You uncompress the single Linux download file into a folder to put the Linux virtual machine files onto your Windows hard disk. One of these files is the main virtual machine file that is opened to run the Linux virtual machine.
To run Linux in Windows, you just run the free virtual machine player and open the main virtual machine file!
Linux Tips You Need to Know about Linux Virtual Machines - So You Can Easily Run Linux in Windows
1. There are hundreds of free Linux virtual machines available for download, but all Linux virtual machines are not created equal.
To create a Linux virtual machine, a person installs the Linux OS on a computer system with various Linux software programs and configuration settings. The person doing the Linux installation decides what Linux software components are installed and what Linux configuration settings are made. After the installation, the person then creates the Linux download file that contains the virtual machine files, and then makes it available for download.
For example, some virtual machines will be installed with a Linux desktop, but others, such as one that has been installed to be a Linux server, won't. Some will have a Linux firewall installed (and turned on) and others won't.
2. Get the Specs of the Linux virtual machine before doing the Linux download.
When you go to a web site to get a Linux virtual machine, be sure to have a look at the specs of the Linux download (virtual machine) file to see what Linux software components it has installed. Unfortunately, some web sites that have virtual machines don't show very much information about their Linux download files.
Linux Tips: If you are a new Linux user, be sure to only download virtual machines that have a Linux desktop. This will make it easier for you to run Linux software programs and to open a terminal emulation window on the desktop. You open a terminal emulation window to get to the Linux command line prompt and run Linux commands.