Shared folder does not work

[normandy45]

Hello, I am on OSX 12.7 (host) and running VirtualBox 7.0. I created a shared folder by following the instructions I found online:
- Select the guest machine you wish to share files with
- Click Settings > Shared Folders
- Right-click and select Add Shared Folder and use the following settings:
- Folder Path: Click the dropdown arrow, select Other, and navigate to the folder you would like to share
- Folder Name: Anything to identify it on the guest machine
- Read-Only: Unchecked (Checked, if you are exclusively pulling files from the host)
- Auto-Mount: Checked
- Mount Point: Leave blank
- Click OK

But then when I click on Network in the VM, there is just an empty folder (FYI the folder that I shared is not empty), see the screenshot attached.

Do you know what is wrong ?

Thanks

[scottgus1]

In Windows VMs, the shared folder is supposed to appear under a "\\vboxsvr" virtual network server in the Network section that you screenshotted. That it's not there probably indicates that Guest Additions was not installed in the Windows VM, or the Guest Additions failed to install correctly.

Start the VM from full normal shutdown, not save-state. Run until you see the problem happen, then shut down the VM from within the VM's OS if possible. If not possible, close the Virtualbox window for the VM with the Power Off option set.

Right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose Show in Explorer/Finder/File Manager. In the "Logs" subfolder, zip the VM's "vbox.log", and post the zip file, using the forum's Attachments tab. (Configure your host OS to show all extensions so you can find the "vbox.log", not "vbox.log.1", etc.)

***************************
On the subject of obfuscating:
1. It must be done completely if it is to be done at all. You obfuscate your VM's name "michele_new" only in some places.
2. None of it is necessary unless it is the public IP address for your internet connection. And even that IP address is being pen-tested all the time, so one more place it is known won't hurt.
3. There is no need to hide the folders and drive layout of a VM: it's all virtual, not real, and it is all protected behind your house router and your host firewall. Even if folks knew your VM had a C drive, how could that help them hack in?
4. Your host account's user name is not hackable. It is not a unique piece of information that identifies only your computer. Even if it was, where in the 4 billion IPv4 internet addresses or the galaxy's worth of IPv6 addresses would one try it? Even if the username and IP address were known, there's still the host account's password. As long as it isn't P@s$w0rd or something really easy in the rainbow tables, you will not get hacked by revealing your host account user name and details about a VM.

[normandy45]

Thank you for your reply, please find enclosed VBox.log!

Best,

[granada29]

Code: Select all

00:00:01.113298 Host RAM: 16384MB (16.0GB) total, 6807MB (6.6GB) available

You have assigned more RAM to the VM than you have available. Reduce the RAM allocation to 4GB from its current 8GB setting.

Code: Select all

00:00:01.185042   NumCPUs           <integer> = 0x0000000000000004 (4)
00:00:06.471851 CPUM: Physical host cores: 4

Reduce the number of assigned CPUs from 4 (that is all your real CPU cores) to 2 or 3.

Install the Guest Additions in your VM. Shared folders won't work if they are not installed.

Hope that helps.

[normandy45]

It works like a charm, thank you !