How to Get a Linux Desktop in Windows
- 1). Install VirtualBox, VMware, or Virtual PC. These are all virtualware, software that will allow you to run virtual systems from within the system you are already using. VirtualBox is free, VMware has a free version, and Virtual PC is free.
- 2). Create a virtual hard disk. Each virtual software is a little different. In VirtualBox, you click "New" in the top left of the window. This takes you to a wizard, clicking "Next" at each prompt will create the virtual hard disk space.
- 3). Install the Linux system onto the virtual "box" by selecting the new virtual disk and clicking "Start." Again, the software will start a wizard, prompting you to select your install media. Insert a Live Linux DVD or CD into your PC, and select it from the drop-down menu. A new window will appear and a startup sequence will occur inside it, just as it would in the screen of a computer.
- 4). Select "Install" from the boot menu, or run the Linux system live in the window. In either case, you will be running a Linux system inside your Windows computer.