Arch Linux installation can't auto-resize resolution

[Senintelwel]

Currently I have Virtualbox running on Windows 10 with Arch Linux installed as Guest OS. I have also installed the Virtualbox guest additions.
Nonetheless it appears I can not change the resolution of the Arch Linux installation by resizing the Virtualbox window. The Auto-Resize guest display option seems to be enabled but I can't actually change it. Meanwhile I can't change the resolution via the Virtual Screen option either.
Additionally I have already set the Max Guest Screen size to none or automatically but that does not change anything.

Does anyone have an idea of how I can fix this problem?

[socratis]

Have you installed the Guest Additions (GAs) in your Arch? You could try the built-in ones, but I believe that Arch supplies their own as well. Try with the built-in ones first.

Also, you tried two ways of changing the resolution and you didn't try the most intuitive one, which is to resize the display from within the guest. Did you try that?

Follow a "start the VM from cold-boot"/"observe error"/"shutdown the VM" cycle. With the VM shut down completely (not paused or saved), right-click on the VM in the VirtualBox Manager and select "Show Log". Save only the first "VBox.log", ZIP it and attach it to your response (see the "Upload attachment" tab below the reply form).

And please describe with full details your guest, your host and VirtualBox.

• What's your host version? "OSX" isn't enough, "OSX 10.9.5 build 13f1911" is much better.
• What's your guest version? "Win10" isn't enough, "Win10 1607, build 14393.969" is much better.
• What's your VirtualBox version? "The latest" is not enough, "VirtualBox 5.1.18 r140002" is much better.

[Senintelwel]

Yes, I installed the guest modules/utils in the Arch Linux installation. I'm not sure about the built-in ones, I installed them via pacman.
Via what way would that be? Xrandr? I now see that may be a problem because it says "Can't open display". I found it might have to do with setting the DISPLAY variable to zero but that doesn't work.
I must say that if I resize the window while in the terminal, and then launch i3, it assumes the resolution of the resized window. I can not resize the window dynamically though.

Host: Windows 10 1607 Build 14393.1198
Guest: Arch Linux 4.10.13-1-ARCH
VirtualBox version 5.1 22 r115126

[socratis]

00:00:05.628909 VMMDev: Guest Log: BIOS: Booting from CD-ROM...

But... you are booting from the LiveCD, you never installed the OS!

And I do remember a couple of months ago issues with i3wm, I can't remember if it was on the host or on the guest. Search the bug tracker for "i3" and see if you come up with anything relevant.

[Senintelwel]

Well that's confusing.. I used to select "boot from existing OS" which I think worked fine. By changing the boot order in VirtualBox it now automatically does this though and it doesn't state CD-ROM anymore in the log.

Looking also at bugs for the X window system (because xrandr can't find a display) I can't really seem to find something relevant.

I'm really not sure what causes the problem, I don't think it's i3 though because resizing the window doesn't even work when working just from the terminal.
For some reason changing resolution via VirtualBox is not even selectable while xrandr also doesn't function.

[socratis]

I used to select "boot from existing OS" which I think worked fine.

OK, that would explain the messages in the logs.

As for getting your problem fixed, I'm not sure if this falls under 3D (most probably not), but there is call for help from the developers for end-users to pitch in helping. It will give you an idea of where things stand: 3D support for X11 guests.