You installed Ubuntu.

then installed VirtualBox

Then installed Windows 7 in a VM

Now you want to access your (ubuntu) files from inside the windows 7 VM

is that it?


ok

install this : just download this http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.2.12/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.12-84980.vbox-extpack and doubleclick

it will open with virtualbox.... install....


the screenshots are explanatory as to what u need to do after installing the extension pack

enable the USB controller.

when u boot the VM, check the lower bar, right beside the mouse integration icon, u will see where it will list any hardware, USB etc attached to the computer. select the one u want to mount, it will be mounted in the VM


for accessing folders on the pc, use the shared folders tab in VirtualBox settings, link the folders u want to share

they will be mounted as network shares. same applies to anything on any network the pc is connected to

I don't know about accessing the external drive but what I do is, I share a particular folder on my home folder on ubuntu with the guest OS and put whatever I want the guest (windows 7) to access in there. Here is how I do it.

On Ubuntu, select the folder you want to use, for example, "public" and go to properties (from the context menu i.e right click)
On properties, go to the "Share" tab
Check the boxes "share this folder" and "allow others to create and delete files from this folder"
close.

On Virtualbox, select the VM (in my case, Windows 7)
Right click on it and go to Settings
Under settings, go to the "Shared Folders" tab
Click on the little blue icon labeled "add shared folder"
On the box that pops up, under Folder path, navigate to the location of the folder we just shared on ubuntu
Give it any folder name you like but note the name you give it (in my case, "Public"
Check the box for "automount" and click OK.

Boot the Windows 7 VM
After it has loaded, open cmd
type in

net use x: \\vboxsvr\public

replace "public" in the command above with whatever name you gave the share (the one i told you to note above)
press enter.
You can also replace "x" above with any other drive letter you like that is not already in use (typically from e to z) but no need for that so you should just leave it alone

Go to My computer and you should see the shared folder mounted as a network drive.
That's it.

NOTE: Although I haven't tried it, there is no reason why this method shouldnt work for an entire drive. On ubuntu, drives are mounted into a folder on "/media" so if you can share one of the drives there, you can just follow the method outlined above and it should work.
However, the making changes to the /media requires root access so you'll have to launch nautilus using the command prompt. you can do that by doing

"Alt+F2"

and then type in

"gksu nautilus"

. It would prompt you for your password and then launch a root instance of nautilus.

NOTE2: If this doesn't work, you might need to install virtualbox tools on the guest OS. To do that, on the window that the guest OS is running, go to the menu at the top, you will find "Install guest Additions" under "Devices". You might need to download it.

As for browsing, the guest OS should automatically inherit the internet connection of the host. If that's not the case, it probably means you have tinkered with the network settings of the guest OS and just need to set things back to default.

Pls ask if there's anything you didn't get and i'll try to clarify.

I realise my first post might be a little difficult to follow so I've taken a bunch of screenshots to guide you

contd.

Thanks. The instructions were quite explanatory.

4llerbuntu:

install this : just download this http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/4.2.12/Oracle_VM_I VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.2.12-84980.vbox-extpack and doubleclick

I installed the extension pack and was able to mount the usb drive. The only back drop is that the usb drive has to be defined. If a new usb is inserted, the whole process of sharing the drive has to be repeated, and this requires restarting the VM. I don't think I have that patience, and the system would be unnecessarily populated with shared folders.

muyiscoi: I don't know about accessing the external drive but what I do is, I share a particular folder on my home folder on ubuntu with the guest OS and put whatever I want the guest (windows 7) to access in there. Here is how I do it.

On Ubuntu, select the folder you want to use, for example, "public" and go to properties (from the context menu i.e right click)
On properties, go to the "Share" tab
Check the boxes "share this folder" and "allow others to create and delete files from this folder"
close.

On Virtualbox, select the VM (in my case, Windows 7)
Right click on it and go to Settings
Under settings, go to the "Shared Folders" tab
Click on the little blue icon labeled "add shared folder"
On the box that pops up, under Folder path, navigate to the location of the folder we just shared on ubuntu
Give it any folder name you like but note the name you give it (in my case, "Public"
Check the box for "automount" and click OK.

Pls ask if there's anything you didn't get and i'll try to clarify.

I created a new folder, shared it and dedicated it for files that I need from usb drives. All I need to do is copy the files that I want into that folder and access them from the VM.

As for the network, i was able to connect to the LAN in the office (without internet) but it won't connect to the internet I share with the system with my phone (via usb tethering). the internet is not of paramount importance, but the LAN is reason I still have to stick with with windows. so I guess I am good to go.

Thanks a lot. Since I can get the VM working to meet my needs, I guess the next thing is to get rid windows Finally.

Mueeze:

I installed the extension pack and was able to mount the usb drive. The only back drop is that the usb drive has to be defined. If a new usb is inserted, the whole process of sharing the drive has to be repeated, and this requires restarting the VM. I don't think I have that patience, and the system would be unnecessarily populated with shared folders.

