Installing VirtualBox in Windows XP

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Following instructions in ComputerActive I downloaded VirtualBox to enable me try out Linux.  However when I double click on the downloaded file I get the following message: Windows cannot open this file VirtualBox-1.6.2-OSE,tar,Bz2  To open needs to know file that created it.  I downloaded bzip2 but get the same message.
Can anyone give me some pointers?                    
      

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I take it you went to this page for the download ....... from : localhost/tiny.pl/k1p6
If so which platform did you select ?
Some people go wrong by selecting  Windows (AMD64) if they have an AMD CPU but it refers to the O/S not the chip!
Most people need the ....Windows (X86)

Ade                    
      

gt; Following instructions in ComputerActive I downloaded
gt; VirtualBox to enable me try out Linux.  However when
gt; I double click on the downloaded file I get the
gt; following message: Windows cannot open this file
gt; VirtualBox-1.6.2-OSE,tar,Bz2  To open needs to know
gt; file that created it.  I downloaded bzip2 but get the
gt; same message.
gt; Can anyone give me some pointers?

To use Virtualbox you need to download and install the file for your operating system. In your case probably Windows (x86). Goto
from : localhost/virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

To install Linux in Virtualbox you need to either have a Linux disk or a downloaded ISO image.

Virtualbox works well but I would not recommend trying it unless you have a minimum of 520Mb Ram and preferably 1Gb.

I use it almost every day and it is definitely worth a try.

Brian

Message was edited by: littlebrian                    
      

Some people also go wrong by selecting the Linux distribution they want to use. The fact that it is a tar file suggests this                    
      

quot;VirtualBox-1.6.2-OSE,tar,Bz2quot;
That is the wrong file - it's one for a linux based system install!

The one you want (following the link) is an msi file (VirtualBox-1.6.2-Win_x86.msi) which is a Windows installer file.

Derek                    
      

gt; Some people also go wrong by selecting the Linux
gt; distribution they want to use. The fact that it is a
gt; tar file suggests this

Well spotted !                    
      

Welcome,

Just a thought, is your firewall the culprit.

If it`s running when you boot up Windows, it will be displayed in the task bar. Try disabling it while you install VirtualBox. Some firewalls stop the installation process, they see it as a threat.                    
      

Am in the process of installing Virtualbox on my XP Pro system.

I'm building it with the same copy of XP Pro as is installed in my _real_ machine and have been asked to validate the copy on the virtual machine.  I assume that MS will recognise that the product key has already been used to validate another installation of this s/w.

Thoughts?

Incidentally, there was no validation stage when rebuilding my HD earlier today with the same copy of XP Pro.

Richard                    
      

There's a file you can copy and paste into the VM to fool it.

from : localhost/                  
      

Thanks.  

Surprising that this wasn't (a) included in the article (page 64 of CA 268) or (b) that the problem of double activation mentioned.

Rgds

Richard