Are you interested in what a Raspberry Pi can do? Maybe you already have a specific project in mind, but you are not ready to but the hardware yet? Follow below to see how to get started using Raspberry Pi OS without any hardware by using VirtualBox.

What you will need

For the remainder of these steps, we’re going to assume you have the following in place:

• VirtualBox is already installed
• Approx. 10-20GB of free storage space on the computer where you are running VirtualBox
• Internet connection available to download approx. 3GB

1. Download Raspberry Pi OS

1. Visit https://raspberrypi.org

2. Click the top menu link for “Software”

3. Scroll down and click the button for “Download Raspberry Pi OS”

4. Scroll down and click the button for “Download”

2. Create new virtual PC within VirtualBox

1. Open VirtualBox

2. Click New

3. Provide initial information to create the new virtual PC, then click Next:
   • Name
     This is the name that will be displayed in your listing of virtual PCs – it’s for your easy reference
   • Machine folder
     The location where you want to save the virtual machine files (will be approx. 8-16GB
   • Type
     Chose: “Linux”
   • Version
     Choose: Other Linux (64-bit)

4. Select the amount of memory (or RAM), to allocate as the maximum amount available to the new virtual device. Of course more is usually better, but consider how much total memory is available in your Windows 10 device. If your Windows 10 computer has 8GB or RAM and you allow the new virtual computer to use up to 4GB of RAM, then your Windows device might start to feel slow as it now only has 4GB remaining for itself.
   
   Note that the RAM allocated to the virtual computer is only used while the virtual computer is running, it is not permanently taken away from your Windows device. So in our given example, if the virtual computer is off, then your Windows device still has all 8GB of memory available to itself.
   
   If you are attempting to have your virtual desktop closely mirror that of a real Raspberry Pi, you may decide to use 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB, as those are the variations of newer models of Raspberry Pi hardware.
   
   When ready, click Next

5. Since this is a new virtual computer, we do need to create the hard disk for it. Click Next

6. On the Hard disk file type screen, leave the default selected VDI and click Next

7. For Storage on physical hard disk, leave the selection at Dynamically allocated.
   
   This setting means that the storage space taken by your virtual computer will start small, and automatically expand as additional files are needed. The alternative, Fixed size, would mean that (based on the next screen coming up), the amount of storage selected for the virtual computer would have the full amount taken away from the Windows computer right from the beginning.
   
   Click Next.

8. The amount of apps and the purpose of your virtual computer will determine the amount of disk space you need to have available. For this example of learning how a Raspberry Pi computer works, increasing the disk space to 16GB will be enough to install the Raspberry Pi OS, install some basic apps, and do common tasks.
   
   This amount can be enlarged later if you start to run out of storage space on the virtual computer.
   
   Click Create. You should be taken back to the main VirtualBox app

9. Now we need to tell the new virtual device which operating system to use for boot. We will be using the Raspberry Pi OS file downloaded at the beginning. At the main VirtualBox app, make sure your virtual computer is selected on the left, then click Settings

10. In the left menu, click Storage

11. Under Controller: IDE, click and highlight Empty

12. On the right, click the CD icon, then click Choose a disk file…

13. Find, select, and Open the Raspberry Pi file downloaded at the beginning

14. Click OK. You should be taken back to the main VirtualBox app

3. Install Raspberry Pi OS

1. At the main VirtualBox app screen, make sure your new virtual computer is selected in the left-hand list, then click Start

2. Since VirtualBox recognizes this is the first time we have run this new virtual computer, there is no data on the virtual hard drive we created earlier. Click Start to confirm booting from the virtual CD image for Raspberry Pi

3. As the virtual machine boots, use the down arrow key to select Graphical Install, then press the Enter key

4. The first screen of installation allows you to select your desired language to use during the rest of installation. When ready, click Continue.

5. The next set of screens for configure the disks may be confusing to some, but for this walkthrough we will keep it simple and accept all the defaults

6. On the last screen, select the option for Yes to accept this configuration, then click Continue

7. Once installation is completed, you will be prompted to reboot. Click Continue

4. First-time login

1. Your first time booting into Raspberry Pi OS will great you with a welcome screen. Click Next

2. You are then prompted to select and confirm your localization chose such as language, location, and time zone. When ready, click Next.

3. The next screen ask you change the default password. You will notice a message informing you that the default username is “pi”, and the default password is “raspberry”. For now we will leave the username as “pi”, but you absolutely want to practice good computing security and create a unique, strong password to use instead of “raspberry”. When ready, click Next.

4. Next you will have the option to go ahead and search for any updates that may need to be applied. If you are in a hurry, you do have the option to skip this step, although it is highly recommended to go ahead and check for updates to ensure your new system is stable and secure. Do be aware these can take a while, depending on your internet and wi-fi speeds. It’s no uncommon for this first-time update check to take more than 20 or 30 minutes.

5. You will be notified once updates have finished downloading and installing, and then be asked to reboot once more to apply the new updates.

6. But wait! Why is my screen so small?!
   Once installation and updates are completed, the most common questions is wondering how to make this new system bigger.
   
   Once you are loaded and viewing the desktop, click the main menu button in the top-right, then move your mouse to the Preferences menu item, then click the Screen Configuration menu item

7. In the new window that opens, click on the Configure menu item, then hover over Screens

8. Next, hover of Virtual 1, then hover over Resolution, then finally select the desired size.

9. Click the green check mark to apply your changes

10. If you are satisfied with the new window size, click Ok

11. Now you are ready to dive into Raspberry Pi OS!
    
    From here you can check out the productivity apps that can make the Raspberry Pi a formidable desktop PC, try some games and take your hand at programming your own, or use the drag-and-drop programming editors to create your very own robotics.
    
    The internet is full of creative ideas for the small & affordable Raspberry Pi devices, and the ability to get your feet wet while you are deciding on your next project is a huge time and effort saver!