The Difference Between Virtual Machine & Virtual PC
A virtual PC is a type of virtual machine meant to run multiple Windows environments on a Windows 7 desktop. There is no real difference between a virtual PC and a virtual machine, except that virtual machines such as Virtual Box are able to run many different types of operating systems.
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Facts
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Microsoft Virtual PC is available on Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate editions. Virtual Box, which comes in both an open source and a closed source edition, is available for many operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X and Unix-like systems.
Types
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There are many types of virtual machines, but the majority of them are used to emulate an environment. This is similar to the Linux program Wine, which emulates a Windows environment to run Windows software on Linux. This is a process known as virtualization. Another type is one that emulates hardware, such as Virtual Box.
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Considerations
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When using a virtual machine, it is wise to consider any legal consequences of doing so. Running Mac OS X in Virtual Box, for example, may not be legal based on the operating system's end-user license agreement. Running Windows in Virtual Box still requires a valid license key.
Function
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Virtual machines commonly serve two purposes: to run software or operating systems in a virtual environment or on unsupported software/hardware. They usually do not modify your existing configuration, and work merely by adding files specially formatted to be recognized by the virtualization software as supported hardware or software.
Warnings
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It is a good idea to make sure that you have at least the minimum system requirements---and even better if you have the recommended requirements. RAM is a big issue when using virtualization to run an operating system as a guest. You must have enough RAM to support both your native operating system and its guest.
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