Installing BOG in Windows 7

These instructions explain how to install BOG on a Windows 7 (hereafter Win7) computer. The idea is to install Windows XP as a guest operating system (OS) within Win7, and then to install BOG within that guest OS. The following should also work with Vista, although I have not tested it.

Note that these instructions are largely text-based, but there are frequent links to an appropriate (image) to help you along.

What You Will Need…

In addition to the BOG software and GemRay (explained here), you will need the following to get BOG working on Win7:

VirtualBox software - Available as a free download at www.virtualbox.org (see below).

Valid Windows XP installer - This may be in the form of a CD or a file of type .ISO .DMG or .CDR In any case, you will need the Product Key, which is five groups of five alphanumeric characters like this: A1B2C-3D4E5-F6G7H-8I9J0-K1L2M. The product key often appears on the packaging of the distribution disks. Note that these instructions presume Windows XP (hereafter WinXP), but it should work equally well with other versions prior to Vista. Consult the VirtualBox website for more help on other guest operating systems.

Download and Install VirtualBox

Point your browser to the VirtualBox website: www.virtualbox.org. You will be greeted with a screenful of information (image). Click on the Downloads link in the left margin and then on the VirtualBox 4.2.8 for Windows hosts link. Note that the exact version number (4.2.8) may have changed. Your browser will ask you whether to save the file (image). Click on Save File to download the VirtualBox software.

When the download is complete, you should run the VirtualBox install application. This will be a file of type .exe which you can easily find in the Downloads window of your browser (image). Double click the file to begin the installation.

This will launch the VirtualBox Setup Wizard (image). Click on the Next... button to continue. The program will prompt you several times during installation, including some obscure questions from "Windows Security" (image). Say yes to all installations, until the Wizard announces that it is done (image). At this point, click on Finish to launch the VirtualBox software.

Installing the WinXP Guest Operating System

The first time that you run VirtualBox, the program will greet you with a welcome screen (image) prompting you to create a new virtual machine (VM) by clicking on the New button to the upper left. When you do this, VirtualBox will ask you for a name, type, and version for the guest OS. Enter a suitable name and select Microsoft Windows and Windows XP from the appropriate drop-down menus (image). Click Next to proceed.

VirtualBox will then ask you a series of questions regarding the configuration of the VM. You can again accept the suggested values. In my case, this was 192 MB of memory and a 10 GB virtual hard drive.

With the configuration complete, your new virtual machine should appear on the left of the VirtualBox Manager window (image). Click on your VM and then the green Start arrow at the top. You will be informed about how the VM captures keystrokes (image). Read the info and click Ok.

You will then be prompted to select a start-up disk (image). This is the disk containing the XP installation. It may also be a .DMG, .ISO, or .CDR file. Using the small folder button to the right of the drop-down menu to navigate to the appropriate disk or file then click Start.

You will then see the famous blue installation screen of Windows XP (image). Note that my WinXP license is a German-language one, and hence, your screens will probably look a bit different. Follow the onscreen instructions to install WinXP. This involves formatting your virtual hard drive and copying the appropriate files. When this is done, the virtual machine will restart.

You may be asked for format and keyboard language defaults, as well as your user name and organization. Proceed through the installation (image). On the licensing page, you will have to hit F8 to agree to the license agreement and enter your 25-character Product Key.

As with any WinXP install, you will then have to set the date and time, as well as your network options. When you are done, Windows XP should start up (image) and ask you to log in. Congratulations! WinXP is now running! (image)

Setting up Shared Folders with Win7

Although not strictly necessary, I strongly recommend that you set up shared folders. This will create a directory that appears on both the host operating system and the guest OS. Any files placed there will be visible to both Win7 and WinXP. This is so useful that I essentially always work in the shared directory when using WinXP.

You will need to install the VirtualBox "Guest Additions" to share folders. Full instructions appear here, but the process is simple. Select “Install Guest Additions...” from the Devices menu (image). Accept all default options, including the final restart.

You should then create a folder to share within Win7. I use a folder called “WinXP_Shared” in my home directory. Then, within VirtualBox, select Shared Folders from the Devices menu. Click the green “+” button on the right (image) and navigate to and select the folder you created in the previous step. Set the options for AutoMount and Make Permanent (image). Click Ok. The shared folder should appear in the list (image).

Within WinXP, start the Windows Explorer (if you cannot find it, type “explorer” into the Run box in the Start menu). In Explorer, navigate to My Networking Places > Entire Network > VirtualBox Shared Folders on the left side (image - note again that my WinXP system is in German...your screen will probably look different). Open up folders as necessary to reveal your WinXP_Shared folder. Right click on it and select “Map network drive”. Assign a letter, for example X: and click Finish to continue.

The shared folder should appear (image). Any files placed there are accessible from both Win7 and WinXP.

Installing and Using BOG

The following paragraphs explain briefly how to install and use BOG within VirtualBox. The procedure is virtually identical to a “normal” install, which is explained in detail here.

Within Win7, download BOG 1.00 Full and BOG 1.20 from here. Place the the BOG_Full_1.00.zip file in WinXP Shared and unzip it (image). Alternatively, if your net connection is working within WinXP, you can do everything with a web browser from there.

Within WinXP, navigate to the shared folder and double click on BOG_Full_1.00. This should open a window with a Setup application. Execute the application to install BOG as described here. You might want to place BOG in a different folder than Program Files for the next steps. For instance, I like to put everything in the Shared folder for ease of use.

Place your copy of DOS GemRay 1.43 somewhere accessible (easiest: Same directory - image).

Run BOG, setting up the BOGWork directory, etc. to make sure it works. Then quit.

Place BOG_1.20.zip in the same directory, and then if you haven't already done so, unzip it in place to update to 1.20. Double click on BOG and check the version number to make sure.

Note that BOG 1.2 ships with GemRayX as the default ray tracer. If you don't have GemRayX, select About BOG -> BOG Preferences and then select GemRay (image).

It all should work (image). Yes, that is BOG running in WinXP in a window of Win7...Have fun!