Screen size in virtualbox..

[OleWilly]

Hi

I installed Windows XP with virtualbox. Seem to work ok except that I cannot maximize the window. The xp window keeps the small size though I click on the maximize button.

OW

[ElCuervo]

Hi

I installed Windows XP with virtualbox. Seem to work ok except that I cannot maximize the window. The xp window keeps the small size though I click on the maximize button.

OW

Have you installed the Guest Additions? Video resolution in VBox is dependent on the Guest Addition drivers.

[OleWilly]

Hi

I have found out. I could change the size in xp. When I finished installation the size was set to 640 x 480. Thank You for reply. What about guest additions ? Something in xp or the virtual box ?  I am new to this virtualbox.

OW

[ElCuervo]

This is a good thread about some of the basics with nuggets by old-polack: http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,80791.msg679290.html#msg679290

[OleWilly]

Hi EICuervo

Thank You very much for the link ! I will study this thread. I am updating xp at the moment. In xp have I not found the place for adding guest additions yet.

OW

[OleWilly]

Hi

I could not update win xp in virtualbox. So I started synaptic and marked virtualbox and related packages to be completely removed.
But after rebooting when I go into /opt the virtualbox folder with content is still there 

OW

[OleWilly]

Hi

I removed the /opt/virtualbox and reinstalled and have installed win xp again. In fact this is sent with iexplore in win xp in virtualbox. But I guess I will have difficulties updating xp.

OW 

[Old-Polack]

Hi

I removed the /opt/virtualbox and reinstalled and have installed win xp again. In fact this is sent with iexplore in win xp in virtualbox. But I guess I will have difficulties updating xp.

OW  

What updating are you trying to do? Have you set up an Internet connection in your Windows installation?

Running Windows in a VM is just the same as running it from a direct installation, in my experience. The main difference has been games up 'til now, because of the lack of proper 3D in the VM, but that is being worked on. I don't do Windows games, so this singular lack doesn't affect me in the least.

If you've got the Guest Additions installed, the VM window sizing problem should vanish. Speed may still be an issue, but that depends on the amount of RAM you've given your guest OS. On this machine I have 2GB total installed RAM and give half to the VM, with 128MB given to the VM video. It's a bit slower than a normal installation. On my other computer with 4GB total installed RAM, I also give half to the VM, and any speed difference is imperceptible. Some things actually run faster in the VM than they do in a normal, on the metal, installation. That probably has more to do with the actual hardware of the machine in question than anything else.

My only reason to have a VM, with Windows, is to run my scanner that has no Linux drivers available. With the Windows VM I can use the drivers from the CD that came with the scanner, scan what I need to scan, then move the file to a directory shared between the VM and the host OS. On the Linux host I then can do whatever processing I wish with the Linux tools; mostly Gimp. I do have one Windows app for simple photo processing, which I use mostly to view the scans, to verify their correctness, rather than actually process them, although I do occasionally do a little minor touch up with it.  

I don't go online from within the Windows VM. If I wanted to install some Windows freeware application, I'd d/l the app from the Linux side, place the installation file in the shared directory then run it in the VM. I installed the Windows Service Packs this way. This keeps all the internet bad stuff away from Windows, which stays isolated in it's own little sandbox. So long as I keep Windows off of the internet, most of the other security patches and such are not necessary.

[OleWilly]

Hi

I am trying to make a fully update. I can go on the internet from XP. I have not installed the additions. I have 384 MB ram to the virtualbox and 15 GB for virtual drive. When I try to update the cpu usage go to 100 %. I have updated a lot though but not all. - For me the contamination  was only kind of an experiment to see if it worked on this 9 year old machine. It is for the moment a Compaq Presario 6000 with AMD Athlon 2000+ XP 2 GB ram and 120 GB hd. I will get a much better result if I used dual boot. I have an USB dvb-t stick which I can not get going in PCLinuxOS 2010 KDE edition. Thank You for information.

OW 

[j-retired]

.....................................................................................
I don't go online from within the Windows VM. If I wanted to install some Windows freeware application, I'd d/l the app from the Linux side, place the installation file in the shared directory then run it in the VM. I installed the Windows Service Packs this way. This keeps all the internet bad stuff away from Windows, which stays isolated in it's own little sandbox. So long as I keep Windows off of the internet, most of the other security patches and such are not necessary.

I worried about that a while ago, so from XP, within VBox, I visited the Gibson labs "ShieldsUp" site, and invited a probe.  I did not have Zone alarm or AVG running on the XP install, but the "ShieldsUp" probe was totally clean - "This machine does not exist on the internet" or something like that. 
Sorry about the diversion from the main topic, but it seemed appropriate!

j

[smcs_steve]

I have an USB dvb-t stick which I can not get going in PCLinuxOS 2010 KDE edition. Thank You for information.

OW  

I use a Leadtek USB DTV Dongle Gold (not bragging) - and it runs fine (PCLOS 2010) using the dvb-usb-af9015 package (firmware works with AF9013 also)...
Tunein to digital terrestrial stations using Kaffeine.
>Steve

[crazy41]

Hi, when I installed guest additions the screen still does not maximize. All that's changed is that a CD has been inserted into the VM.

[7272andy]

Go to the Devices menu and click on Install Guest Additions...
If this doesn't start an installation within your virtual machine, and the CD is shown as being in the machine, goto My Computer and double click on VirtualBox Guest Additions (D:) to start the installer.
If you get a window showing the contents of the CD run the program VBoxWindowsAdditions-x86.exe

Regards
Andy

[OleWilly]

Hi

I succeeded in installing the guest additions as described in this thread: http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,80791.msg679290.html#msg679290

And then I deleted the *.iso file

The only remarkable thing I experienced is the mouse automatic catching. No speed increase and I find Win XP Pro very slow so it is nearly not worth using in this old machinery. I would be better off using dual boot I think. But it was fun trying. I  also tried Puppy Linux. - I have chosen to use 384 MB for memory and 15 GB hd of which already 11 GB used. I have made all updates. But all went in slow motion.

I have just updated the last huge one from 3rd of november.

I have also managed to get my usb dvb-t dongle to work fine thanks to the info in this thread. I use kaffeine to watch.

Thanks for all the hints and kinks.

OW 

[ElCuervo]

Hi

I succeeded in installing the guest additions as described in this thread: http://www.pclinuxos.com/forum/index.php/topic,80791.msg679290.html#msg679290

And then I deleted the *.iso file

The only remarkable thing I experienced is the mouse automatic catching. No speed increase and I find Win XP Pro very slow so it is nearly not worth using in this old machinery. I would be better off using dual boot I think. But it was fun trying. I  also tried Puppy Linux. - I have chosen to use 384 MB for memory and 15 GB hd of which already 11 GB used. I have made all updates. But all went in slow motion.

I have just updated the last huge one from 3rd of november.

I have also managed to get my usb dvb-t dongle to work fine thanks to the info in this thread. I use kaffeine to watch.

Thanks for all the hints and kinks.

OW 

Cool, I am glad it worked for you, however slow. It sounds like your hardware doesn't lend itself to running virtual WinXP, for sure - I've found that less that 512MB of RAM tends to make it wheeze. But at least you got to learn some new stuff!