Question Which Linux in VMWare?

[versionmanager]

I want to install VM Ware on my Seagate Data drive shown below. I want to stand this virtual environment up to support Linux so that I can surf the web to reduce be being victimized by the badguys. In addition, I also want to get my feet wet with Linux. Iam a GUI user and not the best with Command line. I would like to run a Chrome or Firefox along with other apps in either Mint or Ubuntu.

Can files pulled into the Virtual Environment be moved from or crossover to a native Windows drive? Can someone make some suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TerryLaze]

VMware does support shared folders to moves files over, you could even use virtual networking, the thing is that as soon as you have access to your main OS so do the hackers...
Other than that it's the browser itself that gets targeted so there is no less victimizing on the same browser under linux.

 

[versionmanager]

When you state

"the thing is that as soon as you have access to your main OS so do the hackers..."

IF you were able to connect to the OS, couldn't you disable your Network access to the Web or would this transferred package be a worm or virus passed into the Win 10 environment? What if Antivirus SW was run against all files prio to crossing the boundary?

"Other than that it's the browser itself that gets targeted so there is no less victimizing on the same browser under linux".

But under the VMWare, isn't the entire environment cordoned off with the capability to wipe off the infested image under Linux or does it not work that way?

 

[TerryLaze]

IF you were able to connect to the OS, couldn't you disable your Network access to the Web or would this transferred package be a worm or virus passed into the Win 10 environment? What if Antivirus SW was run against all files prio to crossing the boundary?

Yes if you enable and disable it all the time you would be safer, but you can't browse the net without network.
Any Antivirus would be the same amount of effective without the VM, so if you do it to learn cool, but there is no added security.

But under the VMWare, isn't the entire environment cordoned off with the capability to wipe off the infested image under Linux or does it not work that way?

It's not a sandbox so it doesn't have any protections if you give it access to the net your whole system can get infected.
Yes the OS in the VM itself is just a single file that you can copy or delete anytime (when the VM is turned off) .

 

[versionmanager]

Yes if you enable and disable it all the time you would be safer, but you can't browse the net without network.
Any Antivirus would be the same amount of effective without the VM, so if you do it to learn cool, but there is no added security.

It's not a sandbox so it doesn't have any protections if you give it access to the net your whole system can get infected.
Yes the OS in the VM itself is just a single file that you can copy or delete anytime (when the VM is turned off) .

I am doing this to learn Linux primarily. But when the VM is open, can I run a BitDefender scan against it? What about pulling files off the environment with a thumb Drive? Same risk of tainting Win 10?

 

[TerryLaze]

I am doing this to learn Linux primarily. But when the VM is open, can I run a BitDefender scan against it? What about pulling files off the environment with a thumb Drive? Same risk of tainting Win 10?

Any antivirus will protect you as much as it will protect you on a real system.
You can use a thumb drive and disconnect it before it gets reassigned to the host OS, otherwise infected files are going to affect your host if it's not protected.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

If you were doing this to learn Linux, what are you so worried about? Are you going to be downloading and installing things all the time?

For most learning this shouldn’t be an issue especially if you’re dealing with non-repositories where you get your software

I have linux vms at home. Never once got infected either And I have never hamstrung my PC host either

 

[faalin]

i use Orical virtual box on my work laptop with the following VM's

Win 11
Win 10
Win 7
Win XP
Kali
Mint
Ubuntu
Tails

 

[ComplexNumbers]

Alpine Linux and Void Linux are probably the two nicest Linuxes for VMs because they boot much faster than other Linux systems.

On both systems you can relatively easily install XFCE and then use a GUI in your VM session.

But it may be that this is too difficult for you, although there is little difficult about it if you put half an hour into it.

 

[versionmanager]

Alpine Linux and Void Linux are probably the two nicest Linuxes for VMs because they boot much faster than other Linux systems.

On both systems you can relatively easily install XFCE and then use a GUI in your VM session.

But it may be that this is too difficult for you, although there is little difficult about it if you put half an hour into it.

Definitely worth checking into. Your response generated a question though. Can you install VMWare on an alternative HDD and not directly on the C Drive? Would these Virtual OSes (Win 10 and Linux) be transportable or are they tethered to the NvME? Is XFCE a utility?

 

[USAFRet]

Definitely worth checking into. Your response generated a question though. Can you install VMWare on an alternative HDD and not directly on the C Drive? Would these Virtual OSes (Win 10 and Linux) be transportable or are they tethered to the NvME? Is XFCE a utility?

I have the Oracle VirtualBox client installed in my system, the C drive.
The location of the VirtualBox or VMware client matters not.

I have multiple VMs that live on other drives.

These VMs are totally portable to some other physical system or drive, and accessible via a different VirtualBox client.