Having Virtualbox guest additions installation or mounting problems maybe related to fstab. I added the virtualbox repository to synaptic repos and then installed virtualbox 3.2.8_ose and the virtualbox-guest-additions 3.2.8-1 on my ubuntu amd64 desktop host computer along with dkms, etc. Subsequently installed ubuntu desktop amd64 as my first virtualbox guest and have tried repeatedly to install the guest additions into the guest via both a cd .iso and from synaptic. In each case I thought I had installed the guest additions fine, but I have the feeling it either really hasn't installed or it isn't enabled. Hard time getting a virtual guest share up and running (but I'm brand new to this). Finally got an automatic share working through the back door via samba, which led me to believe my guest additions were installed.
However here is the output from my /var/log/VBoxGuestAdditions.log file:
Code:
Starting the VirtualBox Guest Additions ...fail!
(modprobe vboxguest failed)
Starting VirtualBox Guest Addition service VirtualBox
Additions module not loaded!
Another indication that guest additions isn't installed or running properly, is that I cannot set a larger virtual screen resolution, which I understand should be possible if guest additions is in fact running. I only have the options of 4:3 800x600 and 600x480, whereas my normal host resolution is 1680x1050. My virtual screen is tiny.
lsmod | grep "vbox" gives the output:
Code:
vboxnetadp 5267 0
vboxnetflt 14966 0
vboxdrv 1792856 2 vboxnetadp,vboxnetflt
No reference above to vboxsf or vboxfs. Is it actually there or is it invoked via fstab? I've been trying without success to use fstab to enable a share at vm startup. Have probably tried 20 different fstab entries to date. I always get a vboxfs (vboxsf?) error msg. All vboxfs type fstab entries in my fstab removed at present. Afraid the manuals and help files aren't all they could be for a virtual noob -- ie: quotes, no quotes, sharenames, mountpoints. Not sure what specific values to enter for these in fstab for my particular system. A suggested fstab entry matching my own directories and mounts here would do wonders if possible. One fstab entry I've tried for instance is:
mount -t vboxsf -o uid=1000,gid=1000 share mountpoint
Have tried various values for "share" and "mountpoint" in the above example without success as of yet. I'm missing something.
My system:
Quad core amd cpu and msi mobo (virtual compliant), 4GB ram, 64bit ubuntu desktop host, virtualbox 3.2.8, 64bit ubuntu guest.
On the host I have a 20 gig ext4 partition from a separate drive successfully mounted via fstab on my ubuntu host's /media/share for virtual file sharing use, with the "share" directory having user read/write access via chown and samba.
On guest ubuntu I have a shared /home/v1share directory.
These two directories now networked through samba. Somehow muddled through that, but it seems to work sort of. Seems a bit cumbersome but I can transfer files and read them. I'd really prefer to have all of my shared files just automatically written to the /media/share directory though and have this just work, when I start up my ubuntu guest.
My next guest will be win xp, as I need to share xp program data with the ubuntu host. Would like to sort this sharing/screen resolution/guest additions problem out before I install xp and make the system more complicated. I'll have to get the legal rights transfered over from another computer to get the xp activated and updated and I don't then want to trash my xp later on getting the sharing to work. Many thanks.