Install Networking Device Drivers Later On?

[OraOra]

Just doing the installation of VB 4.3.14 and am wondering if I need to install the Networking drivers right away or if I can do that later on from inside VB as well?

Asking since I am currently not planning on doing any networking with the VMs created, in contrary I do not actually like the VMs to be able to connect to the web.

I simply like to try VB at first and see how I get along with it, learn it, create a few VMs and not have to worry about networking at first.

Is this a good approach or should I install all networking drivers with VB (bridged & host-only settings all selected) and then inside VB once installed change the settings so that the VMs cannot use any networking hardware on my host?

Also on the downloads page (/wiki/Downloads) I chose VirtualBox 4.3.14 for Windows hosts and read that for USB 2.0 there is an extension pack but during the installation of VirtualBox 4.3.14 for Windows hosts I can already select USB support, does this mean that the default USB support is for USB 1.0 or 2.0 or why is the USB support already added in the default install package when there is also an extension pack for USB support?

Again, can I install USB support later on from inside VB or do I need to have this selected too, if I later chose to, add USB 1.0 or 2.0 support to the VMs and VB?

I am reading the manual (manual/ch02.html) as I type this but cannot really find info about this.

Thank you for your help with this.

Really excited, never did this before, so excuse my lack of understanding so far or the really basic level of this question.

Best Regards

[BillG]

The device drivers will be installed automatically when you install the OS if the installer detects a network card (just as it does on a physical machine). If you do not want to allow the vm to access the Internet, assign it to an internal network (to talk to other vms only) or use host only (if you want to allow the guest to see the host). If you leave it at the default setting (NAT) it will have Internet access by sharing the host machine's connection. I would not enable bridged at this stage, as that will also give you Internet access if your host is behind a router with DHCP.

USB is something you can leave until later. (I never use them at all in the vm).

[OraOra]

Thank you for your reply.

So during setup I chose Host-only networking drivers so that the Guest can access data from drives on the host other than its own VM drive? The Guest won't be able to connect to the net/web with this setting?

I assume assigning the VM to an internal network (to talk to other VMs only) is done from inside VB and not during installation?

[scottgus1]

It may also be good to not use 4.3.14 on a setup you have to depend on right now: there's a nasty glitch with a new feature in it that the developers need to figure out. Later versions of 4.2 work fine (not the latest, though - it may have the same glitch 4.3.14 has). I am running 4.2.16 stable on Windows 7 64bit host, Windows 7 64bit guests.

[mpack]

So during setup I chose Host-only networking drivers so that the Guest can access data from drives on the host other than its own VM drive? The Guest won't be able to connect to the net/web with this setting?

Host-only networking is good for accessing host resources such as a printer. IMHO if your goal is to let the VM use the hosts disk drives - entire - then you've kind of missed the point of a VM.

I'd suggest that you restrict the VM to specific host folders, designated using the "Shared Folders" features of the VM settings - and this also requires that the Guest Additions are installed (see user manual). For GA style shared folders no network interface is needed at all.

[OraOra]

Goal is to run certain applications isolated in the guest VM (without them being able to have internet access at all) to see if I like them and if I do, keep using them that way without ever "polluting" the host.

Like this even later in time (even much much later) when I chose not to like or need them anymore I can simply remove them without having to worry about "leftovers in the registry" and also without interfering with my chronological order of system images of the host.

So I run the guest inside the VM, then inside the guest/VM I save work done with the applications installed on the guest to certain shared folders on the host (alongside with other work that I save there done on the host natively) and possibly printing such work from such shared folders would be ideal.

Since printing such work files requires the app installed in the guest I guess I need "host-only networking" for the guest to be able to access the printer on the host for example, have I understood this correctly?

No I am not creating a VM to make it use all the available drives entirely, I am planning to do this to contain the apps in the VM and let them access only certain designated folders on the host that I pick carefully.

As Scott suggests I will then use 4.2.16 instead of the latest one. Just reading about this from Scott and wanting to start using the guest pretty soon for solid work I guess I am better off with NOT the latest version?

Truly insightful and great I am getting replies about all this prior to installation, immensely helpful from you guys and very much appreciated. Thank you heaps!!

(to be able fill the profile correctly what VBox Version do I have if I use any of the Windows binaries?)

[mpack]

The VBox version for your profile doesn't so much matter these days, as it's all GPL now. Just don't pick "OSE Other" since some will still interpret that as self compiled. It's been a while since I checked what options you now have.

Edit:  I just did - I would pick PUEL.

[OraOra]

So I run the guest inside the VM, then inside the guest/VM I save work done with the applications installed on the guest to certain shared folders on the host (alongside with other work that I save there done on the host natively) and possibly printing such work from such shared folders would be ideal.

Since printing such work files requires the app installed in the guest I guess I need "host-only networking" for the guest to be able to access the printer on the host for example, have I understood this correctly?

Just shortly, yes or no concerning host-only networking?

Then I can finally hit that "install" button, oh and hang on where are the older versions please?

Is this bug Scot mentions in latest version confirmed and many people have issues with the latest version?

[mpack]

Both "host only" or "bridged" allow host and guest to see each other. Have them in the same workgroup or domain and everything should be fine.

[OraOra]

Not wanting to allow any web/net/outside contact of the guest host-only is my choice, no? Bridged would "bridge" guest to the outside/net/web, right?

[noteirak]

Correct