I'm curious about which software people are currently using to run virtual machines on Windows systems. I used to rely on VirtualBox, but it's been quite a while since I explored my options. Is there something newer or better that I should be aware of? No bare metal hosting like Proxmox, just looking for VM solutions. Any recommendations would be appreciated!
5 Answers
Honestly, just avoid VirtualBox if you can. There are licensing issues that could bite you later. Stick to Hyper-V or VMware for safer choices.
A lot of folks seem to prefer Hyper-V these days. It's built into Windows, works smoothly, and covers most needs really well. If you haven't tried it, I'd say give it a shot!
For Windows VMs, Hyper-V is solid, but if you’re using Linux, Proxmox is my go-to for server-side virtualization. It's really powerful for different use cases.
If you're looking for something lightweight, Windows Sandbox is a good choice. Just be aware that it doesn’t retain data after a restart, which is part of its design. It’s perfect for quick tests!
I recently switched to VMware Workstation, and I find it much faster and more stable than VirtualBox. They’re even giving it away for free now, which is a game changer. Definitely worth trying out!
Thanks for the tip! I had no idea VMware was free now!
I understand that’s the point of it, but getting used to it can be tricky!