Here is a guide in setting up VirtualBox:
Step 1: Download VirtualBox from virtualbox.org and install it.
Step 2: Start VirtualBox and click on the New button inside the main window.
Step 3: Click Next, then type the name of the VM in the next screen (doesn't really matter what you type, it's just so you don't get confused), and select the OS type (again, just for your reference).
Step 4: Select the amount of RAM that will be allocated to the VM. If you're installing Windows 2000, 256 MB should be more than enough.Q
Step 5: Select the virtual hard disk (referred to as VDI onwards). You don't have one yet so you will create one. Leave "Create new hard disk" selected and click Next.
Step 6: A new window pops up. Click Next.
Step 7: You are prompted for the VDI type. Leave "Dynamically expanding storage" selected and click Next.
Step 8: You are prompted for the location and the size of the VDI. Leave the location at the default value, and select the size you think you will need. For Windows 2000, I believe 4 GB is just about enough, for the system and your files.
Note: As you selected "Dynamically expanding storage", the newly created VDI will not actually have that size, but it will be just a few kilobytes in size instead, and the physical file will expand as the guest OS claims disk space.
Step 9: Click Finish in the VDI creation window, and click Finish again in the VM creation window.
Step 10: Click the Start button, near the New button, to start your newly created VM.
Step 11: A window entitled "First Run Wizard" will pop up. Click Next.
Step 12: Leave "CD/DVD-ROM Device" selected. Click to the button next to the drop-down box below the text that says "Media Source". This will bring up a new window, "Virtual Media Manager".
Step 13: Click Add, locate your ISO file, and click Select.
Step 14: Click Next in the First Run Wizard, and then click Finish.
Step 15: Proceed installing the OS as you would on a physical machine. Everything should work now, unless your ISO is corrupted or you don't have enough disk space or RAM for the VM.
~~~ FAQ ~~~
Q: Why does my VM pause by itself?
A: You don't have enough RAM available on the physical machine. Free some more RAM on the physical machine or allocate less to the VM. However, if you allocate too little RAM to the VM, it will run, but the guest OS might freeze and/or crash. So try to find an optimal balance.
Q: I get a message saying "FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted." What does that mean and how do I fix it?
A: You mounted a non-bootable ISO or you didn't mount an ISO at all. After starting the VM, go to the Devices menu, point to "CD/DVD Devices" and click "More CD/DVD Images..." and repeat step 13.
Q: I'm sure I mounted a proper ISO, but the VM still won't boot. Why?
A: Maybe your boot device order is messed up. Close the VM and click on Settings in the main window, then go to the System tab, click "CD/DVD-ROM" and move it to the top of the boot device order. Alternatively, press F12 just after starting the VM, and then press C (or whatever button will make the VM boot off of a CD/DVD). If the boot order is ok, your ISO is probably non-bootable.
Q: Everything goes fine until the guest OS setup, and then it starts spamming errors and/or crashing/rebooting, or simply not working as expected. Where can I find more info regarding the issue(s)?
A: That is probably the guest OS' fault. Look at the list of supported guest OSes on the VirtualBox website and see the Remarks field. If your OS is not listed at all, it means it's not supported, and while it may work, it's not expected to.
Q: My question is not listed here, but I have another problem.
A: First search Google for the issue. If you can't find a solution, ask here on the forum or on the VirtualBox forum. If you figure the solution out on your own, post it as it might help another user with the same issue. It might be added to this FAQ as well.
Step 1: Download VirtualBox from virtualbox.org and install it.
Step 2: Start VirtualBox and click on the New button inside the main window.
Step 3: Click Next, then type the name of the VM in the next screen (doesn't really matter what you type, it's just so you don't get confused), and select the OS type (again, just for your reference).
Step 4: Select the amount of RAM that will be allocated to the VM. If you're installing Windows 2000, 256 MB should be more than enough.Q
Step 5: Select the virtual hard disk (referred to as VDI onwards). You don't have one yet so you will create one. Leave "Create new hard disk" selected and click Next.
Step 6: A new window pops up. Click Next.
Step 7: You are prompted for the VDI type. Leave "Dynamically expanding storage" selected and click Next.
Step 8: You are prompted for the location and the size of the VDI. Leave the location at the default value, and select the size you think you will need. For Windows 2000, I believe 4 GB is just about enough, for the system and your files.
Note: As you selected "Dynamically expanding storage", the newly created VDI will not actually have that size, but it will be just a few kilobytes in size instead, and the physical file will expand as the guest OS claims disk space.
Step 9: Click Finish in the VDI creation window, and click Finish again in the VM creation window.
Step 10: Click the Start button, near the New button, to start your newly created VM.
Step 11: A window entitled "First Run Wizard" will pop up. Click Next.
Step 12: Leave "CD/DVD-ROM Device" selected. Click to the button next to the drop-down box below the text that says "Media Source". This will bring up a new window, "Virtual Media Manager".
Step 13: Click Add, locate your ISO file, and click Select.
Step 14: Click Next in the First Run Wizard, and then click Finish.
Step 15: Proceed installing the OS as you would on a physical machine. Everything should work now, unless your ISO is corrupted or you don't have enough disk space or RAM for the VM.
~~~ FAQ ~~~
Q: Why does my VM pause by itself?
A: You don't have enough RAM available on the physical machine. Free some more RAM on the physical machine or allocate less to the VM. However, if you allocate too little RAM to the VM, it will run, but the guest OS might freeze and/or crash. So try to find an optimal balance.
Q: I get a message saying "FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted." What does that mean and how do I fix it?
A: You mounted a non-bootable ISO or you didn't mount an ISO at all. After starting the VM, go to the Devices menu, point to "CD/DVD Devices" and click "More CD/DVD Images..." and repeat step 13.
Q: I'm sure I mounted a proper ISO, but the VM still won't boot. Why?
A: Maybe your boot device order is messed up. Close the VM and click on Settings in the main window, then go to the System tab, click "CD/DVD-ROM" and move it to the top of the boot device order. Alternatively, press F12 just after starting the VM, and then press C (or whatever button will make the VM boot off of a CD/DVD). If the boot order is ok, your ISO is probably non-bootable.
Q: Everything goes fine until the guest OS setup, and then it starts spamming errors and/or crashing/rebooting, or simply not working as expected. Where can I find more info regarding the issue(s)?
A: That is probably the guest OS' fault. Look at the list of supported guest OSes on the VirtualBox website and see the Remarks field. If your OS is not listed at all, it means it's not supported, and while it may work, it's not expected to.
Q: My question is not listed here, but I have another problem.
A: First search Google for the issue. If you can't find a solution, ask here on the forum or on the VirtualBox forum. If you figure the solution out on your own, post it as it might help another user with the same issue. It might be added to this FAQ as well.
