Tag: VirtualBox

How to Update VirtualBox on Windows

This blog post discusses how to update VirtualBox on Windows while preserving the existing configuration of VirtualBox and virtual machines. What steps should you take when upgrading your VirtualBox to the latest version, but your older version is configured and fine-tuned? The beneficial news is that your configuration will be preserved when you update VirtualBox.

Oracle VM VirtualBox is free virtualization software for Windows and other operating systems. It allows you to create virtual machines and operate one or more guest operating systems on your physical computer’s operating system.

Update VirtualBox on Windows

Open your VirtualBox and verify its version by going to Help, About VirtualBox. In the current version, the VirtualBox version is 6.0, as shown in the screenshot below, and the newest version is 7.0.

You can go to the File tab and click on Check for Updates to check if any updates are available.

Download VM Oracle VirtualBox

This new notification pop-up window usually appears immediately after launching VirtualBox when a minor update is available 7.0.18. Click on the download link located in the interface below if you wish to download that version for an update. The installer that is downloaded can be utilized as an updater.

If you need to download the latest version and perform a significant VirtualBox update, visit the VirtualBox website and download the updated version of the VirtualBox installer. The VirtualBox 7.0 contains new features, including virtual machine export, high-resolution support, improved 3D graphics support, GUI improvements, etc. VirtualBox 7.0 supports 64-bit host operating systems. If you use a 32-bit host operating system, you must use VirtualBox 32-bit.

Once VirtualBox 7 is installed, the virtual machines that are running and then closing the VirtualBox instance will be shut down. Right-click on the VirtualBox 7.0 installation file and then click Run as Administrator.

Welcome to the VirtualBox 7.0.18 setup wizard; choose the next.

You can adjust any components you desire to install accordingly. Click next if you intend to install all the software’s features.

Accept the “warning network interfaces” that will be permanently disconnected during the VirtualBox installation. Select Yes to go to the next screen; for instance, a critical downloading process could be halted.

Missing Dependencies Pathon Core

Again, click yes

Choose Install.

If you haven’t been able to close the VirtualBox application yet, the VirtualBox updater will ask you to do so. You must close the application before you can continue. The software name and process are shown in the warning message window. Retry to restart the VirtualBox update after closing a running VirtualBox process.

Updating VirtualBox.

Finally, on the Installation Complete screen, click the “Start Oracle VM VirtualBox 7.0.18 after installation” and choose Finish.

Once the upgrade of VirtualBox is completed, you can see some changes in the graphical user interface. All configured virtual machines and VirtualBox settings are maintained after upgrading. About VirtualBox

18/08/2024
How to Clone Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

In this blog, we will learn how to clone virtual machine in VirtualBox. To acquire a Clone, which provides a complete system copy feature to replicate any virtual machine in the Oracle VM VirtualBox virtualization program installed on a Linux, macOS, or Windows 10/11 operating system.

To replicate a virtual machine in VirtualBox, follow the instructions below. Additionally, you can easily copy the necessary files from where the virtual device is installed and paste them into a new location to create an identical replica.

Follow the steps below to restore or duplicate a Windows, Linux, or macOS system you currently use with a clone.

Clone a Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

Suppose you are using your computer’s Oracle VM VirtualBox software and have acquired virtual machines. In that case, it will save you a lot of time to replicate a guest machine instead of installing it repeatedly.

Furthermore, thanks to the Clone feature, which has been offered to VirtualBox, a free and excellent software developed by Oracle, you can quickly create a copy of your virtual systems and avoid installing an additional OS.

Note: After cloning a VM, the user account may have a conflicting SID number. You may have to delete the current user and establish a new account. If you want the SID number to be changed automatically, it is possible. In that case, you must perform Sysprep in the Windows OS, and then you can replicate this VM by cloning.

How to Copy a Virtual Machine with Full Clone

First, you need to shut down the virtual machine if it is up and running:
Click the Power off button to confirm the powering of the virtual machine.
Your virtual machine will be shut down in a moment.

You can quickly clone an existing VM. Select the machine tab or right-click on the machine that you wish to clone and click on the clone option.

After opening the New Machine Name and Path interface, select a suitable name that fits your preference. Next to the MAC Address Policy section, select Generate new MAC addresses for all network adapters to avoid IP conflicts between the virtual machines you will join to the network.

Let us clarify the options mentioned in the MAC Address Policy.
Include all the network adapter MAC addresses: upon completing the cloning procedure, this capability works with all network adapters’ MAC addresses from the primary virtual machine to the copied machine.

Provide only NAT network adapter MAC addresses: this feature copies the host’s only NAT adapter’s address to the cloned machine.
Create new MAC addresses for all network adapters: This feature enables the MAC addresses of all adapters on the host to be new addresses for the cloned VM.

