Hey everyone, I am going to start posting one lab/tutorial a week or at least try to. Today I am going to start with a very simple how to configure a VM (Virtual Machine). I like to use Oracle VirtualBox because it seems to be pretty simple and free. Photo 1 is what it looks like when you open it up, I have a couple VMs here already but will be adding one with this tutorial. To create a new VM, in photo 2, you want to click the Machine tab in the top left area of the screen. it will show up like this, click on new. Once you click New, a window will pop up with some options. In photo 3, that is the window that pops up and you have some things to input. First thing to do is name your machine. You can name it whatever you like but I like to name it something that relates to the project I am doing with that machine. The next section is Folder/path, this will or I think it should automatically set a folder for you so you shouldn't have to touch this. Next is the ISO Image, this is pretty much a boot disk that allows you to load up an OS (operating system) without having an actual disk or usb stick. You can get these ISO images from Windows website or Linux website, etc. You can do a quick google search like Windows ISO download and it should lead you where you need to go, its also completely free to download. Once you get your ISO you find where you downloaded it and attach it in this ISO Image section. Once you attach your ISO the type section should recognize it and update itself to what it needs to be. In this case it automatically went to Microsoft Windows. Similar with the version section, hopefully it's the same for you but for me It went right to Windows 10 64 bit. I like to check the box that says skip unattended installation so I can walk through the entire set up myself. From here we are going to go to photo 4 which takes us to the hardware section of the set up. For base memory I like to use 4096MB (4GB) and for processors I like to use 2 CPUs. Of course this all depends on your system, you never want to give it more than half of your computers resources. So for example if you have 8GB of ram you don't want to assign your VM 6GB. You can do a little research on what you are currently running and go from there. You can even input your specs to ChatGPT and it will help you set up the sweet spot for your build.

My name is Mohamed and I have a serious passion for tech. Evan, I sent you a message a couple months ago maybe you can remember, I was chasing money bc of my hardships and got a cdl because of quick money and to pay bills but didn’t get a chance to pursue my passion until now. sadly, when we had our conversation i didn’t have the funds to join the program but omg i would love to be able to join the program for free. this would be life changing for me since i’m living paycheck to paycheck. i have the time and work ethic to give it my all just not the money. i currently have an active directory project and my security+ but im lost and could really use the bootcamp to jumpstart my career. i am very capable and can do anything i put my mind to. i would love to give a testimonial once i get a job through your program because i know it will happen with the support. i am putting my pride aside and pretty much begging for a scholarship to bowtied cybersecurity bootcamp. i don’t care about money/salary i just want to start my first job in tech and grow i know it’s a grind and im willing to take a pay cut to start i just need help. i know you probably have hundreds if not thousands of posts to look through but please give me a chance, you will not regret it. thanks again for taking the time out to read!