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Oracle VM VirtualBox is an industrial-strength open source virtualisation tool that makes it easy to create virtual machines (VMs), simulated computers that run on your PC but act as though they were separate systems. It's a powerful capability that has many different applications.
If you'd like a closer look at Windows 7 before you upgrade, for instance, then you could install Microsoft's latest in a VM, then access it in a window on your XP or Vista desktop.
Or maybe you've upgraded to Windows 7 and find a favourite old app doesn't work any more? Create a Windows XP VM and you might be able to run it again.
VirtualBox can also be a useful security tool: if you download and test apps in a VM, then any malware you might encounter will be isolated from your main system.
And it's the perfect choice if you want to try out another operating system with the minimum of hassle. Right now you can install Google Chrome OS, all the mainstream Linux variants (2.4 and 2.6), OpenBSD, OS/2, ReactOS, SkyOS, DOS, and just about every version of Windows there's ever been. (Of course you'll need to have the system discs to hand.)
New additions to VirtualBox 4 include an interface redesign, making it easier to view and manage your virtual machines. VM displays can now be scaled, so you can reduce a window size by half (for instance) and still see everything that's going on. The ability to limit a VM's CPU and IO time means the program will be less of a drain on your system's resources, and there are a host of other performance optimisations and bug fixes available.
Build 4.1.14 brings these changes:
Network: fixed the problem with packets larger than MTU-4 when PCnet or PRO/1000 was bridged to certain types of adapters on OS X hosts (bug #3783)
NAT: fixed a segfault under rare circumstances
3D Support: fixed Windows WDDM video driver crash for SMP guests (bugs #10200, #10331)
Windows Guest Additions, VRDP: fixed occasional text corruption (bug #3001)
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Concering "Virtually nothing"
Posted by: Curt Folstrom, 22 January 2012 18:14
Well, if you had really read what Virtialbox was used for, you wouln't have wasted your time. Its difficult to see how you mistook a an operating system virtualisation tool for a cd / dvd rom emulator.
Virtually nothing
Posted by: Ed Cornish, 28 December 2011 19:00
Downloaded and installed this as a replacemnt
for Daemon Lite. Wish I hadn't - Ive wasted a lot of time trying to figure out how to use it. No simple straightforward instructions - all I want to do is mount an iso file! The usual FAQ section from a software developer who wants you to do all the hard work! I'd be REALLY peeved if I had paid for this!