Mageia is on DistroWatch’s top 10 list of Linux distributions so I decided to get it up and running to try out. One of the main reasons I chose this distribution is because of its beginner-friendliness.

Before I can try it out I need to install it somewhere. For this small project I used Oracle’s VM Virtual Box. This allows me to spin up multiple VM’s on top of my Windows desktop. I already had VB installed running Mint and Windows 10 beta (I set this up last year). What I’ve done was completely delete both of these VMs, uninstall VB, and reinstall VB v5.0.16.

My goal is to go through, step-by-step, how I did this setup. There is more than one way to go about this. I am going to run through how I got it to work for me.

First, go here to download Oracle VM VirtualBox. Check the System Requirements on page 5 just to be sure. My host will be running on 8GB RAM, 1TB+ Hard Drive space, Quad-core AMD processor, and Win7 64-bit — all of this is more than plenty.

 Once you open up the appropriate download, run through the installer. Which should go a little like this:

Click “Next” —

Then, you get to the “Customer Setup” popup. I just left everything at its default setting, especially “VirtualBox USB Support” and “VirtualBox Networking.” USB Support ensures that special host drivers are installed to support USB for the guest machines. And Networking ensures that the required drivers are installed on the host to enable bridged networking.

Hit “Next” then choose if you want icons on your Desktop or Quick Launch bar or both. Keep “Register file associations” checked off because this will open anything associated with VB in VB — which is a good idea.

Now, you’re presented with a “Warning: Network Interfaces” popup. This isn’t a huge deal. Just hit “Next.” (Almost done).

You then have to wait a minute or two for VB to finish installation. Then hit “Next” when finished.

You should get a “…installation is complete” popup if all went well.

Oracle VM VB should automatically open up (if you checked off “Start Oracle VM VirtualBox 5.0.16 after installation”).

You should see this:

If you do, you are good to go. Next, I will run through downloading and spinning up a VM for Mageia.

-Paul