop (latest version 12.10). You can download the ISO file for the Ubuntu installation from here.
Install the VirtualBox and Ubuntu
I found a webpage with detailed instruction for install the VirtualBox and Ubuntu, so I will skip it here. The instruction is for earlier version tools but the steps are exactly the same for the tools we just downloaded. Please take a look:
http://www.what-is-my-computer.com/virtualbox.html
Note that it is very convenient after installation of the extension pack and Gust Additions for VirtualBox, so don’t skip them.