How to install a free legal Windows in VirtualBox in Linux

Unfortunately, some people still need Windows for a particular end. For example when they have a navigation device that can only be updated by means of a Windows application....

If this applies to you as well, then you can make use of VirtualBox and a free legal Virtual Machine (VM) with Windows 7, 8.x or 10.

Running such a VM is safe for your Linux: even if a Windows VM would become infected with viruses and malware, it can't do any harm at all to your Linux. That's because a VM runs in a virtualized sandbox, which effectively isolates it from the underlying operating system.

You can achieve this as follows:

1. First install VirtualBox and its extension pack.

2. Reboot the system
3. Now download a free legal VM with Windows 7 Enterprise (IE11 on Win7).

https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/tools/vms/

Preferably not Windows 8.x or 10, because those VM's are less useful (I'll explain that later). You can use this legal VM with Windows 7 for 90 days. Don't forget to activate it within a couple of days, by means of the DOS command slmgr /ato (see the instruction on the wallpaper of Windows 7).

After those 90 days, you can extend the activation five times (unfortunately, these activation extensions aren't possible for the VM's with Windows 8.x and 10!). So you can use the Windows 7 VM legally for 6 x 90 = 540 days in total. The how-to for extending the activation ("re-arm") is written on the wallpaper of Windows 7.

After those 540 days you can simply delete the existing VM and import a new clean VM, which should give you another 540 days. It's therefore useful to keep the downloaded file; after 18 months, that'll save you some time.....

Legal note: the Microsoft license for these VM's states: "You may use the software for testing purposes only". There's no further explanation given of the term "testing purposes" though, and no time limit to your testing other than the maximal activation period. This implies that it's entirely up to you: when you think you're done with testing, you should buy a license or stop using the VM.

4.  unzip the download and Launch Oracle VM Virtualbox and select in its panel: File - Import Appliance... Import the .ova file.

5.Start the VM and wait until Windows has completed booting.

6. In the panel of VirtualBox: Devices - Insert Guest Additions CD image...
Now wait; this can take a long time.

Then click on VBoxWindowsAdditions.exe in order to install it.

After the installation of the Guest Additions, you'll be asked to reboot Windows. Do so.

7. After Windows has rebooted, you can add USB devices. First connect them to your computer. Then in the panel of VirtualBox: Devices - USB - click on your device. This should enable Windows to install it. Note: you have to repeat this click on your device, every time you boot the VM. Because with that click, you transfer the device from Linux to Windows.

8. Your Windows 7 VM should now be fully functional.

Important warnings:

- Always shut Windows down by means of its own Start button and not by means of the VirtualBox menu bar.

- Don't use the VM for random web browsing: it's much safer to use Linux for that....

- If you're running it from an SSD: disable defragmentation in Windows, or it'll wear out your SDD.

- Note that transferring a USB storage device (like a USB thumb drive or USB hard drive) to the VM, unmounts that storage device "uncleanly" in the Linux that hosts the VM. Theoretically, this could cause loss of data.