This is one question what Linux users hasn’t asked just yet. Running Windows via virtual machines as an oppose to your host machine is common for some people who wanted to have 2 OSs for developing software for multiple platforms. However; what Linux doesn’t have is LSW, and if you read this title of this article; I’ll tell you why there’s no LSW feature in Linux.
Windows is closed-source software
Most Windows OSs require product keys to activate to prevent piracy. However; you can still run Windows in a virtual machine. If Windows needs to be implemented for a Linux subsystem; that requires a dedicated software package, and you must restart your PC for your system to activate a subsystem for Windows. Only virtual machines are close for running Windows as a guest OS.
Virtualbox, Gnome Boxes, and other virtual machine software are the only options for running Windows as a guest OS. I am still experimenting with running guest OSs on my linux machine. With a virtual machine; you can run other proprietary OSs without needing a dedicated machine.
If You Want To Run Windows As A Guest OS In Ubuntu
Go to Microsoft’s official website and buy a copy of Windows. When buying a copy of Windows, choose either a 32-bit or 64-bit edition of Windows. You can also run a 32-bit guest OS on your 64-bit host machine,–I’ll be mentioning this later on. Avoid downloading Windows from torrent websites because, they carry pirated software that can hurt your system. If this is the case; report a pirated copy of Windows by contacting Microsoft to catch the bad guys.
If you already have Virtualbox installed; create a virtual machine, and name it “Windows” for running it as a guest OS. If you don’t have Virtualbox installed: open your terminal, and type the following command below:
$sudo apt install virtualbox
After you installed Virtualbox, and you created your virtual machine; perform an install of Windows, and follow the instructions.
After installing Windows as a guest OS, and you’ve activated it; you may need to perform additional tasks to speed up your virtual machine. If you have a desktop computer; you may need to upgrade your system with higher amounts of RAM. This is necessary for your machine to be fast as possible.
If you have a laptop with non-upgradable memory; it must have at least 8 GB of RAM to work. With my experience with 4 GB of RAM on my desktop; I can tell Windows 10 is running kind of slow. I do have plans to expand more RAM to my desktop as a way to help speed up my machine. Even a 16 GB RAM can speed up your machine.
With running Windows as a virtual machine; this is an only option to keep your Ubuntu Linux install intact.
Be aware; your guest OS may stutter, or stall when you’re using this guest OS. Unfortunately, Virtualbox has some serious bugs like not letting USB storage devices reach the guest OS when active, and it’s too difficult for screen-reader users to use Virtualbox for running other OSs. Gnome boxes doesn’t use the right Ctrl key as a host switcher key like Virtualbox,–despite Virtualbox being the open-source software. Trying to use USB storage media with automatic sensing of these devices isn’t possible.
Even if you have a Microsoft account; you must link it to your virtual machine. In the future; we will only run Windows in virtual machines as we help Ubuntu gain market strength.
WSL Only Exists
WSL only exists in Windows OSs these days, but if you want to steer away from WSL; Installing Ubuntu is an option.