Menu
Portable Virtualbox is a fork of the main Oracle Virtualbox which is also free and opensource software to run Virtual Machines. However, there is no change in t Install Windows or Linux based Virtual Machines on a USB drive, stick or Pendrive using the Portable VirtualBox on any computer to create portable operating systems. This is a request for VirtualBox, a virtualizer for x86 hardware. So if it was made portable, you could run your favourite operating system anywhere. Now, seeing as John is so amazing at writing launchers, and he says he can't release the portable QEMU package or whatever he says he's created. Cross-platform virtualization without installation. Download Portable VirtualBox Online (0.5 MB) 09/03/17 Thanks to Dirk Gently for fixs In first screen enter (twice if Extension Pack needed): 6.0.12-133076 or 5.1.30-118389.
Portable VirtualBox is a software package. It is free and open tool that makes you to run any operating system with it from just a USB stick, no separate installation is needed for operating system to run. It runs portably as it adjusts and unpacks the VirtualBox path configuration… read more
12 Portable VirtualBox Alternatives & Similar Software
Free
6
1. Windows XP Mode
As Microsoft has officially discontinued support for the Windows XP versions so most of the users of the Windows XP are looking for the ways to operate their XP programs. Here is a program for these users named Windows XP Mode that will make them able to run XP programs and software in the Windows 7 operating system. It is not based on the system of pure virtualization. In order to operate the programs of Windows XP in the Windows 7 the users are first required to download and install the Windows XP Mode. Moreover, these will be also required to install the Windows Virtual PC as well that will make them able to run program via the virtual operating system in their host operating system. After the installation of the both of the programs, the your will be able to activate the Windows XP Mode in the Windows 7 and will enjoy the XP in the 7 as XP is the original one. Windows XP Mode is the best and perfect way to use the programs and software of Windows XP.
2
2. VMware Workstation Player
VMware Workstation Player that was once known by the name of Player Pro is a streamlined PC virtualization program for the personal and business purpose that is expert in dealing with multiple operating systems for the purpose of virtualization. VMware Workstation Player is particularly designed for those IT administrator and professionals who are largely required to use multiple operating systems for the purpose of carrying on their tasks in a more efficient and effective manner. The best about VMware Workstation Player is that it runs on all type of operating systems that means in term of host systems it has a very large support. The simple and user friendly interface of VMware Workstation Player make the users able to run and evaluate any other operating system and program in a virtual machine or Linux and Windows based PC. That is the way of working of VMware Workstation Player that make the users able to easily interact and exchange the data between all those apps and programs working in the VM and desktop. Because of its highly advanced virtualization features, VMware Workstation Player is the simplest way to deliver a virtual desktop in the large enterprise environment for the purpose of making the real time collaboration with the internal and external stakeholders.
2
3. MobaLiveCD
MobaLiveCD is a virtualization back system for running the LiveCD of the Linux operating system in the Windows operating system. MobaLiveCD is not an independent program as it uses the emulator of the Qemu for the purpose of testing the LiveCD of Linux in the Windows operating system. For the information of readers it is important to mention here that MobaLiveCD is not perfectly designed for the purpose of running one operating system in another one. It is capable of dealing with only one feature of Linux in the Windows and that is running of LiveCD. The users of Windows are only required to first download the ISO image file to any LiveCD and after that start the MobaLiveCD. In doing so, the users will not be required either to burn a CD-Rom or reboot the PC. The main highlighted features and functions of MobaLiveCD are user friendly, association, no installation, intuitive graphical interface, and portable that means no installation.
0
4. VMware Fusion
VMware Fusion is a virtualization program for the Mac OS X operating systems that allow the users of Mac to enjoy the features and functions of any Windows operating system by simply running it on their Mac device. The best about VMware Fusion is that it support for the all version of Windows operating systems as a guest operating systems. The best about VMware Fusion is that it requires no type of rebooting of your host system and the Windows will run in the system as the Mac machine was originally designed for the Mac. VMware Fusion is best for those new Mac users who want to keep their Windows program running all the time because they are highly addictive to the features and functions of Windows. After installing the VMware Fusion on Mac, it will provide you the support for all kind of functionalities like running of apps, Windows programs, browser bookmarks at once in a parallel mode. For those program that are not available for Mac OS X can be run easily via VMware Fusion by inviting the Windows system as a guest operating system and then enjoying the running of non-compatible programs and software.
