You Won’t Believe How Easy It Is To Install Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich In Virtualbox - Get The Step-by-Step Guide Now!
Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems in use today. However, it is not limited to mobile devices only as it can also run on a computer through a virtualization tool like VirtualBox. If you’re interested in running Android on your computer, you’re in luck, as we’re going to guide you through the simple steps of installing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in VirtualBox.
What Is VirtualBox?
VirtualBox is software that creates virtual machines that run on a computer. It allows you to install an operating system on a virtual machine inside your computer, which is isolated from the rest of the system. This means you can run different operating systems on your computer without affecting your main operating system.
Why Install Android in VirtualBox?
There are several reasons to install Android in VirtualBox. First, if you want to test and develop Android apps, you can create a virtual Android environment to test and debug without needing a physical device. Secondly, if you want to run Android apps on your computer, you can use an Android virtual machine to do so. Finally, if you’re just curious about how Android works, you can create a virtual machine to explore the operating system.
How To Install Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich In VirtualBox
Step 1: Download VirtualBox
The first step is to download and install VirtualBox on your computer. You can download VirtualBox for free from the official website (https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads).
Step 2: Download an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Disk Image
Next, you need to download an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich disk image (also known as an ISO file). You can download the disk image for free from many websites, such as Android-x86 (https://www.android-x86.org/download).
Step 3: Create a New Virtual Machine
Once you’ve installed VirtualBox and downloaded the disk image, open VirtualBox and click on “New” to create a new virtual machine.
Step 4: Configure the Virtual Machine
Follow the setup wizard to set up your new virtual machine. When prompted to choose a type, select “Linux” and set the version to “Other Linux (64-bit)”.
For RAM, allocate at least 2 GB or more RAM depending on your preference. For the hard disk, create a new virtual hard disk and allocate at least 10 GB or more of space.
Step 5: Install Android
Once you’ve finished configuring the virtual machine, click on “Start” to launch it. Select the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich disk image that you downloaded in Step 2 as the bootable ISO image for the virtual machine.
The installation process will start automatically, follow the on-screen instructions and wait for the process to complete. Once the installation is complete, your Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich virtual machine will be ready to use.
Conclusion
In conclusion, installing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in VirtualBox is a straightforward process that anyone can do. By following the simple steps above, you can explore Android without needing a physical device or test and develop Android apps in a virtual environment. So what are you waiting for? Get started today!
If you do not own an Android phone, or that your phone has not been upgraded to Android 4.0 (Ice-cream sandwich) or you just plain curious how Android 4.0 running on a desktop will look like, here is your chance to find out now. The Android-x86 project, which brings the Android OS to x86 desktop, has released the ICS release candidate and you can now download and install it in Virtualbox, or even replace your existing OS as the primary OS.
To get Android running in Virtualbox, there are few things that you need:
- Android 4.0 RC iso
- A host machine with at least 1GB of RAM to spare.
- Virtualbox application.
Install Android 4.0 in Virtualbox
Download Android 4.0 RC here (scroll down the list till you see the “Android-x86-4.0-RC1” section). There are several versions that you can download. The one that I am using for this tutorial is “android-x86-4.0-RC1-asus_laptop.iso“. The filesize is about 180mb, so it will take about 10 – 15 mins if you have a broadband connection.
Assuming that Virtualbox is already installed in your PC, open your Virtualbox and create a new virtual machine. Give your new VM a name (such as Androidx86) and set the Operating System to “Linux” and the version to “Linux 2.6”.
Set the base memory to 1000MB (though I think that 512MB will work as well).
Select “Create New Hard Disk”, followed by “VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image)” as the file type.
It is a good idea to set it to “Dynamically Allocated” and set the size to 8.0GB.
Once you have done creating the VM and is back to the main screen, highlight the new VM and click the Settings button.
On the left pane, select “System” and make sure that CD/DVD-ROM is checked and is the first in the boot order.
Next, go to Storage and select the Cd-rom entry. Under the Attribute section, click the CD icon and select the Android 4.0 iso that you have previously downloaded. You should see something like this:
Click OK to save the changes. Once you are back in the main screen, click “Start” to run the installation.
Running Android 4.0
This is what you will see on first boot up. You have the choice to run Android without any installation (live-CD mode) or install it in your VM. For this tutorial, I will go through the installation mode.
Choose the Sda1 Linux partition.
Select “ext3” as the filesystem to format to.
Install the bootloader.
When it prompts you whether you want to enable read-write for the /system directory, choose No if you just want to test and try out Android 4.0. If you are a developer or intend to use this full time, select Yes.
The installer will then proceed to do its job. When it is completed, select “Run Android-x86”.
Android 4.0 will now boot up. On the first run, it will prompt you to setup your account. If you move your mouse around, you will find that it is not working within the VM. To fix this, go to “Machine” in the menu and select “Disable mouse integration”. Next, click anywhere in the VM, your mouse will magically appear (You can restore the mouse in your host machine by pressing the right Ctrl button on your keyboard).
Proceed to setup your Android account. When you are done, you will see the homescreen and your Android 4.0 is now ready for use (testing). You can also go to Android market and install your favorite apps.
Since Android doesn’t come with a shut down button, the only way to shut the VM down is to close the VM window. When prompted, select “Power Off the machine”.
The last thing you have to do is to go to the Settings and remove the Android iso from the CD-ROM, else the next time you boot up, it will prompt you to reinstall again.
That’s it and enjoy!
Will you use Android 4.0 as your primary OS?
Damien Oh started writing tech articles since 2007 and has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. He is proficient in Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iOS, and worked as a part time WordPress Developer. He is currently the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Make Tech Easier.
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