How to install Windows 10 Insider Preview on Oracle VirtualBox [Updated]
Microsoft has just released ISO files for Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10130. This build is currently only available to Insiders on the Fast ring due to the presence of a couple of major bugs that Microsoft is looking to squash before making the release available to testers on the Slow ring. The ISOs have been released to allow people who are having problems upgrading through the usual Windows Update route to install the build.
As with the previous releases, Build 10130 is still an early version of the OS, so you wouldn’t be advised to run it as your main operating system, especially with those unresolved bugs, and while you could set it to dual boot, running it in a virtualized environment is a much more sensible idea.
The process is very simple -- all you need is a copy of Oracle VM VirtualBox (make sure you have the latest version) and a Windows 10 Insider Preview ISO. There are x86 and x64 editions available in a choice of languages.
To set up Windows 10 in VirtualBox, launch the software and click New in the Manager window. In the Create Virtual Machine dialog box enter "Windows 10" as the name of the operating system.
Select Windows 10 as the version. (Choose Windows 10 (64bit) if you have a 64-bit ISO).
Hit Next, then set the Memory Size. The recommended figure should be fine. On the following screen choose to "Create a virtual hard drive now" and click Create. Accept VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) as the hard drive file type. You’ll be asked if you want the new virtual hard drive to be dynamically altered (it will resize as required) or a fixed size. The latter option is faster, so select that.
Click Create and VirtualBox will begin building the drive.
See also: Will your PC or tablet run Windows 10? Check out the official system requirements
When done, click the Start button in the Manager. In the "Select start-up disk" window, click the folder icon and navigate to the Windows 10 ISO.
Click Start and Windows 10 should begin to load. Select your language settings, then click the "Install now" button. Accept the license terms. Choose the "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)" option.
Click Next, and the installation process will begin.
When it’s done, choose to "Get going fast" using the express settings (you can customize things if you prefer). Say who owns your PC (you or an organization), and then sign in with your Microsoft account. You can create an account if you don’t already have one.
Next you’ll have the option of creating a PIN to sign in with instead of a password.
Windows 10 will finalize everything and you can begin exploring the new OS.
If you want to resize the window, click View in VirtualBox and select Fullscreen or Scaled Mode (which is my preference).
The simplest way to shut down Windows 10 when you no longer need it is to click the X in top right corner of VirtualBox and select "Power off the machine".
You can find some troubleshooting tips here. Also, note if you’re running Hyper-V in Windows 8.x (Microsoft’s built in virtualization tool) you’ll need to disable it in order to be able to run VirtualBox.