-1
5. coLinux
coLinux is basically a port of the Linux operating systems distributed under the distro of Kernel. It is designed for the purpose of allowing the users of Windows and Linux operating systems to run and operate the both operating systems at once in a parallel mode. In that’s way the features and programs of one operating system can be operate from the other one. coLinux is different from the traditional VM system and instead of using the technology and working system of VMs, coLinux has its own hardware virtualization system named as Cooperative Virtual Machine. This CVM system of coLinux makes the users of Windows and Linux operating systems able to share the data already exists in the host operating systems which are limited in the VM system. That is the first basic difference between coLinux and other VMs. The other best thing of coLinux is that it delivers the users with the system of getting the full command and control of the host operating system through guest operating system that are very limited or allow in an unprivileged state in the other type of VMs. The reasons behind its name CVM is for the same purpose that means two entities working in parallel. coLinux is the best one hardware and operating systems virtualizer that can be used for performing all those tasks and functions that are commonly carried out by the other VMs.
-1
6. Parallels Desktop 10
Parallels Desktop 10 is a hardware and operating system virtualization program designed for the users of Mac Operating System to enjoy the most of the versions of Windows operating systems in their machine. In is for those who want to enjoy the software and programs of Windows in the Mac but are unable to do so because of no support for the same. The main advantage of using Parallels Desktop 10 is that it will never ask you for rebooting your Mac system for the purpose of inviting Windows as a guest operating system. After installing the Parallels Desktop 10 on Mac, it will provide you the support for all kind of functionalities like running of apps, Windows programs, browser bookmarks at once in a parallel mode. For those program that are not available for Mac OS X can be run easily via Parallels Desktop 10 by inviting the Windows system as a guest operating system and then enjoying the running of non-compatible programs and software. This program is suitable for those developers, quality assurance teams, IT professionals, technical sales professionals, teachers and tutors, who have to deploy software by running multiple operating systems similarly on the same computer.
-1
7. Kernel Virtual Machine
Kernel Virtual Machine is a highly advanced and professional level of virtualization program designed for the Linux operating system based on the x 86 hardware systems. Kernel Virtual Machine contains the various functions in shape of loadable kernel module that provide the users with the system of core virtualization infrastructure and make them able to run multiple virtual machines and operating systems. Either it is any unmodified Linux or Windows images; Kernel Virtual Machine is capable in all. Each virtual machine that will be running in the Kernel Virtual Machine has its own private virtualized hardware like graphics adapter, disk and a network card. Being an open source program the ways of working of Kernel Virtual Machine are more advanced and professional as compared to more of the others competitors of the Kernel Virtual Machine. The main highlighted features and functions of Kernel Virtual Machine are support for Qemu Monitor Protocol, easy way to communicate between host and guest operating systems, migration of virtual machines, migration of virtual machines, adding the pci devices on the fly and much more. Kernel Virtual Machine is the best virtualization program for dealing with multiple operating systems simultaneously.
-1
8. Xen
Portable Apps Cnet
Xen is an open virtualization program designed for dealing with multiple machines and operating systems. Xen project is based on the hypervisor and allow the users to operate the multiple operating systems from a centralize platform. Unlike traditional VM programs that provide the only one way of virtualization, Xen support for the almost five methods for the purpose of running any guest operating system. These five approaches being used by the Xen are hardware virtual machine, HVM with PV drivers, PVHVM, PVH and paravirtualization. The purposes of all these is to provide the users with those features and functions that make them able to control their guest operating system in a best possible way. The simple and user-friendly interface of Xen make the users able to run and evaluate any other operating system and program in a virtual machine. This program is suitable for those developers, quality assurance teams, IT professionals, technical sales professionals, teachers and tutors, who have to deploy software by running multiple operating systems similarly on the same computer.
