I want to try Linux and was thinking about installing "VirtualBox".

Probably need a Linux that is turn key, if they all are not by now.

I am sure most of the Linux distributions would probably work? Does it matter what my processor is? Can I run the lastest version of any Linux distribution or do I have to pair the Linux with my hardware?

Would some one have a suggestion of what the latest version of linux for a particular distribution would be that will run in "virtualbox" using windows 7/64 with intel core 2 duo and the T5270 processor running at 1.4ghz.

Much appreciated,
Mr. Roberts

If you mean "turn key" like I'm thinking you do; pretty much any Linux distribution would fit the bill. Maybe expand on exactly what you mean by that - as this may affect the answers you're given here.

It depends on the system requirements for said distributions as to whether it will work or not. It also depends on exactly what you mean by "probably work". It also and in particular, depends on both the system requirements for both of the system(s) you wish to run, as well as your machine's architecture.

Depends on your hardware - you have to have the right hardware architecture for your machine - that matches your machines hardware architecture.

Compare the system requirements of the distribution you wish to run with your machines specs. Make sure you have enough memory/RAM in particular to support your host system (the system running on your real hardware) as well as the memory requirements of the guest system (the system running in the virtual machine).

To answer your question succinctly:
Yes you can try under Virtualbox.
Pretty much ANY distribution will work.

My personal choice, as a Windows user and wanting the initial jump to be as small as possible, is Puppy linux.

@OP,

Puppy Linux wouldn't be the best choice if you're new to Linux, you should read this instead.

If you just want to try Linux, you can use a live distro. Which boots from USB, let you play around. Live distros do not store settings so you cannot wreck anything. But I don't like it as you will not be able to customize anything.

Running Linux in VirtualBox is much better, so I fully agree with you.

Many distros are (almost) turn key as you call that. I would recommend a lighter distro as first it is a VM and secondly it seems that your hardware is a few years old.

"Light" means a light GUI. Try something which provides LXDE which stands for Lighweight Desktop Environment. As Windows user you'll be able to find your way.

Lubuntu is a good choice. And if you are a bit more adventurous you might try Debian and install LXDE at the end of the installation process. Debian is more stable, less bloated, better configurable and better adheres to Linux standards. Be prepared to Google more. Or you can try one first then the other. Linux Mint is also a good choice, but the GUI requires more resources. You can try and ditch if it is too slow.

jlinkels

The key question is how much RAM you can devote to the Virtual Machine. If you can devote as much as 3GB RAM (meaning you should have at least 6GB in the box), you should get acceptable performance from any mainstream desktop distro. 4GB to the VM would be better.

If you can devote only 2 GB RAM to the VM (meaning at least 4 GB installed to the machine), I'd suggest a distro with a light-weight desktop environment, such as Lubuntu (that's Ubuntu with the LXDE desktop or Xubuntu (Ubuntu with the XFCE desktop). You could also install Slackware, which comes with six desktop environments and window manager, and pick one of the light-weight desktops at time of install.

A web search for "light-weight linux distro" will turn up a number of articles, comparisons, and reviews.