Select the type of clone you must create and then select the clone button.
There are two options available (Full Clone and Linked Clone).
If you select the Full clone, an exact copy of all virtual hard disk files from the original VM will be created.

Virtual Machine Clone Type

If you select Linked Clone, a virtual machine will be created. The virtual machine hard disk files will be bound to the virtual hard disk files of the original virtual machine, and you won’t be able to move the new virtual machine to a different device without moving the original.
I will use a Full clone in this case.

Wait until VirtualBox completes the process of cloning the virtual machine.

Congratulations! You have successfully cloned the virtual machine Linux to Linux-Clone. Now you can initiate your new virtual machine.

Cloned virtual machine files.

I hope this blog helps you to clone virtual machines in your practice area.
A cloned VM will possess a configuration that matches the original VM, including the machine hostname. To avoid confusion, the hostname should be altered before continuing with additional changes on the clone.

01/08/2024
How to Export Virtual Machine to OVA using VirtualBox

Let’s see how to export virtual machine to OVA using VirtualBox. In the past, moving a virtual machine (VM) from one computer to another was difficult. Several XML control files controlled the virtual machines and moved the VMs, which required editing these files and ensuring that you were moving every file associated with them.

Naturally, things didn’t always go smoothly. VMs refusing to reboot, VirtualBox failing to identify virtual machines, and media conflicts were common. The OVA file can be used on other virtualization operating systems, such as HP, VMware, and XenServer.

Export Virtual Machine to OVA with VirtualBox

Before exporting your virtual machine, make sure it is powered off. To shut down your VM, locate it from the VirtualBox Manager and click on the “Close” button.
Open Oracle VirtualBox
Click on the Machine tab.

After clicking the machine tab, click on export to oct…

As we can see, there are three distinct OVF formats, including (0.9, 1.0, and 2.0). The 0.9 is an older format with fewer support options,
Verify the Mac address policy.

To export Virtual Appliance Settings, select the format of the virtual appliance and exported location and then choose Next.
Under File, select the directory and filename for the virtual machine. Oracle VM VirtualBox cannot save VMs in the system documents of the currently logged users.
Tick the box “Write Manifest File” to check the integrity of the data and stop the deployment of damaged appliances.
Include the ISO image file in the OVA file.

On the Export virtual appliance settings page, the information will be added to the virtual appliance. Then, select the Finish button. We can alter it by double-clicking on individual lines. We will retain the default settings, and we will do so later if we want to alter them.

You must wait until Oracle VM VirtualBox completes importing the virtual machine to the OVA file.

We have successfully converted the virtual machine to an OVA file. We can transfer the same file to Hyper-V, VMWare, or XenServer.

28/07/2024
How to Configure Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

In this blog, we will discuss how to configure virtual machine in VirtualBox, a popular virtualization application. VirtualBox is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux and features an easy-to-use graphical user interface for creating and managing virtual machines.

Configure Virtual Machine in VirtualBox

Open Oracle VM VirtualBox
Select the virtual machine from the VirtualBox list. In our opinion, it is Linux.
We need to turn off the virtual machine to change some settings.
Select the virtual machine and click the settings icon.

In the General tab, we have different options.

Basic: You can modify the name, type, and version of the virtual box you are running.
Advanced: here, you can alter the location where VirtualBox stores the snapshot files.
Description: you can add a description for your virtual machine
Disk Encryption: enable disk encryption if you require it. In this virtual machine, we will not enable disk encryption.

Select the System tab and click on the Processor option. Select as many cores as you can comfortably accommodate. You can allocate multiple cores to the VM if you possess a multi-core system. Extended features such as VT-x and AMD-V can also be enabled if your CPU supports them.

Select the Display tab, allocate sufficient video memory, and enable 3D acceleration. Ideally, 16MB should be enough for a basic installation, but if you want a smoother experience, allocate as much as possible. Adding 3D acceleration is not essential, but it can help speed up applications that require 3D acceleration.

VirtualBox Storage Settings

Select Storage, and under Storage Devices, click on Controller IDE, Empty, then click on the CD icon and select a disk file.

Select the audio options. We can enable audio, select an audio controller, and install an install an audio driver) for the virtual machine.

Click on the Network tab to enable or disable the network adapter, and select the type of virtual network connection.

Select the Serial Ports option. You can enable Serial Ports and modify them on your virtual machine.

Click on USB Options. You can enable the USB Controller by selecting the version (1.1, 2.0, or 3.0).

Select the Shared Folders option – you can create a folder and share it between your host and your guest OS.

Click on User Interfaces settings; here, you can change how the user interface is displayed in the VM Connection.
Choose ok to save the changed settings

This blog teaches you how to install VirtualBox on Windows 10 and create your first virtual machine. You also learned how to install the guest operating system on the virtual machine in VirtualBox.

22/07/2024