+First download and install a recent version of VirtualBox_. VirtualBox is a
+virtualization software that is freely available for Windows, MacOS X, Solaris,
+and Linux. VirtualBox comes with a comprehensive manual that should answer
+potential questions regarding installation and maintenance.
+
+.. _VirtualBox: http://www.virtualbox.org
+
+Next, download the most recent version of the NeuroDebian virtual machine from
+the Downloads_ section. The machine is distributed as a zip file. Please
+extract this file, using appropriate software for your operating system.
+Once extracted, start VirtualBox and select "Import Appliance" from the file
+menu.
+
+.. image:: pics/vm_import_app.jpg
+
+The next dialog will ask you to choose a virtual machine. Please navigate to the
+extracted NeuroDebian download and select the `.ovf` file.
+
+.. image:: pics/vm_import_wizard.jpg
+
+You can finish importing of NeuroDebian by clicking on *next* a couple of
+times. There is no need to change anything, as we will get through the
+settings in a second. Importing of the virtual machine will take a short
+while, as it is distributed in a compressed format that now gets extracted
+(total extracted size about 2 GB). Once imported, the NeuroDebian virtual
+machine will appear in the list of available machines. Do **not** start it yet,
+but select NeuroDebian and hit the *Settings* button. In the following dialog
+you'll have a chance to configure the machine. You can assign the amount of RAM
+that should be made available to it (for serious fMRI data processing, please
+allow at least 2 GB). If you have a recent computer with multiple CPU cores,
+you can also decide how many cores should be used by the virtual machine. If
+you have a large screen you should increase the display memory to 32 MB in the
+*Display* settings.
+
+.. image:: pics/vm_add_host_folder.jpg
+
+However, most important is the *Shared Folders* setup. Shared folders allow the
+virtual machine to access the local harddrive of the host computer. This is an
+easy way to access data on the computer without duplicating it or using the
+network to access it. The virtual machine is preconfigured to access a shared
+folder named labeled "host". Click on the *add* button to select a folder that
+shall be accessible by the machine (e.g. your home directory) and put "host" as
+the folder name. Note, the folder name is simply a label. Your directory will
+not be renamed.
+
+.. image:: pics/vm_host_folder.jpg
+
+Finally, close the settings dialog. You have now completed the setup, and you
+can start the virtual machine by hitting the *Start* button. A new window will
+appear showing the boot process. After a short while the NeuroDebian desktop
+will appear, and a setup wizard will guide your through the final steps of the
+configuration. You can now explore the system. The virtual machine is connected
+with your host computer, and shares its Internet connection. Via this
+connection you can update the contained software packages at any time.
+
+.. image:: pics/vm_settings.jpg
+
+The virtual machine logs yourself in automatically. The name of the virtual
+machine user is `brain` and the password is `neurodebian`. The *root* password
+is also `neurodebian`. In most cases, however, you should not be forced to type
+the password, since `sudo` is configured to work without it.
+
+.. note::
+
+ For increased security you might want to change the default password. You can
+ do so by opening a terminal window and running the ``passwd`` command.
+
+
+Working with the virtual machine
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The next video is a demonstration of some basic desktop integration features.
+It shows how to use the virtual machine in full-screen and seamless mode, shared
+folder access, software installation, as well as suspending and resuming the
+virtual machine.
+
+.. raw:: html
+
+ <iframe title="YouTube video player"
+ class="youtube-player"
+ type="text/html"
+ width="640"
+ height="375"
+ src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OV7fYSEoOeQ?hd=1"
+ frameborder="0"></iframe>
+
+
+.. _chap_vm_troubleshooting:
+
+Troubleshooting
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Updating the VM or installing new packages doesn't work.
+
+ The VM uses as service that tries to figure out the best/closest package
+ repository for you. In some network environments this service might not work
+ well, or not at all. To check if this is a problem, you can modify the
+ respective configuration by hand. Edit ``/etc/apt/sources.list`` (you need to
+ use ``sudo`` for that) and replace the package repository URL with a mirror
+ close to you. A comprehensive list of mirrors is available at:
+ http://www.debian.org/mirror/list
+
+ Pick one and replace all ``geomirror.debian.net`` URLs with the new mirror
+ URL. For example, in Canada you might want to change::
+
+ deb http://i386-geomirror.debian.net/debian squeeze main non-free contrib
+
+ to::
+
+ deb http://ftp.ca.debian.org/debian/ squeeze main non-free contrib
+
+ Only modify lines that refer to ``geomirror`` (all of them), but do **not**
+ modify entries for ``security.debian.org``.
+
+I cannot hear sounds played in the virtual machine.
+
+ By default the sound is muted. To enable playback launch the mixer applet by
+ clicking on the mixer icon in the task bar. Unmute the master volume control.
+ Now click on the "Volume control" to load the channel mixer dialog. Unmute
+ the "Master" and "PCM" channels and raise the volume as desired. You should
+ now be able to hear sounds played within the virtual machines through your
+ host computer's speakers.