Q&A for How to Install Ubuntu on VirtualBox

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  • Question
    Will choosing the erase disk option while installing Ubuntu remove my original Windows operating system?
    Community Answer
    When you're asked this question inside the VirtualBox, it's talking about the virtual disk, not your physical disk. And since the virtual disk is "brand new", there is nothing there that you should worry about. There is no risk to your Windows system.
  • Question
    If I install Ubuntu from VirtualBox, will it erase all content on my C drive?
    Community Answer
    I was worried about this too. Ubuntu will format/erase only the virtual disk space you allocated for the Virtual Machine, not your whole C: drive.
  • Question
    How do I get the 64-bit option on Virtualbox? I only have the 32-bit option.
    Community Answer
    To use 64-bit guests on VirtualBox, you need to have a CPU that supports Virtualization. Then, make sure that feature is turned on in the BIOS.
  • Question
    Will I need to boot to Windows first, or will it allow me to choose?
    Community Answer
    You will need to boot to Windows. If you want to run Ubuntu without Windows, you need to do a dual- boot installation.
  • Question
    Do I need to use any DVD or CD to install Ubuntu?
    Community Answer
    No. Just download the Ubuntu image file from the Ubuntu downloads specific to your PC. Follow the above steps to install the virtual box. After that, as mentioned in step 2, click storage and select your downloaded Ubuntu image file.
  • Question
    What is the problem if I have 800+ gigibytes of free space, but Ubuntu says I only have 4.2 MB?
    Community Answer
    The space available to the VM is determined by its virtual disk(s), not your actual storage drive. I don't think there's any way to increase the capacity of a virtual disk once it's created, but you can make a new one through the VM's settings in VirtualBox.
  • Question
    When installing Guest Additions in Ubuntu, I get an error saying, "unable to insert the virtual optical disk." What should I do?
    Community Answer
    Make sure you are using a recent version of Ubuntu. However, you can install Ubuntu normally as an operating system on both Mac and Windows, so using VirtualBox is unnecessary.
  • Question
    How much time does it take to install?
    Community Answer
    Minimal takes around 20 to 25 minutes, the complete option might take closer to 45 minutes.
  • Question
    I installed this on a flash drive. Will I be able to boot directly from the flash drive at the startup of my computer, or is VirtualBox required?
    Community Answer
    You don't need VirtualBox if you are booting from a flash drive. VirtualBox is a Windows platform, you are installing Ubuntu inside the VirtualBox in a virtual drive.
  • Question
    When I try to install from a CD, I get the following message: "This kernel requires a x86-64 CPU, but only detected an i686 CPU." How do I fix this?
    Community Answer
    Your *.iso image is for a 64 bit machine. Your machine is 32 bit. Possible solutions: 1. Download and install a 32 bit. *.iso image, or 2. Step into the 21st century and upgrade to a 64 bit machine.
  • Question
    Where can I download the 32 bit version of Ubuntu without using torrents?
    Joshua Chuah
    Community Answer
    You can download the .iso for Ubuntu 16.04.6 by searching "ubuntu 16.04 download" on Google. The first result should be the official Ubuntu website. Ubuntu 16.04.6 is the last 32-bit variant of Ubuntu with LTS (Long Term Support). Be sure to select the i386 option for a 32-bit version of Ubuntu.
  • Question
    What could cause the screen to go blank when trying to install Ubuntu 12 on VirtualBox?
    Community Answer
    I got this error at first too. Then discovered that I didn't have the ISO mounted correctly (part 4).
  • Question
    I am trying to install Ubuntu 16.04 on an Oracle VM virtual box, but after selecting the language option it is not showing a "Continue" option for the installation. What should I do?
    Community Answer
    The "Continue" button was off screen for me. I was able to hit the button by tabbing and guessing the location. Also, you could try increasing the windows size before getting to that window.
  • Question
    How long does it take to install Ubuntu on VirtualBox?
    Community Answer
    It took me about 30 minutes, with most of the time spent creating a fixed size hard drive (my install was on an HP laptop).
  • Question
    How do I reinstall Ubuntu?
    Community Answer
    First, remove it from your machine along with any residual files. Then simply follow the steps in the article to reinstall it. You just want to ensure that it's fully uninstalled before you try to install it again.
  • Question
    Part two step eleven says "Make sure that your Ubuntu file is done downloading." How do I know that the download is complete?
    Top Answerer
    When your web browser or BitTorrent client has stopped downloading it, and reports no errors. Often, it will say "Finished" or "100%" as well.
  • Question
    How do I install Ubuntu after installing CentOS?
    Top Answerer
    There's no practical reason to dual-boot in VirtualBox; you should just create a separate VM. Dual-booting Ubuntu and CentOS basically just requires creating at least one partition to install Ubuntu on. Either use the "Guided" feature, or use the manual setup, and create an ext4 partition of at least 25 GB (for a desktop install). Set "Use as" to "/". If you don't have space, resize your CentOS partitions. If you're not using hibernation, you can share the swap partition. Set "Use as" on the swap partition to "swap."
