Can't get VirtualBox to work. (ABANDONED)

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

NO, it won't import an already installed OS .. it will only import a VM disk image (say from another PC).

What are you trying to do exactly ? .. install XP in a VM ?

[Tony Norton]

What are you trying to do exactly ? .. install XP in a VM ?

Well Mark, that was my original idea. I was hoping that whatever was installed in a VM would be there the next time I opened it. I suppose the problem is in my lack of understanding as to exactly what is a VM, and how it works.

Does it install on a hard drive partition? If so, does the partition have to be on the hard drive that has Linux installed or can it be on a different drive? If it doesn't create a partition for itself do I need to create it?

I had a look at the libvirt.org site, but that only served to confuse me even more.

I'm beginning to wonder whether I might be better off running as much of my everyday stuff as possible, email, office etc., under Linux and, when I have design work to do, re-booting into Windows.

Tony N

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

No it doesn't require a partition .. virtual machines are stored as files on the host PC.

I'm beginning to wonder whether I might be better off running as much of my everyday stuff as possible, email, office etc., under Linux and, when I have design work to do, re-booting into Windows.

Maybe .. if you didn't have hardware acceleration I'd agree with you .. I'd certainly agree you should use Linux native apps where possible, but it may be worth cheecking out a VM for your CAD (?) apps, just to see how they run, as it would mean you don't have to reboot.

Do you know how to create an ISO image of your XP installation CD ?

[Tony Norton]

Do you know how to create an ISO image of your XP installation CD ?

Actually - no. I'm sure that would be a help. But having said that, there have been a lot of updates to XP since my installation CD was created. Would I be able to update the VM file created from the ISO, created from my installation CD?

No it doesn't require a partition .. virtual machines are stored as files on the host PC.

Can I choose the location of the VM files?

it may be worth checking out a VM for your CAD (?) apps, just to see how they run, as it would mean you don't have to reboot.

Are you saying here that a VM file is 'app' specific? If this is the case where does the VM find the OS?

Tony N

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Are you saying here that a VM file is 'app' specific? If this is the case where does the VM find the OS?

NO .. a VM is exactly what it sounds like, it is a Virtual PC, as far as the guest OS and software is concerned it is being loaded onto a "physical" PC .. but you can start and stop the virtual PC from within the Host OS .. make sense ?

there have been a lot of updates to XP since my installation CD was created. Would I be able to update the VM file created from the ISO, created from my installation CD?

You should be able to update the Windows "guest" OS as though it was running on a "physical" PC .. that said, XP is not as straight forward to update as it used to be.

Can I choose the location of the VM files?

Most likely .. you can in Virtualbox, so I'd be surprised if you can't in virt-manager.


OK, now to create an ISO image of your XP installation CD ..

I'm going to assume you have Brasero installed .. if so -

First, insert the disc from which you want to make an ISO image. Wait until, and make sure, an icon for the disc appears on your desktop, indicating the disc has been read and mounted.

Next, open Brasero and select the Disc Copy function.

On the Copy CD/DVD dialog, change Select a disc to write to to ISO by clicking on the drop-down itself (not the properties button) and choosing Image file.

Click the Properties button and choose a name (such as WinXP.iso) and location for the output ISO image and then click Close.

Verify your settings and then click Start copy.

Mad Penguin suggests the ISO image should be stored at /var/lib/libvirt/images but if it won't let you create it there, just create it in your Home folder and we'll move it later.


Another option would be -

Code: [Select]

dd if=/dev/sr0 of=/path/to/where/you/want/to/save/WinXP.iso

where -
/dev/sr0 = your CD drive

But I wouldn't advise using "dd" if you're not comfortable with the command line


Another option would be to install and use AcetoneISO .. then use the "Generate ISO from CD/DVD" option .. see the pic here:
http://tuxarena.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/4-ways-to-create-cddvd-iso-images-in.html

[Tony Norton]

OK, now to create an ISO image of your XP installation CD ..

I'm going to assume you have Brasero installed .. if so -

First, insert the disc from which you want to make an ISO image. Wait until, and make sure, an icon for the disc appears on your desktop, indicating the disc has been read and mounted.

Done O.K.

Next, open Brasero and select the Disc Copy function.

On the Copy CD/DVD dialog, change Select a disc to write to to ISO by clicking on the drop-down itself (not the properties button) and choosing Image file.

Click the Properties button and choose a name (such as WinXP.iso) and location for the output ISO image and then click Close.

Verify your settings and then click Start copy.

Mad Penguin suggests the ISO image should be stored at /var/lib/libvirt/images but if it won't let you create it there, just create it in your Home folder and we'll move it later.

Managed to do all that O.K. and the ".iso" is in: -

"Home/var/lib/libvirt/images", I think.

If I click on the "Files" icon I get a window headed "Home". Ensuring that "View"-"Sidebar"-"Tree" is checked, and opening up below "Home", then "var", "lib", "libvirt", "images" I find "WINXP64bSP2.is o". Hopefully that is the right location for it. I created the folder "lib" and its sub folders after creating the .iso file and then dragged it into "images".

A source of some puzzlement, however, is the presence of "File System" at the bottom of my tree list which, if opened (right pointing triangle to its left), reveals a list of folders including one called "home" (lower case H). Opening "home" reveals a folder "tony", opening that reveals a list exactly the same, with same contents, as under "Home" (upper case H).

This puts my .iso file in "File system/home/tony/var/lib/libvirt/images". Is this the same as above? Is it all just 2 ways of looking at the same thing?

I'm finding the presence of "Home" and "home" very confusing. I don't think I had a hand in their creation.

Anyway, if the above is as it should be, where do I go from here?

