virtualbox.org

I'm planning to install Windows 7 on a virtual machine with VirtualBox. But I'm not sure which version should I choose. I will install it in a MacBook Pro (Early 2008) with a Core 2 Duo and 2 GB of RAM. I'm using Snow Leopard. I think my computer is capable of running in 64 bit, but Snow Leopard starts in 32 bits, don't know why. Which version should I install?

And as a bonus: How well is Windows 7 running on Boot Camp?

Thanks.

It doesn't really matter which version you install in VB, as long as it's supported. 64 bit can only be installed if you have a 64 bit CPU and hardware virtualization (VT-x). See the Manual and VirtualBox FAQ for more info on the requirements.

About bootcamp, no idea, maybe someone on the Mac Forums knows more.

I'm new to VB so I went and read the FAQ. It states, in part

Q: I run a 64 bit Host OS, which version do I need?
A: You need the same kind program build as your Host OS. If you run for example Vista 64 bit, you need the 64 bit build of VirtualBox. If you run a 32 bit OS on your 64 bit CPU, you cannot use the 64 bit build. If you have an Intel CPU and run a 64 bit Host, pick the AMD64 package.
Also note that 64bit guests are not currently supported on MacOS.

Just to be perfectly clear my interpretation of this comment is that Windows 7 64 bit will not run as a guest on a Snow Leopard host?

Please check the release notes of the v3 series. The FAQ is not always updated with the latest features. Without checking the changelogs, I'd say, no, it's not supported on Mac.

charlie98 wrote: Just to be perfectly clear my interpretation of this comment is that Windows 7 64 bit will not run as a guest on a Snow Leopard host?

After checking the change log for VB 3 and not finding anything indicating support I decided to install Windows 7 64 bit anyway.

After some product key hassles it works

I checked the manual myself too, especially looking at chapter 1.6 - 64 bit Guests, there is no mentioning of Mac OS X not being able to run 64 bit Guests. Guess they changed it without putting it in the changelog.

So then, does the 64 bit version uses more RAM, or space on the HDD? Is it worth installing the 64 bit version over the 32 bit version in a virtual machine?

My MacBook Pro has:
-Snow Leopard
-2 GB RAM.
-Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz
-NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT VRAM (total): 256 MB

Thanks.

There should be no difference in both, but the 64 bit might use a bit more space because of the 32 bit compatibility that is added. If the 64 bit doesn't work as it should, check the Known Limitations section in the manual. I believe that 64 bit Guests on Mac are listed there as not working.

Sasquatch wrote: I believe that 64 bit Guests on Mac are listed there as not working.

In the 3.0.12 manual under Known Limitations there are 3 references to Mac OS X.

• 64-bit guests on 32-bit hosts do not support SMP yet (except on Mac OS X).
  Mac OS X host. The following restrictions apply (all of which will be resolved in future versions):
  – No support for audio input. – The numlock emulation has not yet been implemented. – The CPU frequency metric is not supported.
  – 3D OpenGL acceleration. In general the OpenGL support for Linux guest is experimental. This counts especially in combination with compiz enabled window managers. Additional we are aware of the following issues:
  ? OpenGL windows aren’t updated in the Dock Icon real time preview. ? There are several redraw problems with compiz enabled window man- agers on Linux guests. E.g. after save/restore state or a resize of the
  guest window. ? OpenGL host support is not yet available on 64-bit kernels (Mac OS X
  10.6).

There may be some limitations (SMP and OpenGL) but my working 64 bit Guest suggests that it does work.

All right, so then, how many RAM should I give to the VM?

I post my info again.

My MacBook Pro has:
-Snow Leopard
-2 GB RAM.
-Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz
-NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT VRAM (total): 256 MB

I gave my 32 bit W7 pro VM 768 and it seems happy with it.

How do I remove the close button from window previews in Windows 7? In Windows 7, when you hover over an application in the taskbar, it gives you a thumbnail preview of the window. It also brings up the title, icon, and close button. I have a small screen, so I would like to strip the excess information from the frame so that all I see is the preview when I hover over an application. No close button. No title. No extra icon. Just the preview. Is that possible? And if so, how would I go about doing it?
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jacinthey wrote:How do I remove the close button from window previews in Windows 7? In Windows 7, when you hover over an application in the taskbar, it gives you a thumbnail preview of the window. It also brings up the title, icon, and close button. I have a small screen, so I would like to strip the excess information from the frame so that all I see is the preview when I hover over an application. No close button. No title. No extra icon. Just the preview. Is that possible? And if so, how would I go about doing it?

That's off-topic here. Further off-topic relies will result in a 7-day ban.