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I recently got a pre-installed Windows 8 system. I wish to dual boot it with ubuntu 12.04.1 LTS but after reading the thread, I'm doubtful of the idea. I can do the stated procedure but i don't want to spoil the pre-installed Windows 8, i am scared that i might accidentally harm my system.

Now, what i really meant to ask is if running ubuntu on VirtualBox is a good idea? The system is 4 Gigs RAM, and an entry level core i5 processor. Would the virtual machine be too taxing on my system?

I only wish to code on ubuntu, as it is much easier to do so on ubuntu than Windows, nothing too heavy, just basic problem solving. I know i can code on Windows 8 as well but i like nix-like system, and also the gedit. However, if virtualization doesn't work, i am willing to dual boot ubuntu.

I am thinking about allocating something like 512 MB RAM to ubuntu and 20 Gigs of HDD, as Windows 8 alone without much heavy processes takes up 1.5 Gigs.

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sacredofmessingup
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1 Answers1

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You can totally do that and it is quite safe, although 512Mb is a bit on the low side. Or, actually, a lot on the low side :) On a 4Gb host machine I would give Ubuntu at least 2Gb - that is, if you want GUI, gedit and everything. If you only want shell access then 512Mb or even less would be fine.

Also, a 32-bit guest would perform better in such low-RAM situation.

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Sergey
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