Tony N

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

OK, when people say "your home" directory, that would be /home/<your_username>

otherwise, they'd say "/home".  <-- but they are much less likely to ever mean here, without being explicit

The reason it's referred to as "your home" .. is because that's exactly what it is .. it's YOUR home directory .. But without knowing your username they/I can't give you the full path.


OK, I'm pretty sure it's not in the right place .. so can you run:

Code: [Select]

sudo updatedb

then

Code: [Select]

locate WINXP64bSP2.iso

and post the output

[SeZo]

In addition to the explanation provided by Mark,
here is a Linux Directory Structure (File System Structure) Explained with Examples
and here is a simplified version for  Ubuntu

[Mad Penguin]

"dd" is one of the most useful tools knocking around ... worth learning if you don't know it.

For example, within the context of VMs, how about this for a backup;

Code: [Select]

did if=image.IMG bs=1M | SSH root@another machine dd of=backup.IMG bs=1M

You're immediate reaction will be that scp is easier  .. but most people store images on partitions (block devices) of one kind or another .. dd will do this, scp  won't ..

Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Oh I agree with you .. problem is, I've (maybe through my own incompetence) been bitten by dd before in such a drastic way that even though I know how to use it, it still irrationally scares me senseless .. though I'm recovering and starting to use it again myself, I still feel as though I should add a warning when suggesting its use to others

[EDIT]

To this day I'd swear I entered the dd command correctly .. but by the time it finished I couldn't check the history, as it no longer existed .. along with everything else it had disappeared into the ether 

[END EDIT]

dd = IMMENSELY powerful and useful tool .. but also IMMENSELY unforgiving 

Hell, I don't even like posting rm commands, specially if they require sudo .. and usually post a mv instead.

I'm not trying to put others off dd .. just publicising how much of a chicken I am

[Tony Norton]

OK, I'm pretty sure it's not in the right place .. so can you run:

Code: [Select]

sudo updatedb

Done

then

Code: [Select]

locate WINXP64bSP2.iso

and post the output

Which is: -

"/home/tony/var/lib/libvirt/images/WINXP64bSP2.iso"

Is that what you expected to see?

Tony N

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

OK, run:

Code: [Select]

sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/libvirt/images

then:

Code: [Select]

sudo mv -v /home/tony/var/lib/libvirt/images/WINXP64bSP2.iso /var/lib/libvirt/images/WINXP64bSP2.iso

OK that's the ISO in the place MP mentioned.

Now fire up virt-manager .. and according to MP (and he should know) ..

When the GUI appears, add a connection to "localhost" (all default settings once you select "connect") and you should then see an option to add a new VM

You'll find a ton of info here:
http://virt-manager.et.redhat.com/index.html

[Tony Norton]

Hi Mark,

I think the instructions you gave me below were intended to create the required directory and to move the ".iso" to that location.

OK, run:

Code: [Select]

sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/libvirt/images

then:

Code: [Select]

sudo mv -v /home/tony/var/lib/libvirt/images/WINXP64bSP2.iso /var/lib/libvirt/images/WINXP64bSP2.iso

OK that's the ISO in the place MP mentioned.

However....... if I run "locate WINXP64bSP2.is o" I still get "/home/tony/var/lib/libvirt/images/WINXP64bSP2.iso".

Now fire up virt-manager .. and according to MP (and he should know) ..

When the GUI appears, add a connection to "localhost" (all default settings once you select "connect") and you should then see an option to add a new VM

This didn't run quite as indicated, for one thing I had 2 options to choose from, ".iso" and ".img". When I tried to create a VM using the ".iso" I got a page full of "...can't do that.......". When I used ".img" I did at least get a VM, I called it "Virtual_WINXP6 4bSP2". (Although I can't actually "locate" that image file).

Starting Virtual Machine Manager renders a textual window headed: -


Virtual_WINXP64SP" Virtual Machine with the following lines of text (if I catch the <CTRL B> in time): -

SeaBIOS (version pre-0.6.3-20120507_233324-palmer)


iPXE (http://ipxe.org) 00.03.0 CA00 PCI2.10 PnP PMM+BFFC90C0+BFF890C0 CA00

iPXE (PCI 00.03.0) starting execution...ok
iPXE initialising devices...ok

iPXE 1.0.0+ -- Open Source Network Boot Firmware -- http://ipxe.org
Features: HTTP iSCSI DNS TFTP AoE bzImage COMBOOT ELF MBOOT PXE PXEXT

iPXE>


The above responds to the keyboard, "help" produces a list of commands none of which seems to do anything useful.

I guess there's some incompatibilit y somewhere, even having a bootable CDROM in the drive and catching <F12> at the start, it can't be persuaded to boot to anything, so I think I'm going to have to give up on this. I have now deleted the VM and associated files.

Mark and MP, thanks for your efforts to help me guys, it is appreciated, even though it was unsuccessful.

BTW your discussion on "dd"/"rm"/"scp" which were not only out of comfort zone, but also way above my level of competence, remind me of my early days with MSDOS when, attempting to change my text colour from white to a less eye-straining green (which I eventually did successfully) I got my text numbers mixed up and landed up with black text on a black background. Not realising that I could have re-booted to the 5.25" floppy provided I had to remember what commands came where and managed, working totally blind, to restore the text to a readable colour. One helluva test of memory and keyboard accuracy!

Cheers

Tony N

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Would you prefer to have another go at VirtualBox ? .. I should be able to offer more assistance with that, as I use it myself.

[GEARHEAD_TI]

When it comes to virtual box always download from the website using a deb installer. Other methods can be iffy as they are not compiled correctly.