Try in VirtualBox

Want to see BioKids before putting it on a real computer? With the free VirtualBox you can make a "virtual computer" inside your own and install BioKids there. Nothing happens to your real disk.

Before you start

• VirtualBox 7 from virtualbox.org (free for Windows, Intel Macs and Linux).
• The BioKids ISO from the download page. No need to write it to a USB stick.
• At least 8 GB of memory and 45 GB of free disk on your computer.

Create the virtual machine

1. Make a new machine

   In VirtualBox press Machine → New. Name: BioKids. As the ISO Image, choose the BioKids ISO. Type Linux, version Debian (64-bit).

2. Set the memory, processors and disk

   Memory	4096 MB; 8192 MB or more to try the Ask Me assistant too
   Processors	2 or more
   EFI	Optional: both EFI and BIOS work
   Hard disk	40 GB, dynamically allocated (it grows as it is used)

3. Set the graphics controller to VBoxSVGA

   Select the machine and go to Settings → Display. Set the Graphics Controller to VBoxSVGA and raise the video memory to 128 MB. On some computers the screen stays black with VMSVGA.

Install BioKids

1. Start it and choose "Start installer"

   Press Start. When BioKids' menu appears, choose Start installer. The language, keyboard and parent account are as in the install guide.

   Clicking inside the virtual machine may "capture" the mouse; press the right Ctrl key (the Host key; on a Mac the left ⌘) to get it back.

2. Disk: "use entire disk" is safe here

   In the virtual machine you can choose "Guided - use entire disk": what gets erased is only the machine's own 40 GB virtual disk. Your real disk is not touched.

3. Remove the ISO and restart

   When it is done, before restarting, choose Devices → Optical Drives → Remove disk from virtual drive in VirtualBox's menu. Then press Continue.

4. Finish the wizard and sign in as a child

   Sign in with your account; the setup wizard opens. Add a test child, restart the virtual machine once when the wizard is done, and click the child's picture on the login screen. Now you see what your child would see.

   

Tips

• Before trying something, press Machine → Take Snapshot; one click brings everything back to that moment.
• The virtual machine is much faster while its window is in front. The assistant answers noticeably slower in a virtual machine than on a real computer; that is normal.
• The installer sets the time zone to Istanbul; if you live elsewhere, change it as shown in the install guide.
• Like it? To install it on a real computer: make a USB stick.

Something wrong?