  • Question
    When I launch Ubuntu it comes up in terminal, not desktop, and StartX doesn't work. How do I get desktop to launch?
    Top Answerer
    This is unlikely to happen in VirtualBox (the platform in the article). If it does, try increasing the size of the VRAM (video memory) in the VM settings. If you have a high-resolution monitor, the default is probably not enough to operate a large window or fullscreen. If you're encountering this on real hardware, try using the Safe graphics option from the boot menu. If this happens after install, you may need to install the proprietary drivers for your GPU. The exact package you need depends on the card, but you can install it from the terminal with the command "sudo apt install ". "sudo apt install nvidia-driver-510" would work for most recent Nvidia cards, for example.
  • Question
    I have already Windows and Ubuntu 18.04, now I want to install Ubuntu 19. 04 by removing Ubuntu 18.04/ How can I do that?
    Top Answerer
    Delete the Ubuntu 18.04 VM and hard disk image, and create a new 19.04 VM, using the steps in the article.If you want to upgrade from Ubuntu 18.04 to 19.04 instead, edit /etc/apt/sources.list as root, replace "bionic" with "disco", and run "sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade".
  • Question
    When I follow the exact same steps and try to restart the vm at the end, it make me go over the entire installation process again even though it recognizes the installation. How can I fix this?
    Top Answerer
    It sounds like the disc is still in the virtual drive. Normally, this shouldn't happen, as it is removed when Ubuntu "ejects" the disc, unless you checked the "Live CD" box. You can remove the ISO from the drive in the Storage section of the Settings window. Click on the DVD drive/the name of the ISO, then the DVD icon, and select "Remove disk from virtual drive."
  • Question
    Where can I remove installation medium?
    Top Answerer
    You don't usually need to do anything; when Ubuntu ejects the DVD, it is detached automatically. If you want to do it manually when the virtual machine is running, you can remove virtual CDs/DVDs from the drive by opening the Devices menu at the top of the VM window, selecting "Optical Drives", and then "Remove disk from virtual drive". When the machine is not running, you can open Settings for the virtual machine, go to "Storage", select the CD/DVD drive, and click the CD icon to access the menu.
  • Question
    Does Ubuntu on VirtualBox take control of the mouse and keyboard on Mac? If so how would I release it so that I can turn it off?
    Top Answerer
    You use the Host key to release the cursor grab, or the Host key and another key to send specific commands to the VM, just as you do on Windows and Linux hosts. The default Host key on macOS is the left Command key, but you can change this.
  • Question
    If I have other virtual machine installed (for instance i have Seed Ubuntu), will the erase disk option erase files on that virtual machine?
    Top Answerer
    Only if you attach the hard disk image from another machine. The instructions in the article describe creating a new image, not reusing one, so this shouldn't be an issue for you.
  • Question
    My virtual machine is created and is working correctly. But, when I start the machine, it shows small screen even in full screen mode even after pressing Host+F. How do I solve it?
    Top Answerer
    Install the "virtualbox-guest-x11" package on Ubuntu and reboot. This should enable automatic resizing when you enter full screen mode.
  • Question
    The computer's screen is really small when I open it in full screen, where can I change this setting?
    Salman Mughal
    Community Answer
    Move the mouse to the bottom or top right corner of the screen to show the Charms bar. Then select Settings. And go to Change PC Settings. After that, select PC and devices. Then select Display. Adjust the resolution and scale to make your screen look proper then click Apply.
  • Question
    What do I do if it failed to open a session for the virtual machine Ubuntu?
    Top Answerer
    There are many things that can cause this problem, none of which have to do with Ubuntu specifically. Usually, it is either a problem with user permissions, or the VirtualBox host driver/kernel module isn't working. Try reinstalling VirtualBox, and make sure virtualization support is enabled in your BIOS/UEFI setup.
  • Question
    If I install Ubuntu in VirtualBox, will it erase all of my data?
    Top Answerer
    No. If it's in VirtualBox, it can't see your data, only the virtual hard drive (which is blank by default). Even if you booted it on your computer directly, it would only delete all of your data 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐬𝐨.
  • Question
    Can I save Linux to USB?
    Community Answer
    You can install a bootable Linux on an USB stick, you do that separately from VirtualBox though.
  • Question
    Once the installation is complete, can I delete the iso file?
    Community Answer
    Yes, but make sure to remove the iso from the VM, otherwise the VM might refuse to turn on.
  • Question
    How do I install graphics on an Ubuntu virtual machine since it logs in to only a command line interface?
    Community Answer
    It is likely that you've got the server image. When downloading the iso, make sure you chose the desktop one.
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