Glad it worked, thanks for the feedback!
stylekilla wrote:what would happen if I changed something in one config but not the other
This would depend on the thing changed.
RAM levels, what the network is attached to, shared folders, things that control how the VM is connected to the host OS, should be OK.
Things that change the 'hardware' inside the VM: encryption, most of what's in System besides RAM, the kind of video card, network card or audio controller, etc, would cause hardware changes inside the VM and might mess up the VM's OS.
Anything related to snapshots and linked clones should not be used: these will be almost impossible to copy over correctly and will definitely mess up the VM on the other OS. Full clones will be OK, since the full clone becomes a separate VM.
Saved States are OK if you don't switch host OS's between runs of the VM. Saving State, then booting to the other host OS without running the VM, then switching back to run the VM should be OK. The saved state should only be run under the host OS where it was saved. Fully shut down the VM before switching host OS's if you want to run the VM under the other OS.
Fell free to pop on the forum any time and ask, "I have a VM where the disk file is pointed at by separate .vbox files in both host OS's on a dual-boot host: If I change X in one .vbox file without changing it in the other, will my VM get messed up?"
stylekilla wrote:an on-going backup?
I was only considering a backup just in case my instructions ended up being bad instead of good
However, a backup routine is always a good idea if you want to preserve the VM. Three good backup routines would be:
- Take a full disk image of the whole host with all the VMs fully shut down, not save-stated
- Shutting down the VM and copying all its files
- Run 3rd-party compatible backup software inside the running VM, sent to backup media outside the VM over the network
You may see some folks mention using a snapshot during an apparent backup routine. Don't believe it: snapshots are not backups, they're more like Windows System Restore Points. They make the VM more delicate, are not disk images, and cannot be used to restore the VM. Processes for backing up a running VM using snapshots leaves the "backup" in the state the VM would be in if you killed it unceremoniously, with dirty data and unsaved files. No backup routine can be relied on if you use snapshots in it.