Top 10 Best Virtualization & Emulation Tools for Windows
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QEMU
An open source machine emulator and virtualization environment with extended support for various hardware devices and peripherals.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
QEMU is a processor emulation and virtualization software solution that relies on dynamic binary translation in order to provide high emulation speed. With its help, you can simulate a complete system with one or more processors and peripheral components, as well as launch processes designed for a specific CPU in user mode.
Full platform virtualization allows you to launch different operating systems on a host machine, while the application level virtualization mode comes in handy for cross-compilation and debugging endeavors.
The application is compliant with a wide range of hardware devices, including PCs with 32-bit or 64-bit architectures, PowerPC processors (PREP, G3 Beige PowerMac), Sparc processors, Malta boards, MIPS Magnum, ARM Integrators and baseboards, PXA270 processors, Palm Tungsten PDAs, N800 and N810 tablets, MusicPal devices, Siemens SX1 smartphones, MicroBlaze, Xtensa and the list does not stop here.
The user emulation mode supports PCs, PowerPCs, ARM, MIPS, MicroBlaze, Sparc, ColdFire, Alpha and CRISv32 CPUs.
You can send various complex commands to the emulator. QEMU offers support for multiple disk image formats, but it is also capable of directly accessing host devices.
QEMU-based virtual machines allow network, USB and peripherals emulation and provide support for removable media images, such as CD-ROMs. You can view the state of the virtual machine without using an external debugger and save / restore its state from a disk file. Created VLANs can be connected throughout multiple program instances.
QEMU does not require a host kernel driver in order to run. Dynamic compilation usage offers acceptable performance and the wide range of supported platforms makes it a reliable alternative to other emulators.
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MEmu
Play Android games on your Windows PC using this emulator that has all the functions of the original OS, including the popular quick-navigation options.
Android is by far the most widely employed OS for mobile devices. Although it has been facing rugged competition from iOS and the relatively new Windows mobile version, its high degree of accessibility, combined with its power may very well translate into a long reign over phones and tablets. MEmu seeks to bring these features to PCs running Windows, by accurately attempting to emulate Android.
Install applications and browse the Internet in an Android environment
Users will find all the core features that have distinguished the praised OS from its competitors. From the swift navigation provided by the lower options bar to the intuitive side-panels and quick browsing functions, everything good about Android is now available for desktop PCs.
Several enhancements are available, such as the ability to rotate the display, exactly replicating that of a mobile phone. Also, a “Shake” function can be used to simulate vibrations triggered when receiving a call, for example. One-button camera snapshots allow one to make screenshots quickly and the intuitive sound slide bar can be used to mute the volume with just a few mouse clicks.
Not quite a definitive package, but with great potential
These niceties left to the side, the emulator is not exactly as stable as its more famous OS. It does tend to turn unresponsive from time to time, and one can even get 'unhandled exception errors'. These seem to appear when attempting to open the recent activity menu.
The emulator can run Android applications, and users can either browse for local APKs, or simply employ the built-in browser to install them from various stores.
An overall enjoyable experience that brings the Android-specific versatility to other systems
Summing up, MEmu makes the Android world available to all users. It allows one to enjoy the power and accessibility of the mobile devices OS even on a standard desktop PC. As a minus, some stability issues seem to plague the emulator, but it does show great potential. Overall, a definitely valuable tool for anyone used to the Android OS.
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VICE
Provides emulation of the Commodore C64, C64DTV, C128, VIC20, PET, PLUS4 and CBM-II computers from a single package and lets you save the configuration settings to a file.
VICE (which stands for Versatile Commodore Emulator) is a cross-platform emulator for Commodore's 8-bit computers, more precisely C64, C128, VIC20, PET models (except the SuperPET 9000), as well as PLUS4 and the CBM-II (C610).
Supported devices
It is available for Commodore devices running on Amiga, Unix, MS-DOS, Win32, Mac OS X, OS/2, Acorn RISC OS, QNX QNX, GP2X GP2X, Dingoo Dingoo A320, Syllable Syllable OS, and BeOS host machines.
The tool also comes with support for digital joysticks that can be used via a parallel port driver and performs hardware SID playback with a CatWeasel PCI card.
The advantages of being portable
VICE comes wrapped up in a portable package which can be deployed on your system by simply running the executable files. Each emulator can be run independently without having to go through an installation process, and they have the same user interface, configuration settings and file formats.
You can get rid of the tool by deleting the files that you have downloaded from the Internet. It is important to mention that no entries are recorded in your Windows registry, and you may copy it on any USB flash drive or other devices.
Working with the emulators
You are given the possibility to automatically start the disk/tape image, attach or detach the disk image, control datasette (e.g. stop, start, forward, rewind, record), attach or detach the cartridge image, reset data, and perform basic edit tasks (copy, paste).
