Anyone here use virtual machines?

I'm looking into them 'cause I think it would be cool to do all my online interwebby surfing in a VM so that any problems won't affect my host PC.
 
Opinions?  Comments?  Rude flatulent noises and guilty expressions?

craigb
 
Rude flatulent noises?

At last...
 
My prodigious talents might actually prove useful to somebody.
 
 

For Windows 7, is this what you're thinking of using?
 
I'll stick with two desktops:  (1) Internet, and (2) Studio DAW/Graphics/Video work. And I'm thinking of buying a gamers laptop in the near future as a traveling companion for games, internet and music.
 

There is an easy way to try out Virtualbox if you have an extra thumb drive lying around.

Linux live USB creator will install a Linux distro along with the Virtualbox software. You can plug it in while running Windows and click virtualize and it will do the rest for you.

There are some setting you can adjust and it doesn't allow for persistence but it may give you an idea of how it will work with your current hardware.

I have used it but had difficulty balancing how much memory was used for the host and for vm. With some tweaking it may have been a smoother experience.

Matt

 
Talking of 'boxes'....
 
I once asked the assistant in JJB Sports what a cricket 'box' was.

Apparently, it's a piece of cheap plastic which men put their genitals in....
 
 
 
 

Or, Katie Price as she's better known.
 
 

sharke
What is it about your online interwebby surfing that is potentially harming your host PC? 

+1
 
My DAW is online 24/7. I'm very careful about the sites I go to on that computer. Well, actually I'm very careful on all my machines. I interwebbie responsibly.
 

sharke
What is it about your online interwebby surfing that is potentially harming your host PC? 

There is no such thing as "safe surfing."
http://arstechnica.com/se...wned-from-legit-sites/

Virtual machines?  Am I supposed to pretend that I have the newest, fastest machine?  
 
Actually, I do use virtual machines at work but I don't have anything to do with they're set-up.  

I'll have to check out the sandboxing (and I've got 12 GB of RAM in this PC because it IS everything you know).
 
As for the surfing, one of the worst PC infections I ever got was from one of my normal forums when some hacker had taken it over.  Only two members, the site owner and myself (a senior moderator there) got infected before we were able to shut the site down and get it going again from webhost backups.  I use a really good A/V (Eset), but I have a few reasons to either use multiple PC's or get the two (non-DAW) boxes I have now to do double-duty.

slartabartfast

sharke
What is it about your online interwebby surfing that is potentially harming your host PC? 

There is no such thing as "safe surfing."
http://arstechnica.com/se...wned-from-legit-sites/

Agree.

Many threats download undetected without user knowledge; no popups, no warning, no need to check terms of use. Over time the threat has gotten a lot worse and more frequent. Almost every month I'm cleaning out my wife's PC and it has the latest updated browsers, AV, Malwarebytes and Spybot programs. Oh well, after years of maintenance (PC) I'm quite use to clearing out the trash, it's like another chore around the house that needs to be done. 
 
 

I've been having unprotected internetcourse for almost 15 years and the only virus I've ever gotten was when when I downloaded something dodgey off of the Pirate Bay. Lesson learned. 

craigb

sharke
I've been having unprotected internetcourse for almost 15 years and the only virus I've ever gotten was when when I downloaded something dodgey off of the Pirate Bay. Lesson learned. 

Try one of these next time.
 

 
Meh, once you get the wrapper open you've lost the urge to go online.