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
• Future development or cybersecurity testing

This setup ensured the host OS remained unaffected.

Chose Ubuntu 24.04 LTS for its balance of stability, ease of use, and long-term support. At the time, VM resource allocations were tailored to existing hardware limitations prior to physical hardware upgrades.

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