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I want to install 4 VM on my Windows 7 PC:

  • 1 Linux kali
  • 1 Windows 7
  • 1 Windows 8
  • 1 Windows Server 2012

I've read that I can't use hyper V, because it's not available on windows 7. VirtualBox seems to have a limit of 2 system, the host and a VM, so not compatible with my need of 4 VM + the host.

It's just in order to take a class, so I would better not buy this tool. An evaluation version should be okay, if at least 30 days long.

How can I accomplish this multiple VM setup?

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  • Its not clear the reason you cannot use Virtualbox, which is a free product, you don't even have Hyper-V installed since you are using Windows 7.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 13:25
  • @Ramhound, I add explanation on Hyper V and VirtualBox. Indeed it's because Hyper V is not available on windows 7 family. I'm not sure about the virtualBox limitation, that's why I don't completely exclude it.
    – jayjaypg22
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 13:37
  • There is no reason you cannot use Virtualbox. You could also use VMWare Player if you wanted.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 14:16

2 Answers 2

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I don't know where you heard that "VirtualBox has a limit of 2 systems"; I have had multiple VirtualBox VMs for years. Below you can see my current setup with four virtual machines running simultaneously (!):

picture of virtualbox

Click the "New" icon and follow the directions in the wizard to create a new VM. Repeat this for as many virtual machines as you need.

Please note the following:

  • You will most likely need the virtualization features of your CPU enabled in your BIOS. A Google search will typically tell you how to enable this for a given motherboard.
  • You will need a lot of memory in your host machine to run a usable virtual machine. 4 GB is the bare minimum; you will probably want 8 GB. More memory is necessary if you want to run more VMs simultaneously.
  • You will need a lot of disk space to create four VMs; for example, VirtualBox creates a 25 GB disk by default just for Windows 8 (though you can adjust this).
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-2

With VirtualBox you should be able to run many virtual machines on your PC with no licensing. Just make sure you have the virtualization features enabled in the BIOS for your processor.

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  • How does he accomplish that exactly? The author does not know how. Please explain in detail how he does what you suggested.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 13:24
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    The lack of explanation about the virtualization setting is not a problem for me, I've found it easily.
    – jayjaypg22
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 13:39
  • @jayjaypg22 - It is a problem for me.
    – Ramhound
    Commented Jul 17, 2015 at 14:17

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