I wish to work on Linux, but the only machine l have at my disposal is my brother's windows laptop when it's free. Can I create a virtual Linux system using QEMU ?
You typically need to enable the Windows Feature called "Hyper-V" if it isn't enabled already. There's a bunch of documentation online if you search around, offhand these two should get you going
https://ubuntu.com/server/docs/how-to/virtualisation/ubuntu-on-hyper-v/
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/how-to-install-linux-ubuntu-on-hyper-v-in-windows
https://github.com/RidwanurRahim/Hyper-V-Ubuntu-Server (way more advanced than you need but steps 1-5 could be useful if want more how-tos)
Hints:
- You don't have to use Ubuntu if you don't want to, just do a VM install with any .iso image file (though I'd say Ubuntu is fine if you just want to tinker and get to learn basics, and Ubuntu itself is well documented)
- For the networking you typically don't need to do anything too advanced, a standard default switch to create a virtual NAT is fine for the most part. You only need to tinker with bridged networking if you intend to run a VM that pulls down its own IP address and has its own incoming internet traffic separate from your host Windows system.