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VirtualBox Portable allows you to simulate another computer with a separate operating system within your PC

VirtualBox Portable allows you to simulate another computer with a separate operating system within your PC

Vote: (39 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Oracle

Version: 6.4.8

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(39 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Oracle

6.4.8

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Free and open source program
  • Virtual machines can run nearly all operating systems
  • Runs from external drives with no installation

Cons

  • Virtual machines run slower when placed on external drive

Run several operating systems at the same time on your PC.

VirtualBox Portable is a special version of Oracle's famous VirtualBox program. It's a free and open source program that lets you run virtual machines from an external hard drive, without requiring that you install the VirtualBox software on the host PC first.

Run Any Operating System Without Installation

VirtualBox Portable is a virtualization tool that allows you to create and run virtual machines, which is like having a smaller, virtual computer within your computer. You get to specify the hardware settings for your virtual PC, such as the amount of RAM it has and the size of its hard drive. You can then install almost any operating system on the virtual PC you've created from an ISO file or an installation disc. VirtualBox Portable supports a wide range of guest operating system, include nearly all versions of Windows and Linux.

There are many ways in which virtual machines can be useful. For example, you can use VirtualBox Portable to familiarize yourself with the Linux operating system without having to install it on your PC or to run an older video game that only works on Windows XP.

Take Your Virtual Computers With You

VirtualBox Portable adds portability to the features offered by the basic edition of VirtualBox. This allows it to run either from a regular hard drive or from an external drive without requiring installation.

You can set up the VirtualBox Portable and your virtual machines on any external drive, such as a portable hard drive or USB memory stick. All the data contained in your virtual machines will be saved to the external drive, allowing it to be easily transported between host computers.

However, you should be aware that portability comes with some performance loss. External drives plugged to a computer's USB port aren't able to transfer data as fast as a standard internal hard drive. You may notice some sluggish performance if you use your virtual machines to run applications that require a lot of constant read/write operations on the drive.

One of the Best Virtualization Programs

VirtualBox Portable is a modified version of Oracle VirtualBox, which is a leading open source virtualization program used by large enterprises and home users alike. The program is maintained by an active community of developers around the world, so new updates and bug fixes are released regularly.

While some technical knowledge is required to understand how the program works, you don't need to be an IT professional to use it. There are also thousands of free tutorials and guides available online that show you how to use the program with different operating systems and how to troubleshoot any problems you may run into.

Pros

  • Free and open source program
  • Virtual machines can run nearly all operating systems
  • Runs from external drives with no installation

Cons

  • Virtual machines run slower when placed on external drive