title: Using a virtual machine to learn assembly
body: <p>I'm in the planning phases to learn assembly language and would like to take a start with x86 assembly but have computers around me with 64-bit processors (i7, i5 and a Core 2 Duo) and operating systems. Since I use my existing machines for work and don't want to things to go wrong while learning/practicing, I've been planning to buy or build a cheap 32-bit system using some old hardware that I may find. But before that, I'm wondering if it is possible to use a virtual machine for the same purpose. Would the machine instructions that are executed  only be limited to virtual machine or would they be interacting with the virtual machine's host (i.e. my computer itself)?</p>
  
  <p>I've looked around to see if someone has already tried such a thing, but seems like nobody has - so, my apologies if my question is naive as I don't know anything at all about assembly yet. But would be great if someone can shed some light on this subject and offer some pointers for people like me who want to learn assembly in a safe and isolated environment.</p>