 |
| Solus' Budgie Desktop |
Before switching to Linux permanently, it's recommended to test it first on a virtual machine so that you can feel the experience before making permanent changes on your system.
On this tutorial, we will continue revisiting the best lightweight distributions of 2021 and learn how to install Solus on VirtualBox in Windows 10.
About Solus
Solus (previously known as Evolve OS) is an independently developed operating system for the desktops running on x86-64 architecture. It currently offers Budgie (built by their own team), GNOME, MATE or KDE Plasma as the desktop environments, it follows a rolling release model built on top of its package manager eopkg.
For more information on Solus check this Wikipedia page.
Downloading Solus
Head to Solus download page an grab the ISO by clicking on the download button below Solus Budgie. For this tutorial we'll use Solus 4.1 which's the latest version available at the time. The file should be around 2 Gb in size so go grab a coffee while it downloads.
 |
| Click on the Download button to download the ISO |
Installing Solus
With the ISO downloaded, let's start the process. Open VirtualBox:
|
| VirtualBox's main screen |
Click New, enter the name of the VM, set Type = Linux and Version = Other Linux (64-bit) and specify its save location:
Choose the memory size (4Gb or more is recommended):
Create a Virtual Hard Disk:
As Hard disk file type, Choose VDI (VirtualBox's default format):
Set it to Dynamically Allocated (slower) if you don't have much disk space or Fixed Size (faster) if you do:
Specify file location and size (recommended: 20GB), click Review > Create:
After clicking Create, you should see a summary of your new VM:
Booting the VM
Okay, so it's now time to boot (load) our VM so we can install it in the virtual hard drive. On the screen above click on Start to have your VM initialized. We'll first need to attach our ISO as if it were a virtual CD-ROM. Click Add and select your downloaded ISO from your Downloads folder and click Create to set it:
Installing Solus
Once your VM boots, you should see a splash screen:
Taking you directly to the Budgie Desktop. To install Solus, click on the second icon on the bottom:
First thing is selecting your language:
Then a keyboard layout:
Then select your time zone:
Next, select where to install:
You still can enable LVM and Encryption if you want:
And review everything before the installation starts:
Then, the installation starts:
Once the installation starts, give it 10 minutes or so. Once it ends, you'll be asked to reboot:
First Login
With the installation done, let's login the first time. Enter your password as specified during the installation on the login screen:
Default Desktop
After login, you should see Budgie, Solus' beautiful desktop:
|
| Solus' Budgie Desktop |
Next Steps
There you are! Feel free to have fun with your new Ubuntu VM! We will cover some more interesting topics in the future but we recommend that you play with it in the meanwhile.
Conclusion
On this tutorial we learned how to install Ubuntu MATE in a VirtualBox virtual machine (VM). Installing Linux on a VM is the first step you need to explore Linux in its multiple variations. The next step is obviously, replacing your Windows or Mac. But take your time!
See Also
- The best Linux distributions for new users in 2021
- Getting started with Linux on Virtual Machines
- Installing Ubuntu on a Virtual Machine
- Installing Linux Mint on a Virtual Machine
- Installing elementary OS in a Virtual Machine
- Installing Pop!_OS on a Virtual Machine
- Installing Fedora on a Virtual Machine
- Installing Ubuntu Mate on a Virtual Machine
- Why use Linux
- What's a Linux distribution
- Why is Linux free
- Why Linux is safer than Windows and MacOS
- Why developers love Linux
