How to setup VBox and Run Linux on your Windows System

[Bryan]

So why should you be interested in running Linux? There are some projects that run more efficiently (more credits) in Linux vs Windows ie Edges, Sztaki, Denis, LHC .... There are some projects that are Linux only; WEP (Wanless), BealF. Projects like MindModeling will quite often have Linux work but nothing for Windows.

VBOX INSTALLATION:

There are couple of things that aren't covered by the tutorial link Al gave.

1. On the VBox download page shown there is the main program and down below that there are EXTENSIONS listed. You want to download both of those. After you have installed VBox then double click on the extensions executable and it will install those.

2. VBox will create its own "virtual" HDD. It is nothing more than a file on your REAL HDD so don't get your knickers in a knot when it says it is going to format the drive and all data will be lost.

I think the minimum size of virtual HDD that will work for today's Mint is 12G. That will get Linux up and running but you will be SEVERELY limited on usable disk space. Linux, like Windows, uses a swap space. This is an area of the drive for doing memory dumps if you hibernate or sleep your computer. Linux recommends 1.5X times your memory size for this storage area. You have no control over a VBox installation as to how much disk space is reserved for that. On a REAL Linux installation it can be controlled.

On a couple of my machines I did VBox installations of 20G size but with 24/48G of memory there were projects that I couldn't download enough WU for all threads because the usable disk space was too small. I typically make my virtual HDD for 30G (or more for the big RAM boxes).

WHERE TO STORE THE VIRTUAL HDD
By default VBox will install your virtual drive under: c:/user/your name/Virtual VMs. If you are like me and have a small SSD for your main drive but also have a 2nd drive with bunches of storage then you can have VBox use the 2nd drive for the VM HDD. Just create a folder on the 2nd drive (ie Virtual HDD) and when you are setting up the virtual HDD for a VM machine just point it at that location.

Now that you have Linux up and running, for a small fee Al will be glad to tell you how to get BOINC running .... he accepts all forms of payment (he's a ho)

[STMahlberg]

I managed to install Virtual Box and extensions along with Linux 18.1 "Serena" Xfce with only a few problems; the biggest one being MSI in their infinite wisdom buried the vt-x feature which is turned off by default. I also installed Boinc and I'm currently running WEP-M+2 to see how it does.

So is it normal when you "Power off the machine" that you lose Boinc? I assumed it would install that application to the VM drive that it created on disc or must you use "Save the machine state"?

Also, I read that it was stated that there would be instructions for the following in the future...

We will give instructions on how to:

Install in VBox
Install onto USB stick
Dual boot your PC (run native Linux at will)

...seems like that future would be now.