permissions on disk image files

[Rolf Turner]

This is more of an annoyance than a serious problem. But I'd like to get it sorted, and make sure that I have not got
something wrong in my setup.

I am running Ubuntu 16.04. When I start VirtualBox I get a pop-up window containing the message:

"One or more disk image files are not currently accessible. As a result, you will not be able to operate virtual machines that use these files until they become accessible later."

It then says "Press Check to open the Virtual Media Manager window and see which files are inaccessible, or press Ignore to ignore this message."

If I click on ignore and then on "Start", the virtual machine seems to start with no problem. It gives me a login window
and I can log in and carry on as happily as if I were in my right mind.

If I click on "Check" it seems to tell me that the problematic file is "HammerAndHope.vdi" ("HammerAndHope" is the
name of my virtual machine) and that it lives in "/home/rolf/VirtualBox VMs/HammerAndHope/". The file is indeed where
it is supposed to be (???) and it has read permissions for "group" and "other" as well as "user".

OK. No big deal. I just have to click on "ignore". Still I would like *not* to have this warning window popping up
every time I start VirtualBox.

Can anyone suggest what I should do? Thanks.

[socratis]

Open a Terminal. Type the command:

• VBoxBugReport "<VM_Name>"

It will generate a "YYYY-MM-DD-hh-mm-ss-bugreport.tgz" file in the current directory. Attach that file in your reply. See the "Upload attachment" tab below the reply form.

[Rolf Turner]

I have done as requested and have attached the file generated. I hope that this provides some enlightenment
to someone!

[mabra]

Hi !

I am "monitoring" this - came just along to post the same thing.
Each time, I use a VM, the ownership of the files has been changed,
especially, the group permissions are removed. So, if I then later
use another user, I first have to change the permissions on the
vm-directory (with all content) to be accessible to the new user.

Thanks,
Manfred

[socratis]

@Rolf
You have two ISOs. Remove them from your device manager:

• /home/rolf/Downloads/ubuntu-16.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso
  /home/rolf/Desktop/ubuntu-16.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso

@mabra
This is something that your host is doing, not VirtualBox. VirtualBox creates new files and gives them the default permissions that the host has decided. You'll need to modify your host's "umask". Google can be your friend.

[Rolf Turner]

@Rolf
You have two ISOs. Remove them from your device manager:

• /home/rolf/Downloads/ubuntu-16.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso
  /home/rolf/Desktop/ubuntu-16.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso

Actually I *haven't*, at least I don't have one in the desktop directory. When I installled
Virtual box I placed the "*.iso" in my desktop. Then I realised that this cluttered up the
desktop so I copied the *.iso to Downloads, and then moved the *.iso from the desktop
to a directory ~/SaveVM --- "just in case".

So I ineed have two copies of the *.iso --- one in Downloads and one in SaveVM.

However I looked at the file .../HammerAndHope/HammerAndHope.vbox and I see that
there are indeed two lines:
<Image uuid="{8e2188df-2a28-40ca-803d-a7d68727b634}" location="/home/rolf/Desktop/ubuntu-16.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso"/>
<Image uuid="{ca31f78e-3d4f-497b-8ad1-c20973385812}" location="/home/rolf/Downloads/ubuntu-16.04.1-desktop-amd64.iso"/>

So for some reason the system *thinks* that there is a copy of the *.iso in the desktop.
How can I disabuse the system of this incorrect notion?

I'm probably doing a whole bunch of things all wrong, since I am groping in the dark with
almost no insight or understanding into what is going on. Can anyone give me a *recipe* for
what I actually *should* do?

I don't understand the exhortation "Remove them from your device manager." I.e.
I don't grok the term "device manage" and Google was no help --- any references to
"device manager" were in the context of Android (???) or Windoze, not in the context
of Linux

[socratis]

Actually my bad, it's not device manager, it's under the menu File » Virtual Media Manager...
Go there and remove any ISOs that you don't need any more. Note the line that says "Attached to" and if it is attached to a VM, you should release them first.

[Rolf Turner]

Actually my bad, it's not device manager, it's under the menu File » Virtual Media Manager...
Go there and remove any ISOs that you don't need any more. Note the line that says "Attached to" and if it is attached to a VM, you should release them first.

