If you already have a computer system with Windows installed, you can easily get a free Linux distribution and install Linux on Windows. This allows you to run Linux in Windows and get Linux training so you can learn how to use Linux!
To run Linux in Windows, you run the free virtual machine “player” (program) and then open a free Linux virtual machine.
A Linux virtual machine is a complete new Linux distribution, including the Linux OS (operating system) and Linux software programs, that has been compressed into a single Linux download file.
All you need to do is download and install the free Linux virtual machine player and a free Linux virtual machine, so you can run Linux in Windows, as described in the steps below.
7 Steps to Install Linux on Windows So You Can Run Linux in Windows!
1. Download the free Linux virtual machine player to your Windows desktop and a player installation icon appears on the desktop so you can install the player.
2. Double-click on the player installation icon and follow the prompts to install the Linux virtual machine player. The player program easily installs like any other Windows program and this takes just a few minutes. After the installation, a virtual machine player icon appears on the desktop. This second icon is used to run the player, as opposed to the icon that was used to install the player.
3. Download a free Linux virtual machine. This is a single large compressed (zipped) file. And this file contains several Linux virtual machine files, all of which make up the virtual machine. These files provide a “pre-installed” version of a new Linux OS, including Linux software programs. Lots of free Linux virtual machines are available for many popular Linux distributions.
Linux Tips: When you download Linux as a virtual machine, be sure to get one that includes a Linux desktop. Some virtual machines are created without Linux desktops and are used as Linux servers. As a new Linux user, you will want a Linux desktop so you can easily use the menus to run Linux software programs. The desktop also allows you to open one or more terminal emulation windows so you can go to the Linux command line and run Linux commands.
Linux Tips: Also be sure to get the password of the root user, which will be posted at the site where you download Linux. When you go to the Linux command line to run Linux commands, you need the root user password to run the Linux administration commands.
4. Create a folder on your Windows hard disk for the Linux virtual machine files. You need to create this folder before uncompressing (unzipping) the single file that contains the compressed Linux virtual machine files.
5. Uncompress (unzip) the Linux virtual machine files, from the single Linux download file, into the folder you created on your Windows hard disk.
6. Run the Linux virtual machine player. Just double-click on the virtual machine player icon that was created on the desktop. At this point, you will be prompted for the name of a virtual machine to “open”.
7. Browse to the folder you created and “open” the Linux virtual machine. This quickly and easily runs Linux in Windows!
Linux Tips: A compressed Linux virtual machine file is quite large. High-speed Internet accesses is highly recommended. If you don’t have high-speed access, look into getting a Linux live CD version. These are inexpensive to buy and have delivered to you by mail.
By installing Linux on Windows to run Linux in Windows you get practical Linux training and valuable experience at how to use Linux!
Copyright © 2007 Clyde Boom. All rights reserved.
