VirtualBox: How to create a Linux Virtual Machine.

Open VirtualBox. Click the new button on the top left toolbar button to create a new virtual machine image.

Create a new Virtual Machine (VM), with “Linux” as type and “Other Linux” as version. I selected Other Linux (32 bit), because I’m installing from a 32 bit DVD ISO image.

Assign as much memory as you realistically can to the VM MB is sufficient.

Create a virtual hard drive.

Select VDI (Virtual Disk Image) as drive type.

Select Fixed size as storage type. This prevents many issues and problems if installing to a VM using a Linux ISO file.

I chose 24 GB for the size of this drive, however Slackware will install successfully on a 16 GB VM drive.

VirtualBox then creates the storage unit.

Right-click the new VM image and select Settings.

Check Hardware clock settings. Some Linux/*nix installs prefer the Hardware clock in UTC time option enabled.

Many installations of Linux will fail unless the Enable PAE/NX option is clicked on. This is found inside the Processor tab under System.

Don’t forget to add the Linux ISO file as a secondary master drive.

Network settings. Ensure Enable Network Adapter is checked if you need networking or Internet capability working in the Linux VM.

USB controller settings.

Click the Run button on the toolbar to begin installation.

VirtualBox dialog instructing the user to strike the right Ctrl key to toggle VM capture of keyboard and mouse input.

Press Enter key to begin installation...

Login as root, then run cfdisk to create a new Linux partition.

Create a New partition...

Ensure the FS type is Linux, then toggle the partition Bootable.

In cfdisk, Write the partition and Exit when finished. Type setup at the prompt, then Select source installation media.

Install from a Slackware DVD.

Scan for the DVD drive...

...then select the Linux partition as target.

Quick format is recommended for Linux VM’s.

I chose to format my partition as a ext4 filesystem.

Formatting is complete and mount point added to /etc/fstab.

Begin the install, I chose to install the full distro.

Innumerable package names flash on the screen during installation.

Skip creation of a USB boot stick as they are useless for VirtualBox Linux VM’s.

Install LILO automatically.

Chose frame buffer console.

Hit Enter when prompted for optional LILO parameters.

To be safe, select No UTF-8 console. This does not effect X or window managers such as KDE.

Install LILO to Master Boot Record. This enables your Linux VM to boot after it is “turned on.”

Mouse settings. You will most likely need to change this from the default PS/2 Intellimouse to “USB connected mouse.”

Select Yes to enable gpm (general purpose mouse).

Configure network.

Enter hostname.

Enter domain name.

I chose DHCP for network configuration type.

Hit Enter for DHCP hostname.

Confirm setup.

Chose startup services, I hit OK to run the default services. These can always be changed later if needed.

No custom screen fonts.

Choose the appropriate hardware clock setting.

Chose your favorite window manager.

Installation is finished, and you may now run the Slackware Linux VM inside VirtualBox.