All you then need to do for individual usb/hard drive is to create a USB controller for THAT particular hardware. (they all have hardware ID unique to them.) in the same place u enabled the usb 2.0, you can actually specify a particular usb peripheral. it will remain persistent across reboots.


the general controller just makes it accept any.


secondly, even when u plug in any usb device when the VM is running, all u have to do is eject it inside Ubuntu. Then Check the little icon on the lower bar of the VM (obviously u will be in windowed mode) and it will available to mount via right click

Mueeze:
As for the network, i was able to connect to the LAN in the office (without internet) but it won't connect to the internet I share with the system with my phone (via usb tethering). the internet is not of paramount importance, but the LAN is reason I still have to stick with with windows. so I guess I am good to go.

U need to share the tethered connection with the VM. its mounted as a LAN connection on ubuntu.

if you can browse with normal LAN on Ubuntu, then You can with the tethered. go to the VM settings, Network and tick the network adapter, change the 1st drop down to Bridged adapter and choose the particular LAN connection in the 2nd drop down (eth0), (eth1) etc.

Ordinarily it works with NAT, but if that does not work, then Bridge it



As for connecting to any LAN, ubuntu does that flawlessly without needing any configurations (except where the network has connection rules that stipulate IP and allowed PCs which is when u need to assign a specific IP on the network manager.

nautilus left side bar has a "Network" Browse Network section. if u need to access any particular PC, then
if passworded u will need the Admin Username and Password for the network, and the ones for the specific workstation.





I will start charging you o

@Muyiscoi, this one na textbook publication oooo

u wan write Ubuntu for beginners?


abeg, let them learn joor. let them fill in the gaps. your detailing is too mush

Say I have a pc with a good graphics card for gaming and I have ubuntu installed. If I were to run windows in a vm, will it retain the host system's graphics performance?

ciphoenix: Say I have a pc with a good graphics card for gaming and I have ubuntu installed. If I were to run windows in a vm, will it retain the host system's graphics performance?

it should.

preferably a 64bit os, and 64 bit virtualbox install

check the video memory slider in the VM settings. it should show how much VGA memory muscle u can give the VM OS

also under system enable IO APIC and use the multiple processors

as far as i know on well specced systems, you wont even know that the OS is running in a VM.


saw someone running Snow Leopard once, full screen seamless mode. it was flawless

Pls can i meet anybody having the iso dvd for ubuntu version 13 residing in osogbo. I need it urgently for my project work. Thanks.

@Mueeze
This is what I get from all you've said.
1. You need to access USB external drives from within the Win7 guest OS
2. You need to connect to the physical network the Ubuntu Host OS is connected to.

Here, hope this helps:

1. Accessing USB drives
i. Download and install the virtualbox extension pack from here. Then install it from the clicking "File -> Preference -> Extension" as shown below:


You have to browse to the folder you downloaded the extension pack.

ii. Add your user to the vboxusers group, else you will be getting the "no device connected" message. Run the command below in terminal (replace maleeq with your username):
sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers maleeq

#not sure, but you may need to log out and back in.

iii. Plug in any external drive to the USB. When its mounted on the Ubuntu host, select "Devices" menu right up next to "file" and co on virtualbox and navigate to the "USB Devices" and select the device/drive you just connected. (This can be accessed by right clicking the "USB icon" at the bottom of the virtualbox window too. The guest Windows OS should see it and install its necessary drivers. ww.dazall!

Note: With the latest versions of virtualbox, you can simply drag and drop file to/for host-to-guest and vice-versa without extra configurations

iv. To access folders on the Ubuntu host, @Muyiscoi is right, only that you dont have to explicitly create the share on Ubuntu. While your VM is running, right click the "folder icon" at the bottom of the virtualbox window. This should pop up the "shared folder" context menu. Click it. In the dialog that opens up, press "Insert" on your keyboard and navigate to the folder on Ubuntu Host you will like to have access to from the Win7 guest.

When done, select the "Auto-Mount" and "Make Permanent" options to have its always appear as a shared network drive every time you start the VM.


Connect Guest OS to the physical network
@4llerbuntu has said it all.

@4llerbuntu
lol. I try. I don't know his competency level so I thought i should be thorough.

As for the gaming stuff, i'm not so sure it will work that way. I know most newer laptops support hardware virtualisation but I dont know if that translates to the GPUs also. On Virtualbox, you can enable 3D graphics acceleration for the guest OS but the memory is restricted to a max of 128mb. That wouldnt really work well for high graphics games.

4llerbuntu:

it should.

preferably a 64bit os, and 64 bit virtualbox install

check the video memory slider in the VM settings. it should show how much VGA memory muscle u can give the VM OS

also under system enable IO APIC and use the multiple processors

as far as i know on well specced systems, you wont even know that the OS is running in a VM.


saw someone running Snow Leopard once, full screen seamless mode. it was flawless

muyiscoi:
As for the gaming stuff, i'm not so sure it will work that way. I know most newer laptops support hardware virtualisation but I dont know if that translates to the GPUs also. On Virtualbox, you can enable 3D graphics acceleration for the guest OS but the memory is restricted to a max of 128mb. That wouldnt really work well for high graphics games.

would there be any compromises if i were to use WINE?

ciphoenix:



would there be any compromises if i were to use WINE?

of course.

not as to using the hardware but as to if the game will even run or run properly.

wine is a hit or miss thing.

u may try. but don't raise your hopes.

but I'm quite sure running under wine uses the hardware fully.