-2
9. Windows Virtual PC
Windows Virtual PC is an advanced level of virtualization technology by the Microsoft Windows operating system for the Windows operating system users only. It is designed for the purpose of making the users of Windows operating system able to enjoy any version of the Windows operating system on that version that they are currently using. Windows Virtual PC can also be used for running Linux operating system. However, it is not officially recognized by the Microsoft but developers have tested this and it is doing well. In term of host edition, Windows Virtual PC only support for the Windows 7 version but it term of guest operating systems, Windows Virtual PC support for the all version of Windows operating systems from XP to current 10 version. It is for those developers and programmer of Windows 7 who wants to use the programs of other version of Windows but are unable to do so because these will require the installation of other edition. By using the Windows Virtual PC, they can simply use the all programs and software of those operating systems that are not officially supported directly in the Windows 7. The best about Windows Virtual PC is that it is capable in running more than one operating system as a guest operating systems at a same time.
-5
10. VirtualBox
VirtualBox (also known as Oracle VirtualBox) is a free and open-source hosted hypervisor for x86 hardware, and it is under development by Oracle Corporation. It is a comprehensive solution and may be installed on numbers of operating systems such as Linux, MacOS, Windows and OpenSolaris, etc. It supports the creation and management of guest virtual-machines running versions and derivations of Windows, Linux, and other platforms. The solution is targeted at server, desktop, and embedded use; it is now the only professional-quality virtualization system. It has an extremely modular design with well-defined internal programming interfaces and a service and client design that makes it quite easy to control from several interfaces at once. One of the most interesting and enjoyable thing about this platform is that it comes with a full Software Development Kit that makes it more interesting and feature-rich. As compared to all the other similar platforms, VirtualBox is a fast and convenient solution and allow you to run other OS and software without needing to reboot. There is also a list of core benefits that make it more powerful.
-6
11. QEMU
QEMU is an open source hardware virtualization software that allow the users of one operating systems to enjoy the features and functions of the other operating systems by giving them permission to be virtualizing installed on the host operating systems. QEMU make it possible for the users of one operating system to run the various programs of the other different machines. QEMU performance is based on the dynamic translation that ensure for the high performance of the QEMU. QEMU is a free, open source and generic hosted hypervisor that can be used as a replacement to most of the virtualization software for hardware virtualization. It is supportable for hosting system like Linux, Windows, Mac OS X and some UNIX based platforms while Linux, Solaris, MS Windows, DOS and BSD are included in the list of guest operating system. With the help of dynamic translation, it enables the users to achieve good performance for their targets. QEMU is among those hardware virtualization programs that can be equally used as a machine emulator and virtualizer. Uniqueness about this program is that it provides original performance of guest operating system on host operating system by executing the guest code directly on the host computer.
-6
12. VMware Workstation
VMware Workstation is a multiple operating system handler to easily evaluate the any other type of new operating systems. VMware Workstation is that kind of hardware virtualizer that in addition to supporting for the running of other operating system on the guest operating system also support for the running of patches, reference programs and even the software programs and applications. VMware Workstation is a commercial hypervisor designed for binaries of x86 and x86-64 computers that makes the users able to control one or more virtual machines or operating system on a single machine operating system and use the same equally with the host machine. Via this program, users will be able to execute each operating system in addition to host operating system. This program is suitable for those developers, quality assurance teams, IT professionals, technical sales professionals, teachers and tutors, who have to deploy software by running multiple x86 based OS similarly on the same computer. Host operating system like MS Windows and Linux support this program while MS Windows, Linux, BSD and MS-DOS are the guest operating systems or virtual machines. In addition to making guest operating system, it enables you to share physical disk drives and USB devices with a guest operating system. Moreover, you can simulate disk drives, can mount an ISO image file into a guest OS optical disc drive.
