How does VirtualBox work?

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Once I install the program how do I install Windows? Do I create a virtual Windows 7 and then I can copy and paste that to create another virtual Windows 7.

I'm only using this to install unstable programs that I don't want to install on my main Windows installation. So each box would just have 1 program so if anything goes wrong I can just delete the box.
 
Soldato
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After you installed VirtualBox.

Launch VirtualBox and click on New button to follow guide to create virtual machine, select name and OS, set memory and create virtual hard disk.

After created Windows 7 virtual machine, double click or click on Start button to start virtual machine, it will ask you for Windows 7.iso then it will run setup to install Windows 7.
 
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After you installed VirtualBox.

Launch VirtualBox and click on New button to follow guide to create virtual machine, select name and OS, set memory and create virtual hard disk.

After created Windows 7 virtual machine, double click or click on Start button to start virtual machine, it will ask you for Windows 7.iso then it will run setup to install Windows 7.

OK but after it's setup can you just copy and paste a virtual machine to create another one or do I need to go through the Virtual Machine creation process again?
 
Soldato
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Yes right click and you will see Clone on list that will create a copy of virtual machine.

Note that if you do have a key, cloning the VM will result in Windows needing to be reactivated in the new clone. If using OEM (dunno about retail) after a few times this will require a call to Microsoft. If you work off of snapshots it doesn't need reactivating when switching to a different one.
 

Lee

Lee

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I remember having networking issues with cloned VirtualBox VM's. It was something to do with persistent MAC addresses. It was a while ago now so can't fully remember.
 
Soldato
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^Likewise. So the process may need to be clone, open settings for new machine, click the button to create a new mac address.

Copy&Paste, annoyingly, won't work. You get a copy of the virtual machine, but the "hard drive" has a universally unique identifier stamped on it and that gets copied too. Then virtualbox refuses to add the copy. So either it's clone, or copy then dig around for a badly documented and possibly unofficial command line to create a new uuid. Yuck.
 
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