Overview:

Installed and configured a virtualized Linux environment on a Windows 11 system using Oracle VM VirtualBox. The objective was to create a flexible, isolated Linux workspace for system exploration, command-line practice, and future development or cybersecurity testing—without impacting the host OS.

Chose Ubuntu 24.04 LTS for its balance of stability, ease of use, and long-term support. This project was completed prior to hardware upgrades, so VM resource allocations were tailored to existing hardware limitations.

Host System Specs (At Time of Setup):

• Device: Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54-54W2

• OS: Windows 11 Home

• Processor: Intel Core i5 (9th Gen)

• Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM

• Storage: 256GB SK Hynix PCIe NVMe SSD

• Virtualization Support: VT-x enabled

Steps Performed:

1. Installed Oracle VM VirtualBox

• Downloaded and installed Oracle VM VirtualBox on Windows 11.

• Installed the VirtualBox Extension Pack to enable:

• USB 2.0/3.0 support

• Shared clipboard functionality

• Future-proofing for additional features (though Drag and Drop was intentionally left disabled during setup).

• Launched VirtualBox and confirmed successful installation, ensuring virtualization support was active in BIOS.

2. Downloaded and Installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

• Downloaded the official Ubuntu 24.04 LTS ISO.

• Created a new VM with conservative resource allocations:

• RAM: 4GB

• CPU Cores: 2

• Video Memory: 16MB

• Virtual Disk: 35GB dynamically allocated (VDI format)

• Mounted the ISO and proceeded through Ubuntu’s installer:

• Selected Minimal Installation to reduce system resource usage.

• Skipped third-party drivers and media codecs to keep the environment lean.

• Configured local user account, hostname, and timezone.

• Completed installation and verified the VM successfully booted into the Ubuntu desktop environment.

3. Performed Basic VM Configuration

• Opened terminal and executed:
  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

• Ensured the system was fully updated with latest patches.

• Verified network connectivity through both GUI browser and CLI tools (ping).

• Enabled Shared Clipboard (Bidirectional) for ease of copying commands and files between host and VM.

• Navigated system settings to:

• Disable unnecessary desktop animations for improved VM performance.

• Confirm basic system responsiveness under limited resources.

• Confirmed:

• Terminal functionality

• Access to Software Center

• Stable performance under light multitasking

• No additional packages (like git, curl, or vim) were installed at this stage to maintain a clean baseline.

Result:

• Successfully deployed a lightweight, stable Ubuntu 24.04 LTS virtual machine.

• The VM was fully operational for Linux practice and safe testing within an isolated environment.

• Positioned for future enhancements, including:

• Resource upgrades (RAM, storage) after physical hardware improvements

• Security hardening

• Development or cybersecurity-focused tooling