VICE allows you to load and save snapshots, start/recording and playback history, overwrite playback, record sound to a file, and stop the audio recording process.
What’s more, you may enable the automatic refresh rate mode, set up the maximum speed, activate the full screen, make the main window remain on top of other programs, enable video cache, and swap joysticks.
Wide range of configuration parameters
There’s support for a comprehensive suite of configuration settings that are related to autostart, video, peripheral, drive, datasette, joystick, userport joystick, keyboard, mouse, sound, SID, ROM, RAM, and cartridge/IO. You can make the utility save the settings upon exit and export the configuration data to a file on your computer so you can easily restore it.
An overall reliable, smart and powerful emulator
All in all, VICE integrates an advanced feature pack for helping you emulate Commodore's 8-bit computers, and is suitable especially for professionals. It emulates chip timings efficiently and provides an accurate 6502/6510 emulator.
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DOSBox
Straightforward application that provides users with a simple means of emulating DOS in a protected or real mode, so that you can play games from your childhood.
If you still have some really old applications that previously worked only in DOS on your machine and you still want to use them on your Windows system, you have to have an emulation utility. Among the tools available for that specific purpose, DOSBox might be exactly what you need.
Encloses the SDL library
This is a DOS emulator which enables you to run the classic applications you used to play with when you were younger, thanks to the incorporated SDL library. This particular component is designed to provide you with an interface for accessing graphics, sound as well as input devices.
Supported graphics and modes in which you can emulate processors
DOSBox is able to successfully emulate 286 and 386 processors in a real and protected mode, as well as Directory FileSystem, eXtended Memory Specification (XMS) or Expanded memory specification (EMS). The supported graphics range from Hercules, Tandy and VESA to CGA, EGA and, of course, the familiar VGA.
Performance and Conclusion
As one would expect, DOSBox is not too demanding when it comes to system resources yet it is not one of the lightest tools either, CPU and memory usage ranging from low to moderate. It works pretty smooth, yet you should know that if an error is encountered, it will simply stop and exit without warning.
Taking all of this into consideration, DOSBox is a useful application which can help you in reliving the fun of playing old-school games, such as Volfied, SkyNET, Duke Nukem and Doom, and the list goes on.
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VMware Workstation Player
Run several operating systems simultaneously on the same computer without any conflict by creating virtual machines or importing external images.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
VMware Player is a program which allows you to run multiple virtual machines on your operating system and easily juggle them. For example, you can have Windows XP installed on top of your Windows 7.
Clean feature lineup
The user interface of the application is standard. You can create a new virtual machine, which is added at the top of your library. Rookies may take advantage of the built-in wizard and follow the steps for creating a virtual machine.
Generating a new virtual machine
The first step requires you specify the source file. So, you can install from a disc or from a disc image file (ISO file format). Otherwise, you can opt to install the respective virtual machine later.
In addition, you can select the guest operating system, which can be Microsoft Windows, Linux, Novell NetWare, Sun Solaris or other, as well as select the version (e.g. Windows XP Professional). Now you can give your new virtual machine a name and specify its output directory, as well as allocate its maximum disk size (in GB).
Splitting a virtual disk and customizing its hardware
Furthermore, you can store the virtual disk as a single file or split it into multiple ones. The latter option simplifies the process of moving the virtual machine to another computer but it could reduce performance on very large disks.
Right before finishing the process, you can view the name, location, version, operating system, hard disk, memory, network adapter and other devices corresponded to your new virtual machine.
Moreover, you can customize its hardware when it comes to memory, processors, new CD or DVD, floppy, network adapter, USB controller, sound card, printer and display. Data can be imported from VMX, VMC, OVF or OVA file format.
Excellent virtualization software
VMware Workstation Player takes up a moderate amount of system resources and contains a well-drawn help file. We haven't come across any problems during our tests and strongly recommend VMware Player to all users.
NOTE: Free for non-commercial uses only.
VMware Workstation Player Video Guide
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Vagrant Manager
Quickly launch, pause, or stop your Vagrant machines, save bookmark directories, and manage your boxes using an open-source virtual machine manager.
Vagrant Manager is a quick and effective solution for those who have a complex testing environment made up of multiple virtual machines. The tool is complex and has plenty of options for handling multi-box Vagrant systems.
About box management and how to get started with this app
Getting started with Vagrant Manager is quite simple. After finishing the most challenging part, installing and configuring Vagrant and your boxes, you can start using Vagrant Manager right away. After finalizing its normal installation process, the app will automatically detect whether Vagrant is active in your system.
