How to Boot a VM From an ISO File in Oracle VirtualBox

00:03:06
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1Bf8FM8yN8

Summary

TLDRThis video provides a tutorial on how to boot an ISO file in Oracle VirtualBox to start a different operating system or perform recovery tasks. To begin, access the VM settings and navigate to the storage section. If an optical drive isn't present, add one by clicking on the controller and selecting 'add optical drive.' From here, you can load an ISO file, such as a Linux Knoppix CD, which can be useful for exploring Linux environments or recovery tasks. Once the ISO is mounted, ensure the VM is set to boot from the optical drive, pressing F12 if necessary to select the correct boot device. After completing tasks on the live CD, shut down the VM and either remove the drive or eject the ISO to return to the normal configuration.

Takeaways

  • 💡 You can boot different OS by using an ISO file in VirtualBox.
  • 🛠️ Add an optical drive via the VirtualBox settings under Storage.
  • 🔄 Easily switch ISOs if needed from the storage settings.
  • 📀 Use live CDs like Linux Knoppix for testing and recovery.
  • 🔑 Press F12 to select boot device if it’s not booting correctly.
  • 🖥️ Run a Linux environment from a Windows 10 VM.
  • 🏁 After use, shut down VM and eject ISO to resume normal operations.
  • 📤 Remove or unmount ISOs to free up resources.
  • 🤖 Useful for testing purposes without altering the host system.
  • 👥 Suitable for recovery operations on virtual machines.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:03:06

    In this video, the speaker demonstrates how to boot from an ISO file using Oracle's VirtualBox software. They illustrate how to change the boot medium of a virtual machine (VM) from its default to a different ISO file, such as a Linux live CD, which can be used to try out a new operating system or execute tasks like file recovery. The process involves going to the VM's settings, navigating to the storage section, adding an optical drive if not already present, and selecting the desired ISO file to boot from. The speaker explains how to mount the disk and start the VM, which then boots from the selected ISO instead of the pre-existing virtual hard disk. Additionally, they mention how to change the boot order using F12 during startup if required and conclude by showing how to remove the ISO after use.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is the purpose of booting an ISO file in VirtualBox?

    Booting an ISO file in VirtualBox allows you to start a different operating system or perform tasks like file recovery.

  • How do you add an optical drive in VirtualBox?

    You can add an optical drive by going to the settings, selecting the storage section, and choosing to add an optical drive under the controller options.

  • What can you use a live Linux CD for in VirtualBox?

    A live Linux CD can be used to try out Linux or perform tasks like system recovery in VirtualBox.

  • How do you ensure the virtual machine boots from the optical drive?

    You can press F12 when starting the VM to select the boot device, ensuring it boots from the optical drive.

  • What should you do if you pick the wrong ISO file?

    If you pick the wrong ISO file, you can remove it and select a new one from the storage settings.

  • How do you boot to a Linux Knoppix CD in a Windows 10 VM?

    Mount the Linux Knoppix ISO file as an optical drive in the Windows 10 VM's storage settings and start the VM.

  • What should be done once finished using the live CD?

    After finishing, shut down the VM, and either remove the optical drive or eject the ISO file from the drive.

  • Can you leave the optical drive empty when adding it?

    Yes, you can initially leave the optical drive empty and then later choose which ISO to boot from.

  • Is it possible to use this method for system recovery?

    Yes, booting from an ISO file in VirtualBox can be used for system recovery purposes.

  • What happens if optical drive isn't set as first boot option?

    You may need to press F12 to manually select the optical drive as the first boot option.

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Subtitles
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  • 00:00:06
    hi in this video we're going to show you
  • 00:00:08
    how to boot to an ISO file in Oracle's
  • 00:00:11
    VirtualBox virtualization software so
  • 00:00:15
    let's say you have some VMs and you want
  • 00:00:17
    to boot to a different type of CD to
  • 00:00:20
    let's say start a different type of
  • 00:00:22
    operating system or start some kind of
  • 00:00:24
    recovery but you don't know how to do it
  • 00:00:26
    it's pretty simple to do so we're gonna
  • 00:00:28
    demonstrate it for you so let's say we
  • 00:00:30
    have this Windows 10 VM right here and
  • 00:00:33
    we want to boot it to a Linux CD like a
  • 00:00:35
    live Linux a view just to try out Linux
  • 00:00:37
    and see what it does or let's say we
  • 00:00:39
    wanted to do some kind of file recovery
  • 00:00:40
    because you could do that from live
  • 00:00:41
    monica CD as well so what you want to do
  • 00:00:44
    is you want go to the settings and then
  • 00:00:47
    you want to go to the storage section
  • 00:00:48
    because that's going to have your
  • 00:00:49
    storage devices like hard drives and
  • 00:00:51
    that kind of thing and as you can see
  • 00:00:52
    here we just have our virtual disk for
  • 00:00:55
    Windows itself so that's the only thing
  • 00:00:57
    that's going to boot off of so we first
  • 00:00:58
    need to add some kind of optical device
  • 00:01:02
    so you might have when they're already
  • 00:01:04
    and if you don't it's really simple to
  • 00:01:05
    do just click on controllers you click
  • 00:01:07
    on here you're not going to have the
  • 00:01:08
    option you want to go on controller
  • 00:01:09
    itself and see this little guy here for
  • 00:01:12
    add optical drive click on that and then
  • 00:01:16
    you can either leave it empty or you
  • 00:01:18
    could choose what you want to boot to
  • 00:01:20
    right away so let's go
  • 00:01:21
    choose disk and right here we have we're
  • 00:01:26
    gonna boot to this Knoppix
  • 00:01:27
    CD right there so I'll just double click
  • 00:01:29
    that and so that's disc is actually
  • 00:01:32
    mounted there and it's ready to boot and
  • 00:01:34
    let's say you changed your mind or you
  • 00:01:38
    pick the wrong one you can remove that
  • 00:01:39
    and now it's empty and you can go back
  • 00:01:41
    here and then you can choose which drive
  • 00:01:44
    or just you want to use and so we'll
  • 00:01:47
    click that again and then we'll click ok
  • 00:01:49
    so now we're going to start this guy and
  • 00:01:54
    instead of booting Windows we should
  • 00:01:57
    have a boot up with that Linux Knoppix
  • 00:01:59
    CD and if you notice down
  • 00:02:04
    said press f12 to select boot device so
  • 00:02:08
    if for some reason it's not booting from
  • 00:02:10
    your optical drive first you could press
  • 00:02:11
    that and choose that as your first
  • 00:02:13
    started item so as you can see this is
  • 00:02:16
    not Windows it's actually Linux and as
  • 00:02:27
    you can see here kind of big but we have
  • 00:02:30
    our Linux desktop and so now we're
  • 00:02:32
    technically running this VM off of that
  • 00:02:35
    Linux CD and then once we're done we
  • 00:02:39
    could just shut it down and so then what
  • 00:02:52
    you do is go back here and then you can
  • 00:02:56
    either just remove the whole optical
  • 00:02:58
    drive or you can go back in remove that
  • 00:03:00
    disk from the drive and then you're good
  • 00:03:02
    to go
  • 00:03:02
    simple as that alright thanks for
  • 00:03:04
    watching
Tags
  • VirtualBox
  • ISO file
  • Boot
  • Optical drive
  • Linux
  • Knoppix
  • Windows 10
  • File recovery
  • Virtual machine
  • Live CD