Windows 7 x64 - free virtual machine host applications running headless

Given a machine configured with :

• Windows 7 64 bit
• a CPU that DOESN'T support the Intel hardware virtualization

Are there any free, non-time-sensitive virtual machine hosts that can host either 32 or 64 bit guest machines?

The candidates:

• VMWare Server (doesn't work well with 64 bit Windows 7... some driver signing problems that I don't want to muck around with)

• VMWare Workstation (is time limited at 30 days)

• Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 ?

• Sun VirtualBox - work perfectly with the conditions given! VirtualBox's only problem is that it's DIFFICULT to have it run headless. The problem is that VirtualBox requires you to "Start" each system, which brings up a new window. Closing that window will Suspend or Close that VM.

The goal is to host a wide array of guest machines; Windows, OSX (longshot), and *nix.

Question: any way to have Sun VirtualBox run headless in an official supported manner?

I assume you've read through the official VirtualBox documentation on setting up headless systems, right?

http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/UserManual.html#vboxheadless

Did those instructions not work for you? They specifically mention 2 different ways to start a headless VM. Have you asked on the VirtualBox forums?

You picked just about the worst possible combination to host virtual machines: a desktop operating system that isn't even out yet and a CPU that doesn't support virtualization. Toss in the ability to host OSX, something that's also completely unsupported, and you're asking for something that just doesn't exist.

If you truly do need OSX, then your only answer is to buy an Apple machine like a Mac Mini, run VMware Fusion on it, and then you can host a wide array of guest machines.

If you can't change your hardware, you can at least switch to Windows 2008 R2 (obviously licensing isn't an issue for you, since you're using an unreleased OS and talking about virtualizing OSX) which would give you Hyper-V.

Well I think you're on your way to answering your own question to be honest.

Certainly VirtualBox seems closest to your requirements - it supports non-VT-processors and Windows/Linux VMs - not so sure any product officially supports OSX as that is effectively advocating software piracy or similar - but I'm sure it'll work.

HERE is Wikipedia's very good comparisons of various VM host code.