virtualbox.org

I'm a first time user of Virtual Machine's.

I've downloaded the VirtualBox onto my old laptop running windows vista.

How do I install an operating system? Where do I get legitimate ISO files of Microsoft Operating Systems from? I contacted Microsoft and they said they dont provide the ISO file images for any older operating systems only for Windows 8 and I would have to buy the product Key for 99 pounds.

Can I get a copy from my laptop of the ISO file image of the Windows Vista I'm running on the laptop?I don't have the disk for Vista as it came preinstalled. Microsft told me I would have to contact the maker of my laptop to see if they will send me an ISO file image of Windows Vista.

richie wrote:How do I install an operating system?

In the usual way, i.e. from a setup CD. Since it's a virtual machine it can be a virtual CD (i.e. an ISO). Physical CDs are also supported.

richie wrote:Where do I get legitimate ISO files of Microsoft Operating Systems from? I contacted Microsoft and they said they dont provide the ISO file images for any older operating systems only for Windows 8 and I would have to buy the product Key for 99 pounds.

If it's a free OS such as Linux Ubuntu, then you download the ISO from the appropriate support website. In the case of a non-free OS such as Windows, then you must buy it, perhaps second hand. Many of us who have been using PCs for years have drawers full of old OS install CDs, many of which can still make useful VMs. If buying second hand then be wary of buying "upgrade" variants, disks without keys, or disks from the "royalty branded OEM" category e.g. from Dell, HP etc.

richie wrote:Can I get a copy from my laptop of the ISO file image of the Windows Vista I'm running on the laptop?

An ISO is a image of a data CD or DVD, so called because these use a derivative of the ISO-9660 standard filesystem. Images of hard disks are not ISO images. It is possible to image a hard disk and use it in a VM, but not in your case as it would fail an activation check - you'd kill the activation of the laptop, since I doubt your license allows two simultaneous activations - the VM in practice counts as a separate PC, even if the legal position is harder to pin down.

p.s. Please keep the extended markup to a minimum. Bolt red fonts are unlikely to make people want to help you, in fact the natural reaction is opposite - it makes you look pushy and demanding.