OK! That worked! Thanks.

For the benefit of those who might look at this thread in the future: I had to look under
"Optical Disks" (as opposed to "Hard disks" which is what initially shows up) after clicking on
"File -> Virtual Media Manager".

A supplementary question (if I may, while I have your attention ):

Is there a way that I can move the *.iso out of "Downloads" (which doesn't really seem
exactly appropriate to me) and into some more appropriately named directory, (e.g. something
like ~/VMdiskImages)?

There seems to be only a capacity to *remove* disk images under Virtual Media Manager, and no
way to *add* such images.

[socratis]

There seems to be only a capacity to *remove* disk images under Virtual Media Manager, and no way to *add* such images.

The way to "add" images is through each VM's settings. So, if you add an ISO in the VM settings, it will be remembered for your convenience. That "memory" of previously used images is what's depicted in the Virtual Media Manager.

Of course you could move an ISO file, just remember that if you have it attached to a VM, VirtualBox will complain. Things can be worse (the VM refusing to start) if it is in a saved state.

[Rolf Turner]

OK. I *think* I've got it. For the sake of others who may be reading this, who are as mentally retareded
as I am, here is a bit more detail. What I did was:

* place a copy of the *.iso fiie in "~/SaveVM" (actually already done, long ago)
* start VirtualBox
* click on Settings
* click on Storage
* click on Controller IDE
* click on the "disk+" symbol (hovering on it says "Adds optical drive.")
* click on "Choose disk" in the popup window that appears
* navigate to /home/rolf/SaveVM
* click on the name of the *.iso file
* click on Open
* close the "Storage" window
* click on File -> Virtual Media Manager -> Optical disks and remove the copy of the *.iso
associated with "Downloads"

I *think* I've got that right. If I've said something wrong or misleading, would someone who is knowledgeable
please correct me?

[socratis]

If you want to eject a CD from your computer, you do not take out the whole drive. Also, after you've installed the OS you don't need the installation CD in the drive. I'll correct your steps for future reference:

* place a copy of the *.iso fiie in "~/SaveVM" (actually already done, long ago)
* start VirtualBox
* click on Settings
* click on Storage
* click on Controller IDE
* select the CD icon on the left.
* on the CD icon on the right, click and select "Remove disk".
* click on the "disk+" symbol (hovering on it says "Adds optical drive.")
* click on "Choose disk" in the popup window that appears
* navigate to /home/rolf/SaveVM
* click on the name of the *.iso file
* click on Open
* close the "Storage" window
* click on File -> Virtual Media Manager -> Optical disks and remove the copy of the *.iso
associated with "Downloads"

[Rolf Turner]

Sorry, I'm probably being horribly confusing --- since I have no real understanding of what I'm doing.
However we seem to have here a "failure to communicate" which is my fault, but I don't know the
appropriate terminology to use.

To make a *start* on correcting the misunderstanding: I am not/was not using a CD drive at all.
My laptop does not even have a CD drive!

I downloaded the *.iso file from from the net. Originally the download was located in
~/Desktop. I decided I didn't want it there --- clutter --- which is what started this whole
issue. I then moved the *.iso file to ~/Downloads (which I later decided was inappropriate)
--- that caused trouble, which I was educated in how to clear up. (See earlier posts.)

Then I decided I didn't want the *.iso file in the ~/Downloads directory either; I placed a
*copy* in ~/SaveVM and went through the steps I outlined in my previous post to reconfigure
my setup so that I could make use of this new copy, rather than the one in ~/Downloads.

The steps I outlined *seem* (so far) to have worked for me.

[socratis]

To make a *start* on correcting the misunderstanding: I am not/was not using a CD drive at all.
My laptop does not even have a CD drive!

Yes, there is a misunderstanding. Your computer may not have a CD, but your virtual computer has a virtual CD and you used a virtual disk. ISO is a (virtual) disk format.

[socratis]

You should read chapters "1.2. Some terminology", "1.7. Creating your first virtual machine" and "1.8. Running your virtual machine" of the user manual.

[Rolf Turner]

You should read chapters "1.2. Some terminology", "1.7. Creating your first virtual machine" and "1.8. Running your virtual machine" of the user manual.

Thanks for that. I shall duly read.