virtual environment questions

[Skaperen]

i have tried google but there is a lot of noise and a variety of conflicting answers apparently because it's probably not real virtualization but just a redirection trick. i'm needing solid answers because i have so much stuff that could get broken by this. with an understanding of exactly what kind of virtualization is really used and how it lays out files i can diagnose things more easily and not end making so many mistakes that could break things.