More About Portable VirtualBox
Portable VirtualBox is a software package. It is free and open tool that makes you to run any operating system with it from just a USB stick, no separate installation is needed for operating system to run. It runs portably as it adjusts and unpacks the VirtualBox path configuration. Bridge network support is provided by it through virtual network adaptor. The main advantage of using Portable VirtualBox is that it is a portable program that allows the developers and IT experts to run any operating systems right from any other operating system and even from the USB stick or any other external hard disk drive. That feature of Portable VirtualBox makes it even more useful and efficient as compared to the most of the VM programs. The main highlighted features and functions of Portable VirtualBox are configurable home directory, choose language, launch any operating system, save settings permanently and much more.
Portable applications offer some definite advantages over their traditional counterparts. They’re lightweight, and they allow you to move between computers while taking your apps and settings with you. Here’s why they’re different and why they’re sometimes—but not always—a good choice.
How Regular Apps Are Installed
RELATED:What Is the ProgramData Folder in Windows?
To understand what makes an app portable, it might be helpful first to take a quick look at how traditional apps get installed in Windows. When you install an app in Windows, the installation files go to several different locations. The bulk of the app’s files are usually copied to a single folder somewhere in the C:Program Files folder. Files that contain settings applying to all users of the app may get created in the ProgramData folder.
Settings that are particular to different user accounts on the PC are stored in files created in the hidden “AppData” folder inside each accounts user folder. Most apps create entries in the Windows Registry that may also hold various configuration settings. And many apps take advantage of shared code libraries that get installed with things like the .NET framework and Visual C++ Redistributables.
There are distinct advantages to this separation of functions. Multiple apps can share information contained in Registry entries or shared code libraries, preventing unnecessary duplication. Storing user-specific settings in one place and system-wide settings in another means that apps can take better advantage of lots of different Windows features designed for a multi-user system. For starters, each user can rely on their own settings being loaded when they start the app just because they are signed in with their own Windows account. Features like file and share permissions are built on this structure. And, having all program settings saved to designated areas makes backing up your system more reliable.
So, What’s a Portable App and Why Would I Use One?
A portable app is simply one that doesn’t use an installer. All the files required to run the app reside in a single folder, which you can put anywhere on the system. If you move the folder, the app will still work the same. Instead of installing a portable app, you typically download it as a ZIP file, extract that ZIP to a folder, and run the executable file for the app. If the app allows you to save settings, those settings are saved in files right inside the same folder.
The most significant benefit of using portable apps is self-evident—they’re portable. Stick them on a USB drive, for example, and you can carry them around from computer to computer. They won’t leave any footprint on the PCs you run them on. Everything, including any settings you’ve saved, is saved right in the portable app’s folder on the USB drive. It’s very similar to the way things worked back in the days of MS-DOS and Windows 3.1.
Portable apps can be helpful even if you aren’t moving between computers, though. For one thing, they leave a smaller footprint on your PC. They tend to be lighter weight than most installable apps just by virtue of not having to be installed. You can sync them (along with their settings) to your other PCs using something like Dropbox. Or, you can just use an app once without having to worry about it leaving cruft on your system.
Sure, there will always be apps that you need to install. Either they’re just too big—or sophisticated—to run as a portable app, or they need to take advantage of Windows’ multi-user or security capabilities. But many apps come in both flavors, which means you can choose between an installer and a ZIP when you download it.
Portable Virtualbox Windows 10
RELATED:Understanding User Account Control in Windows 7
Of course, there are some downsides to using portable apps. Windows’ User Account Controls (UAC) don’t work for portable apps the way they do for installed apps, meaning that they are more subject to non-administrative processes. You could consider this one both an upside and a downside. The upside is that if you need a portable app, you can likely run it even if you’re on a network—say, at work—where you can’t install a normal app. The downside is that the IT department and any security protocols they’ve instituted might be less effective.
Another downside of portable apps is that they’re not typically built with multiple users in mind. This is likely not a big deal since you’re probably creating a portable drive that you can carry around just for yourself. But if multiple users do need to use an app, they’ll either all have to use the same settings, or you’ll have to have several copies of the app folder on your portable drive.
RELATED:Do You Really Need to Safely Remove USB Flash Drives?
