1.1) Install/Run Raspberry Pi OS

This is how I install and run Raspberry Pi os on Virtual machine (VM).

What is Raspberry pi OS?

Raspberry pi OS or Raspbian is a Debian-based operating system for Raspberry Pi board. And because it is optimized for a one board computer so it’s really light-weight linux distro and it’s really great for an old computer. You can install Debian with Raspberry Pi Desktop as your computer’s main operating system, run it in a virtual machine, or create a USB stick or other medium from which you can run it when required. But for this article I’ll download and run it on VM.

1. Download Your favorite VM

Firstly, choose your favourite virtual machine and download it. For me, I’ll use VMware which can be download from VMware website or you can click THIS LINK.

2. Download Raspberry Pi OS Desktop ISO

You can download it from Raspberry Pi website or you can click THIS LINK and click on the download button.

This is the longest part, as the ISO file is more than 2GB.

3. Create a new virtual machine for Raspberry Pi OS Desktop

Open VMware. Click Create a New Virtual Machine on the right menu bar. I get a pop-up window for me to choose a way to install a guest operating system, I choose “Installer disc image file (ISO)” and browse location of Raspberry Pi OS ISO. Click next.

Select a Guest Operating System

Next, choose the operating system. Since Raspberry Pi OS is a Debian based operating system, So I choose Linux for “Guest operating system” and “Version” select Debian 10.x since Raspbery Pi OS is debian version 11(bullseye). Click next.

Name the Virtual Machine

Now I have to set a name for my virtual machine which can be whatever. So, I’ll go with “raspbian desktop” for the name and I have to choose location for my virtual machine. Click next.

Specify Disk Capacity

This is where you set up the disk size for the Virtual Machine. I set it to 20GB as the recommendation for debian 10.x based is 20GB. I choose split virtual disk in to multiple file because it is easier to move virtual machine to another computer as I may have to transfer it to the actual Raspberry Pi board.