Guest Additions in Linux Distros

[kemperhills]

I have VirtualBox 5.2.10 installed on Windows 7 Pro x64 host. I have Linux Mint 18.3 x64, OpenSUSE 42.3 and Ubuntu 16.04 x64 installed on the VB. The problem I am having is I can't find a way to install GA's. In OpenSUSE I tried running the GA exe and it said it had to be run with administrator privileges and I understand how to run the exe in Admin privileges.

After much searching the internet and trying what they say I haven't gotten GA's installed in anything. Can someone help me get GA's installed in these three Linux Distros. Thanks.

[mpack]

Your question is not relevant to the "Windows Hosts" area. Topic moved to "Linux Guests".

I'm not a fan of multiple choice forum questions. I suggest that you pick one problem case and deal with that. Let's say it's the OpenSUSE problem.

Let's start with basics: did you follow the instructions in the user manual?

I'm also not sure I'm getting what you're doing. Guest Additions are installed in the guest. Why are you talking about running .exes in an OpenSUSE guest?

[andyp73]

From the menu, Devices -> Insert Guest Additions CD image...

If Linux doesn't auto-mount the disk image then you will need to run the mount command as the Linux root user or with sudo. Something like:

sudo mount -t iso9660 /dev/cdrom0 /mnt

Then you need to run the installer, by changing to the directory you mounted it to and running:

sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

-Andy.

[kemperhills]

I'm not a fan of multiple choice forum questions.

mpack, maybe I didn't state the problem well, I never intended to leave the impression of a multiple choice question. My question was about three Linux Distros that I couldn't get GA's installed. The question was how to do that as I had searched the internet and hadn't be able, by the solutions I found, get the GA's installed. As all three Distro's were Linux I assumed that they all installed the same.

Why are you talking about running .exes in an OpenSUSE guest?

When I open Open SUSE, click devices, and click "Install Guest Addition CD iso" it mounts the GA's and an icon appears on the desktop. When I click on the icon it opens "VB GA's 5.2.10" with a lot of icons. Some of the icons are: VBoxLinuxAdditions.run, VBboxSolarisAdditions.pkg, VBoxWindowsAdditions-amd64.exe, VBoxWindowsAdditions-x86.exe and VBoxWindows. I click on VBoxLinuxAdditions.run and the following box opens:

Untitled.png (25.03 KiB) Viewed 2745 times

This is what I meant by "running .exes in an OpenSUSE guest?". But as I looked again it is not an exe but run. I don't know much about Linux yet. I have learned to install and use well. But just about everything in Linux is command line and I, not being a very good researcher, have a very hard time finding the correct commands to do much of anything. I really want to learn Linux so I can get away from Windows. I have also installed ReactOS 4.8 and really like the GUI interface but it is still in alpha and is a bit buggy and I can't get the auto, yet, to work. Thanks.

[socratis]

I click on VBoxLinuxAdditions.run and the following box opens:

And that is absolutely correct. You need to open up a Terminal, navigate to your CD, become 'root' and then run the "VBoxLinuxAdditions.run". The message in my opinion couldn't be any clearer...

[kemperhills]

navigate to your CD, become 'root' and then run the "VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

socratis, this is "Greek to me". As I said in the post in response to mpack, Linux uses the command line a lot, and I have trouble with the procedure and commands. I have no problem using command line it is the procedure and command I am having trouble with. There is something about Linux that just hasn't clicked in my mind yet about this. Thanks for the reply.

Later: Googled using command line root but when it asks for my root password and I enter it it says wrong password. Oh Well, Que sera, sera.

[socratis]

Linux uses the command line a lot, and I have trouble with the procedure and commands

There's not that much we can do about it I'm afraid. If you don't know what a command line is in Linux, you should start by searching for "Linux for beginners", or "Linux basics", or things of that nature.

It's not click-click-click, you got to get "dirty".

[mpack]

I have to say that I too am a total novice when it comes to Linux, yet I had no particular difficulty following the instructions in the user manual. The only additional knowledge I had is that most changes to the Linux OS require admin rights, and that "sudo <commandx>" is a way to execute commandx with temporary admin rights. Naturally you'll be prompted for an admin password. If you've forgotten the password you entered when you installed the OS then I'm afraid you'd have to ask about that on the OpenSUSE or whatever forums.

[kemperhills]

Guys, I really thank you for you help. Always appreciated. But for now, and I hate to stop something I started, I must simply say thanks and will have to admit defeat. Maybe down the road I will learn enough to do what I want. Right now, well thanks again.