Lastly, if you’re running portable apps from a USB drive, you’ll want to take extra care to eject the drive properly instead of just pulling it out. Otherwise, you can corrupt the apps or cause settings not to be saved properly. You can even run into this problem on PCs that don’t handle USB drives well when they enter sleep or hibernation. It’s less of a problem on modern PCs than it was in the past, but there are still PCs today that don’t handle sleep well.
That said, the advantages of portable apps usually outweigh the disadvantages—particularly if you move around to different PCs a lot.
What Kinds of Portable Apps Are Available?
Portable Apps Virtualbox
RELATED:The Best Free Portable Apps for Your Flash Drive Toolkit
If you think of portable apps as mostly system utilities tech support folk carry around, you might be surprised to find that there are all kinds of portable apps out there. You can read about a bunch of them in our guide to the best free portable apps for your flash drive toolkit. You’ll find system utilities, for sure, but also apps for just about every need you have—productivity, communications, graphics and image viewing, and a lot more.
In addition to all these standalone apps, you can also download application suites that you can install to a USB drive. These suites usually provide you with a Start menu-style launcher for accessing the apps, and some also coordinate app settings for you. Many of these suites boast hundreds of free portable apps to choose from, essentially allowing you to create a complete, portable workspace. PortableApps, CodySafe, and LiberKey are some of the more popular suites.
It’s worth taking your time to look over the different portable suites if that’s what you’re interested in. In some cases, portable apps are only available through a software suite like this. For example, PortableApps.com provides access to several hundred portable apps that you can download and install to your PortableApps disk. Many of these apps can only be installed to the PortableApps suite and don’t have a portable version you can use without the suite. PortableApps does offer the advantage of being able to choose exactly which apps you want to include. Other suites have all the portable apps bundled within the main download, so it’s an all or nothing prospect. But each suite may provide specific tools that you can’t find for other suites, so poke through what apps are available for each before making your decision.
You’ll also find that when we recommend third-party utilities in many of our articles, we often choose to feature portable apps over installable ones.
Can I Make Regular Installable Apps Portable?
RELATED:Transform Install Only Applications into Portable Applications
It is often possible to make a regular app portable, but it can be a bit finicky and usually takes a bit of work. If the app is a very simple one—say a utility that obviously doesn’t need to be an installable app—it is sometimes possible to extract those files from the installer and transform them into a portable app using these instructions. This is by no means a method that’s guaranteed to work, but it may be worth trying.
RELATED:Use Portable VirtualBox to Take Virtual Machines With You Everywhere
Another option for making an installable app portable is to virtualize the app. This usually requires a good bit more setup, but essentially you’d create a portable virtual machine that can run the necessary operating system and the app (or apps) you need and then load that virtual machine onto whatever portable media you want. Portable VirtualBox is the most common tool for this, and we’ve got a great guide on using it to take virtual machines with you everywhere. VirtualBox itself is a free virtual machine offering from Oracle that can run on pretty much any desktop operating system. Portable VirtualBox is a wrapper for VirtualBox that turns it into a portable application you can install on a USB stick or external hard drive.
RELATED:What Is a “Portable” App, and Why Does It Matter?
Cameyo is another interesting virtualization option. Instead of running an entire virtual machine from your portable drive, you create a virtual machine on your desktop system. You then use Cameyo to record the installation of an app within that virtual machine. When it’s done, Cameyo creates a single executable file that you can then drag to your portable drive and run wherever you want. Cameyo is also free for home or small business users. If you’re curious about it, we’ve also got a guide on using Cameyo to create portable apps.
No matter what method you choose, it’s worth exploring what portable apps have to offer. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of freedom and flexibility you get from knowing that with the USB drive hanging from your keychain, you can run all the critical aspects of your computing life.
READ NEXTOracle Virtualbox Portable
- › How to Use Text Editing Gestures on Your iPhone and iPad
- › Windows 10’s BitLocker Encryption No Longer Trusts Your SSD
- › How to Disable or Enable Tap to Click on a PC’s Touchpad
- › How HTTP/3 and QUIC Will Speed Up Your Web Browsing
- › Motherboards Explained: What Are ATX, MicroATX, and Mini-ITX?