How to run Ubuntu inside Windows using Virtual Machine

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What is Virtual Machine?

A virtual machine (VM) is a "completely isolated guest operating system installation within a normal host operating system".They allow  you to run one operating system emulated within another operating system. 
In this case :
Guest Operating System: Ubuntu 11.04
Host Operating System : Windows 7

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Some of the popular Virtual Machine:

1. VirtualBox (Windows/Mac/Linux, Free): VirtualBox has a loyal following thanks to a combination of a free-as-in-beer price tag, cross-platform support, and a huge number of features that make running and maintaining virtual machines a breeze.
Read More: https://www.virtualbox.org/

2.  Parallels (Windows/Mac/Linux, $79.99): Although best known for the Mac version of their virtual machine software, Parallels also runs virtualization on Windows and Linux.
Read More: http://www.parallels.com/

3. Windows Virtual PC(Windows, Free): Compared to the other any-OS-under-the-sun virtual machine applications in this week's Hive Five, Windows Virtual PC is a tame offering. Windows Virtual PC exists solely to emulate other—usually earlier—versions of Windows. If you need to run an app that only works under Windows XP or test software for backwards compatibility with Vista, Windows Virtual Machine has you covered. It's limited, true, but for people working in a strictly Windows environment —and most of the world still is—it gets the job done. Note: Virtual PC is availabls as Virtual PC 2004, Virtual PC 2007, and Windows Virtual PC
Read More : http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/

4. QEMU (Linux, Free) : QEMU is a powerful virtualization tool for Linux machines built upon the back of the KVM system (Kernel-based Virtual Machine).

Read More: http://wiki.qemu.org/Main_Page

5. VMware (Windows/Linux, Basic: Free, Premium: $189):  VMware for desktop users comes in two primary flavors: VMware Player and VMware Workstation. VMware Player is a free solution aimed at casual users who need to create and run virtual machines but don't need advanced enterprise-level solutions. VMware Workstation includes all the features of VMWare Player—easy virtual machine creation, hardware optimization, driver-less guest OS printing—and adds in the ability to clone machines, take multiple snapshots of the guest OS, and a replay changes made to the guest OS for testing software and recording the results within the virtual machine. You can read more about VMware Player here and VMware Workstation here.
Read More:
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
http://www.vmware.com/products/workstation/

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How to Run Ubuntu on Virtual Machine ?

Guest Operating System : Ubuntu 11.04
Host Operarting System : Windows 7

Steps
1. Download the ISO file of Ubuntu 11.04 from http://www.ubuntu.com/download/ubuntu/download
2. Download the VirtualBox Sofware for the appropriate Host OS. In our case host operating System: Windows 7

VirtualBox Download Page

3. After Downloading the VirtaulBox Software,  install  it.

VirtualBox Setup Wizard

4. Open VirtaulBox(Oracle VM). Click on the NEW button.

Virtual Box : Click On NEW Button

5. Click on the NEXT button. Assign a name to the Virtual Machine. Select the appropriate OS and version . In our case give OS as LINUX and Version as Ubuntu.Click on Next Button.

Virtual Machine Name & OS type

6. Select the amount of memory needed for the Virtual Machine according to your RAM size.
Minimum recommended size is 512 MB. Click on Next.

Virtual Machine :  Memory allocation

7. If you want to create a VM using old *.vdi , then select "USE EXISTING HARD DISK". Otherwise
select  "Create New hard Disk".Click Next Button.

8. Create New Virtual Disk Wizard. Select the appropriate File Type. Click Next Button.

Create new Virtual Disk Wizard

 9. Select Fixed Size (as Dynamic size allocation can create problem sometimes). Click next Button and select the appropriate size and Location o.

10. Then click on Create Button.It will take sometime to create the VM.

11. After Completion of the VM , click on Power Off Button to Switch On the button.

12. If you are doing this for the first time, you  will get First Run Wizard. Click on Next Button. You need to provide the location of Ubuntu 11.04.iso downloaded by you.

13. Then it will go through the Installation process of Ubuntu 11.04 like any other normal OS installation.
After the installation . It will ask for the reboot of virtual machine(Note : Only virtual machine will be rebooted not your System.)

14. You are ready to go .

All the Best :)


Refrences: 1. http://lifehacker.com/5714966/five-best-virtual-machine-applications