Although the tool can detect most machines (including the ones created in Oracle VM VirtualBox, Hyper-V, Docker, or VMware), the undetected ones will require manual configuration via the bookmarks option. The only three basic requirements for optimally using Vagrant Manager are: to install Vagrant first, to make sure you add the vagrant command to your system path (which should be done automatically during Vagrant's installation), and third, to initialize all the virtual machines you plan on handling using this manager.
Multi-purpose tool with shortcuts for repetitive commands
Vagrant Manager will add an icon to your system tray. When fully functional and working properly, the icon stays coloured in light blue; when the app is not working, its icon is grey. Loading your machines or performing a more extensive action is visually indicated by an intermittent flickering. Whenever clicked, the little icon will display all the identified virtual machines, the corresponding options for each, and its general system setup options.
You have commands for individual machines and, separately, a command for applying the same action in bulk, for all your environments. These commands are: up, suspend, halt, SSH, reload, provision, destroy, and rsync. Plus, you have commands for quickly opening your environments in the terminal or explorer, or for mapping different paths and bookmarking certain folders.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, Vagrant Manager is a go-to for individuals who actively or passively struggle with managing or switching between different environments. This program is free of cost, intuitive, and well synchronized with all the tools it connects to. Moreover, it integrates seamlessly with your system and requires minimal initial configuration, as it automatically detects all the necessaries.
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Agat
Experience the simplicity of the first computer systems and build custom ones with virtual hardware components or simply enjoy various presets.
Back in the days when computers where only better depicted in science fiction, real ones where fitted with pixelated graphics and you couldn't pull much practicality out of them. However, these helped paved the way for the newer generations of machines that are used to fuel demanding requirements of applications and video games. Enthusiasts still have a chance at playing with old models right from the comfort of modern desktops with emulators such as Agat.
Choose presets or create custom machines
The interface is cleverly organized, with a large area displaying all machines, and has a decent amount of presets you can try out. These are based on old systems such as Apple Desktop, Sprite OS, ProDos, IKP and even a few games from that era. A side panel holds all management tools.
In addition, the application lets you thoroughly go under the hood of all the presets, or even combine various virtual hardware components to create a custom machine. You simply need to select the system type and you can choose from Agat, Apple, Enhanced Apple IIe, Pravetz or Acorn Atom.
However, the following step lets you change the system type and configure each slot, like processor, memory and ROM by choosing from the list of supported components. Your new configuration is saved under a custom name and immediately appears in the dashboard list.
Run more instances and load disk images
You can keep multiple instances running at the same time. This comes in handy, especially thanks to the low amount of resources used. By default, systems run in a pretty compact window which can't be stretched, but can be made full screen. If you frequently use one of them, it's possible to make it start in full screen by default, but remember to use ALT+RETURN to switch back, because hitting ESC won't do the trick.
A few more options are available, but slightly out of sight and there's a high chance to miss it. Stored in the title bar, you can save the state of any machine, or import virtual disks if it's equipped with proper components. For an unexpected crash or freeze, there's an option to apply a reset or hard reset.
All in all
On an ending note, Agat is a powerful emulator that brings the chills and simplicity of the golder era of computers to your desktop. The presets it comes with are more than enough to let you experience a decent amount of diversity like text editors, video games and paint tools. Flexibility is further enhanced by the possibility to build custom machines, making this app worth a try.
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All Stars Launcher
Enjoy playing classic console games or access old applications using an emulator or a virtual machine of your choice, thanks to this portable application.
All Stars Launcher or, in short, ASL, is an emulator that makes it possible for you to enjoy playing DOS and old classic games on your Windows computer. Aside from games, All Stars Launcher enables you to run legacy Windows iterations and Linux images via Qemu or another virtual machine.
There is no need for you to install All Stars Launcher, as it is a portable application. Once you unzip the archive, just double-click on the executable file and you will have the emulator ready in no time. The interface is rather simple, although it might seem a bit rough on the edges and even sloppy here and there.
Emulator configuration
The next step is configuring the emulator. Emulating a legacy Windows OS or a Linux system requires a bootable image, which is not included in the archive. On the other side, emulating a classic game with All Stars Launcher requires you to browse to the game ROM folder and choose the desired game emulator. There are a bunch of built-in game emulators included: Atari, Playstation, Nintendo, Amiga, Sega, ZX Spectrum, to name a few. Thanks to DOSBox, you can also enjoy playing DOS games.
Comes with predefined emulator settings
Please keep in mind that All Stars Launcher comes with preconfigured emulator options so you just have to browse for the BIOS, DOS or firmware files and start the emulator to see if it is working properly. If the emulator fails to start or triggers an error, then you can go ahead and tamper with its configuration settings either from the GUI of All Stars Launcher or via the command line. A few instructions are shown in the Options area, where you can see details about the syntax when using the command line.