4llerbuntu:

of course.

not as to using the hardware but as to if the game will even run or run properly.

wine is a hit or miss thing.

u may try. but don't raise your hopes.

but I'm quite sure running under wine uses the hardware fully.

just saw they have a list of tested games on their site. no new titles there though.

Use playonlinux.

i got decent results with some games with that.

Thanks 4llerbe, ciphoenix and Maleeq.
its all done and i can now access both usb drive and network.

@ 4llerbuntu i know the are light de's but i want the full package and although there are distro built from ground up for netbooks like pingeee and easy peasy they are to slow on a netbook, my only options now for de are gnome 2 enlightenment and MATE but i don't which is the best and please does any de work on any distro

I honestly dont understand what you want.

maybe u should look into building your own distro?


I already told you, Xubuntu, Lubuntu are "FULL" the only differences is the GUI.


as i said, if you are in doubt,

INSTALL NORMAL FULL UBUNTU 13.04 (its much lighter and faster than it used to be)

Then Install ANY light DE, LXDE, MATE. FLUXBOX, OPENBOX anything. They are all available for installation

Google Linux desktop environments

then log out and login with the light DE u chose. "FULL" ubuntu is there underneath with **everything** u are looking for, but it runs faster because the DE is lighter

BTW if those DE u mentioned are to heavy for your netbook, that netbook must be really old or faulty.


u should perhaps consider puppy Linux then.

it now uses Ubuntu repository so apps are available and easy to get too

Just installed Kubuntu 13.04 on my work laptop.. and boy Kde 4.10 has been a blessing to this old horse. seeing it run like as smooth as silk you would be mistaken to think the old machine is a core i* not an Intel Pentium. I am amazed how the KDE guys were about to fashion an extremely fast fluid modern desktop which gives the user extreme power and flexibility. As an andriod user integration with my device is on point. KDE 4.10 has support to for syncing google calendar, contacts and tasks with Korganiser (KDE PIM suits) out of the box.. (Facebook contact and calendar event are also supported for those on facebook OOTB).. Mounting my Nexus 4 also works OOTB.. and I heard native support for google drive is coming. Its amazing what a group of community guys can achieve in this times where everyone is busy creating solutions on the deskop.. solutions looking for problems. KDE stays true giving users the choice.

Toroze: @ 4llerbuntu i know the are light de's but i want the full package and although there are distro built from ground up for netbooks like pingeee and easy peasy they are to slow on a netbook, my only options now for de are gnome 2 enlightenment and MATE but i don't which is the best and please does any de work on any distro

I would definitely recommend lubuntu for a netbook... it might not have the bell and whistle of a full featured DE but it will give u speed allowing you to get your work done with minimal fuss. I tried lxde from when the project got started way back 2007 and I knew the project had promise. Its gone a long way since then and even has an ubuntu spinoff. My advise is to resist the temptation to seek the path of blings as that bring it's draw back. For a low powered laptop u need all the performance you can squeeze out of it. Last thing you want is an OS that already uses 40% of system resources just to run.

Toroze: @ 4llerbuntu i know the are light de's but i want the full package and although there are distro built from ground up for netbooks like pingeee and easy peasy they are to slow on a netbook, my only options now for de are gnome 2 enlightenment and MATE but i don't which is the best and please does any de work on any distro

i don't see why Xubuntu won't work for you, i'm pretty sure it's adequate, you can even use kubuntu AND disable graphic effects i think it's called compositing

Thanks fellaz. Ubuntu here i come

omg....bigrovar?? Where did you crawl out from? My oga at the top that has been AWOL for forever! And i see you are still pro-kde!

The download manager I have always used on all OSes is DownThemAll and it suits my needs just fine. Now, if you are a Chrome/Chromium user, that would be a problem since its a firefox addon.
I would have recommeneded uGet as an alternative but I see it too isn't working very well for you.
You always have wGet

muyiscoi: The download manager I have always used on all OSes is DownThemAll and it suits my needs just fine. Now, if you are a Chrome/Chromium user, that would be a problem since its a firefox addon.
I would have recommeneded uGet as an alternative but I see it too isn't working very well for you.
You always have wGet

Thanks.

muyiscoi: The download manager I have always used on all OSes is DownThemAll and it suits my needs just fine. Now, if you are a Chrome/Chromium user, that would be a problem since its a firefox addon.
I would have recommeneded uGet as an alternative but I see it too isn't working very well for you.
You always have wGet

Thanks. I will try it.

Steam now works on Linux http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/steam-on-linux-everything-you-need-to-know-1148286
So you can play Counterstrike, Half-life 2, bunch of other games.

For those looking for a lightweight DE with an Ubuntu base, look no further than Crunchbang Linux. It does what Lubuntu wants to do slightly better.