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I am thinking of installing Ubuntu to host Windows 8.1 x64 guests. Is there a particular release of Ubuntu (e.g. 12.04, 14.04 LTS, Ubuntu Studio 14.04/15.04, Ubuntu server 12.04/14.04), that has a simple installation process for the virtualization software (VirtualBox/VMWare) to do this?

codeReview
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    It's pretty much the same with all, but don't thing ubuntu server is an option :D, go with 14.4.3 as it's the latest LTS –  Aug 28 '15 at 22:22
  • I'll try and let you know what happens. – codeReview Aug 28 '15 at 22:45
  • You should [edit] your question to give us your criteria for "easy" (or hard if that matters). – Takkat Aug 29 '15 at 06:23
  • @Takkat made an atttempted edit - it was rejected. Anyway it would be more accurate to say "easy" = easy as Windows installation. – codeReview Sep 01 '15 at 17:14
  • @codeReview: actually it is much easier to install than on Windows if you take the version from the repositories. But still, the more updated version provided from Oracle is pretty easy to install too (if you are not afraid of the command line). See my answer there: http://askubuntu.com/questions/41478/how-do-i-install-the-virtualbox-version-from-oracle-to-install-an-extension-pack – Takkat Sep 01 '15 at 17:53

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There are no problems with installing virtualbox on Ubuntu. It is available in the official repositories.

The only bit which can be slightly tricky is getting the USB to work on your virtual machine. First you need to install the extensions pack for the version of virtualbox you have installed, which is an easy download from their website. You install it by adding the extension pack in the virtualbox settings dialogue. Once you've done that, follow the instructions here:

http://brianhoskins.uk/adding-usb-devices-virtual-machine/

Brian J Hoskins
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  • ... independent of Ubuntu version. – Hannu Aug 30 '15 at 04:00
  • In VirtualBox 5.0.2, there is a way to add a CD/DVD drive via .iso file. But now guest/host roles have swapped.I have no problems installing new guest Linux machines on a Windows10 host. No set CD/DVD drive to path of the installation .iso, and order it first in the boot list. Just works. Better than Windows' free Hyper-V virtualization software installed by default on Windows 10. Android 4.x - 5.x VMs run with no issues either. 1 reason to bother installing Windows 10 Pro as a guest OS now the the .vhd has its uses... – codeReview Sep 01 '15 at 17:11