You can choose the input device, set up key mapping and select the available disk drives and also modify the graphic and audio settings. It is advisable you take a look at the emulator’s manual for instructions.
Next, you must browse for the folder where your bootable image or your game ROM files are located. All Stars Launcher. For your convenience, All Stars Launcher features alphabetical sorting of games and files and integrated search. Therefore, even if you have a large number of images or ROM files on your hands, it will be very easy to find the game you need if you know its name.
Enjoy playing classic games or running legacy Windows versions
While running All Stars Launcher and enjoying legacy games with the emulator shouldn’t be troublesome, it is advisable you take the time and read the instructions, then try to run the emulator with the predefined configuration, no matter if you are trying to play a game or run an operating system.
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Oracle VM VirtualBox
Install and run multiple operating systems as virtual machines and tweak advanced features, such as shared folders, seamless windows, and 3D virtualization.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Whether you are a professional software tester or you simply like to evaluate a large array of apps before choosing the one that best suits your necessities, you probably know that a virtualized environment can save you a lot of trouble: you can install any app without worrying it might mess up your previous settings and you can get rid of it just as easily.
And if you want to test the same app on several operating systems, Oracle VM VirtualBox can be quite helpful.
User-friendly layout and steps to follow for adding a new machine
The application comes with an intuitive interface that allows users to add a new virtual machine and choose the OS they prefer (be it Solaris, Windows, Linux, BSD or Mac OS X), as well as the exact version.
The next steps include assigning the new virtual machine the amount of RAM and HDD space it will take, as well as the type of storage, dynamic or fixed, it is to occupy on the PC.
Working with virtual machines
In order to launch any virtualized OS, you simply need to press the Start button - once it is running, you can pause, reset or close your virtual machine, or even clone it or create a dedicated desktop shortcut to help you open it whenever you need it.
Advanced features
If you are an expert user, you can also benefit from the specialized functions of Oracle VM VirtualBox, such as shared folders, seamless windows, 3D virtualization, multi-generation branched snapshots, remote machine display and modularity.
Oracle VM VirtualBox also features versatile hardware support, so that you can create virtual machines that have multiple virtual CPUs (regardless of how many cores you have physically on your PC), that recognize USB devices or ones that come with multi-screen resolutions, integrated iSCSI support and PXE network boot.
A top product on the market
To wrap it up, it is safe to say that Oracle VM VirtualBox can come in handy to both novices and experts: while the former can get their virtual machines up and running in no time, the latter can customize their virtualized environment to the tiniest details.
VirtualBox Video Guide
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VMware Workstation Pro
Run multiple operating systems on the same computer without affecting the system's stability using this popular virtualization software.
VMware Workstation is a desktop virtualization solution that provides power users, system administrators and developers with the necessary capabilities to run and test multiple operating systems on the same computer.
Why opting for a desktop virtualization app
To put it more simple, VMware Workstation enables you to run multiple virtual machines on your PC, allowing for extensive testing and development of complex networked server-class applications.
Through its robust and powerful engine, it makes it easier for developers to introduce virtual infrastructure to a company and increase productivity.
Installation and user interface
The installation process is very simple, and it requires you to either choose a typical or custom mode (recommended for advanced users). The program’s interface has a simple, yet organized look, featuring a Home panel that includes shortcuts to the most important utilities it brings along.
Plus, it offers support for a multi-tabbed layout, so you can allow multiple virtual machines to be opened at once. Taking into consideration the amount of settings that it bundles, the layout is fairly intuitive and rookies may use a built-in wizard for creating a new virtual machine.
Working with virtual machines
With VMware Workstation you can basically perform actions between virtual machines, such as cut, copy and paste text, images or email attachments (especially useful in Unity mode), while the drag-and-drop feature is available to move files, text or images between virtual machines (e.g. file managers, zip file managers).
Other features include taking a snapshot to maintain virtual machine states, changing workstation preference settings, installing and updating various tools, configuring virtual machine option/hardware settings, using a virtual network editor, using removable devices and printers, setting up shared folders, and running the support script.
You can bridge to existing host network adapters, CDs or DVDs, hard disk drives and USB devices. Plus, you can test live CDs without first recording them on discs or restarting the computer system.
Extra features to play with
VMware Workstation lets you shut down, suspend, restart, power off or reset the guest (resetting means reinstalling the OS), share folders with the guest (while the VM can be password-protected), activate the Unity mode, which enables apps installed on the virtual machine to run directly on the host, edit privileges for the shared VMs, as well as make use of remote connections.
An overall top desktop virtualization app
All in all, VMware Workstation is a fast and practical tool that you should experiment with in case you need a virtualization utility. Workload significantly decreases, thanks to this innovative software.
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