Using SageMath on Windows
There are several ways to use SageMath on Windows.
Using the SageMath installer for Windows
A SageMath installer for Windows is in alpha stage since 2016.
The installer is a standard Windows-like installer, available at
https://github.com/sagemath/sage-windows/releases
(use the latest release from the top item in the list there).
It should work for Windows 7 and up, as long as it is 64-bit.
An initial version required activating "HAV" in the BIOS,
but this is no longer the case.
Using the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" in Windows 10
This new Linux layer inside Windows is available on all versions of Windows 10.
Using it, you can use the
SageMath binaries for Ubuntu.
It seems that compiling from source in this setting does not work as of 2016-08-16.
(If you manage to compile from source in this setting, please report on sage-devel.)
See this 2016-03 sage-devel discussion
for the initial announcement.
See this 2016-07 sage-devel discussion
which reports that Sage just works in that setup.
Using a virtual machine
This has worked for a long time.
See SageAppliance.
Using Sage Debian Live
You can use Sage Debian Live,
a bootable USB drive.
You reboot your computer on this usb drive which has Debian and
SageMath (with a lot more open source software).
You're not really using Windows in that case.
You might have to change some setting in your BIOS to let
your computer boot from a USB drive.
Using CoCalc
You can use SageMath online on CoCalc at
https://cocalc.com
and this frees you from the burden of installing.
Of course, it works only if you can access the internet,
and you might prefer to install on your machine.
You can also install a personal version of CoCalc
to run on your own computer, using
CoCalc-Docker
Using SageCell
If you just want to run a calculation online, you can use the Sage Cell server
available at sagecell.sagemath.org
and aleph.sagemath.org.
I am not sure about the network since i do not use windows, however it is unlikely that Vbox will accept connections from outside without asking first (though i do not know). If it things are becoming harder for anything with newer windows versions, let me just recommend to install some GNU/Linux distro, this is very easy those days. Regarding VM Player, i am almost sure that the ova is only tested on Vbox.
That said, if you want to maintain a new virtual machine (more secure, adapted to windows 10, etc), you are very welcome !
The .ova 7.2 works great on my VirtualBox. I use it at home and at work or when I don't have a machine with Linux installed. Describe what is your problem with it and all the steps you take when you try to run it, so that we will be able to help you.
@Mike56765 Could you point to specific pages of documentation which are lacking? There may be some outdated pages lying around, but pointing to specific urls (and specific problems) is the best way to allow some tidying up to take place. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Could you detail the steps you followed? Post a screenshot?
With respect to the login, it should start automatically, but if not https://wiki.sagemath.org/SageApplian... should be helpful.