Portable-VirtualBox

Portable-VirtualBox is a free and open source software tool that lets you run any operating system from a usb stick without separate installation.

Installation instructions

1. Download and run Portable-VirtualBox_v4.3.28-Starter_v6.4.9-Win_all.exe.
2. Choose a folder to extract to.
3. Go to the folder and run Portable-VirtualBox.exe. You’ll see a window like the one below:
   
4. If you have already downloaded the installer for VirtualBox from www.virtualbox.org click search and navigate to the file. If not, click “Download The Installation Files of VirtualBox.” Portable-VirtualBox will show you the download’s progress.
5. Once the installer is download, check the boxes that are appropriate and click OK. Portable-VirtualBox will extract the files it needs from the VirtualBox installer, and restart itself afterward if you select the last checkbox.

Optional configuration

Portable-VirtualBox makes default settings automatically. You can modify them by pressing CTRL-5 or opening the tray menu while Portable-VirtualBox is running. Either action will bring up the configuration GUI below. The Hokey-Settings tab is shown open in the image below:

Features

• Splash screen to start and end
• Configurable Home Directory
• Launch the VirtualBox GUI or directly launch a VM
• Configure the hotkeys for managing your virtual machine
• Configure USB and network support
• Choose language for GUI
• Saves settings in editable *.ini-files
• Can automatically check for VirtualBox updates
• All absolute paths in the VirtualBox.xml are replaced automatically by relative paths
• Checks to make sure VirtualBox files exist

Note

VirtualBox needs several kernel drivers installed and needs to start several services: if the drivers and services are not already installed you’ll need administrator rights to run Portable-VirtualBox.

When Portable-VirtualBox starts, it checks to see if the drivers are installed. If they are not it will install them before running VirtualBox and will remove them afterward. Similarly, Portable-VirtualBox checks to see if the services are running. If not, it will start them and then stop them when it exits.

If you want to save space you can remove the language files for other languages than your own. That can save you nearly 10 MB. They are in the nls directory.

You can also delete the documentation saving nearly 5 MB. You will find it in the doc directory.

When the VM is running you must press the “Host-Key” (initially configured as the right CTRL-Key) to be able to use the other Hotkeys since otherwise the VM will have the focus.

Network support

1. To download of Portable-VirtualBox
2. Unpack from Portable-VirtualBox
3. Start from Portable-VirtualBox
4. Attitudes open (Tray –> attitudes, CTRL+5) –> rider Network (Tab) –> VirtualBox with network support start –> memory (save)
5. Terminate from Portable-VirtualBox
6. Start from Portable-VirtualBox
7. Driver installation agree
8. Wait
9. Selection of a VM and the network map to host interfaces stop
10. Attitudes make
11. FINISHED

Languages of Launcher

English, German, Portuguese, Spanish, French,  Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian.

Important

None of the files that come from VirtualBox are modified or otherwise changed.

Portable-VirtualBox downloads the VirtualBox installer which contains all of the VirtualBox files and drivers. Portable-VirtualBox unpacks the files and stores them in subdirectories . Portable-Virtualbox can also compress them in order to save space.