UPDATE AUG 10: Virtualbox 1.6.4 is out. Added a new “Update Virtualbox to a new version” section.
I have Virtualbox OSE (Open Source Edition) installed. I use it basically to use Office, when needed.
Currently I only restart to Windows to sync my iPod Touch, and that’s because Virtualbox OSE doesn’t support USB.
But there’s a version, provided by Sun, that supports USB devices.
Uninstall Virtualbox OSE
If you already have Virtualbox installed go to Applications > Add/Remove… and look for virtualbox to uninstall your current version.
I also went to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager and also looked for virtualbox to remove every trace of it.
Install Sun Virtualbox (currently v1.6.2 v1.6.4)
Go to Virtualbox download site and go to Binaries (all platforms).
Select your Platform (Ubuntu 8.04 x86 in my case), agree to the license and continue to the download.
After the download is complete start the installer (or double click the .deb file):
sudo dpkg -i virtualbox_1.6.2-31466_Ubuntu_hardy_i386.deb
And it’s that easy.
Virtualbox Users
- Go to System > Administration > Users and Groups
- Unlock the Settings and go to Manage Groups
- Find the vboxusers group and click Properties
- Select your username in the Group Members list
USB Support
By default the usb support is disabled. To enable it do the following:
sudo gedit /etc/init.d/mountdevsubfs.sh
Now look for:
#
# Magic to make /proc/bus/usb work
#
#mkdir -p /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs
#domount usbfs “” /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs -obusmode=0700,devmode=0600,listmode=0644
#ln -s .usbfs/devices /dev/bus/usb/devices
#mount --rbind /dev/bus/usb /proc/bus/usb
And replace with (remove # from the last 4 lines):
#
# Magic to make /proc/bus/usb work
#
mkdir -p /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs
domount usbfs “” /dev/bus/usb/.usbfs -obusmode=0700,devmode=0600,listmode=0644
ln -s .usbfs/devices /dev/bus/usb/devices
mount --rbind /dev/bus/usb /proc/bus/usb
Restart your machine.
Update Virtualbox to a new version
When a new version is available you just need to download it and double click the .deb file. It’s that easy.
Last tips
Sun Virtualbox is now available at Applications > System Tools > Sun xVM VirtualBox.
In my case, at the end of the installation, Virtualbox found my previous virtual machine (Windows XP) and upgraded it to the new version, allowing me to use that virtual machine.
Because of this, every configuration was set and I only had to activate the USB support in my virtual machine.
Check my Virtualbox OSE post and see how to:
- Create a new Virtual Machine
- Share folders with the Virtual Machine (install Guest Additions for Windows)
Note: if you had Guest Additions for Windows in your old virtual machine, uninstall it and install the new 1.6.2 version.
Further reading
last updated: 10-08-2008
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