# Creating an Ubuntu VM - Basic Startup A virtual machine is an emulation of a computer system. VMware Workstation 17 allows users to create virtual machines to work in environments separate from their physical machine. This can be useful for development, testing, and experimentation. This guide will teach VMware Workstation 17 users how to create and configure the basic settings of an Ubuntu 24.04.1 virtual machine. ## Downloading Your Ubuntu Distribution Ubuntu offers a variety of "flavors" of its Linux-based operating system. Today we'll focus on the most recent long-term-support (LTS) build of Ubuntu, 24.04 also known as Noble Numbat. You can download and torrent the latest build [here](https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop). ## Setting Up VMware Workstation Open VMware Workstation and select the "Create a New Virtual Machine" option. This can also be found in the "File" drop-down menu at the top left corner, or by using the keyboard shortcut: <kbd>ctrl + n</kbd> The New Virtual Machine Wizard will open. Select the "Typical" option. ![[Pasted image 20240925155258.png]] Under "Install from:" click the "Installer disc image file (iso):" option. Click browse to open your file explorer and navigate to the Ubuntu .iso file that you downloaded in the previous section. Once complete, click "Next." In the following screens, you will have the option to name your virtual machine, define its location, and configure the capacity of its storage. ![[Pasted image 20240925155429.png]] ![[Pasted image 20240925155612.png]] ![[Pasted image 20240925155602.png]] Your virtual machine is now ready to boot. Optionally, you can customize the hardware of the virtual machine before proceeding, but this guide will cover that after installation. After clicking "finish," your virtual machine will boot. ![[Pasted image 20240925155657.png]] ## Booting the VM Once booted, Ubuntu will guide you through a GUI installation assistant. Here you will configure: 1. Language - Select the operating System language and keyboard layout. 2. Account Information - Name your machine, first user, and password. 3. Storage Allocation - Partition your virtual hard disk for your needs. In this case the default setting is fine. 4. Privacy - Select your preferred privacy, tracking, and reporting options. ![[Pasted image 20240925155851.png]] ![[Pasted image 20240925160003.png]] ## Finishing Up Once the installation completes, you will be prompted to restart the machine. After restart you will be prompted to log in, and your Virtual Machine will be ready for use. ![[Pasted image 20241003154143.png]] ![[Pasted image 20240925160813.png]] Now that the machine is created, we can continue to customizing hardware. - [[Introduction|◄ Introduction]] - [[Customizing VM Hardware|Customizing VM Hardware ►]]