VirtualBox (AKA: Free version of VMWare [well not really...]) is a piece of open source software available through SunMicrosystems (I think…) that allows you to run another OS on top of your current OS (with a few limitations.)

So lets talk about what you’re going to need.

First you need a Host Operating System.  This is the opperating system you boot into.  Most of you will be using Windows though you will notice that in the screenshot above I’m using Fedora and I’m running Vista in a window.

Next you will need the free VirtualBox software.  Install it!

Lastly you are going to need a Guest Operating System (to install on top of your current OS).  I used Vista and you can use anything you like.  If you are not familiar with Linux I suggest playing around with it.  A great place to start is Ubuntu. Or just pop in an old version of Windows.

This isn’t really a guide, rather it is just a jumping off point for you to burn lots of time (as I did) but if you run into any problems drop me a comment or an email and I’ll try to get you through the install and setup!

Have fun!