About setup share-folder

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Windows hosts.
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satimis
Posts: 513
Joined: 12. Jun 2007, 03:41

About setup share-folder

Post by satimis »

Hi all,

Where can I find document/manual re setup share-folder between Windows host and Windows guest or Linux guest. The share-folder will be automatically mounted at booting the guest.

Thanks

Regards
multiOS
Volunteer
Posts: 1223
Joined: 14. Sep 2019, 16:51
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: VirtualBox+Oracle ExtPack
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux, BSD
Location: United Kingdom

Re: About setup share-folder

Post by multiOS »

Section 4.3 of the VirtualBox User Guide
satimis
Posts: 513
Joined: 12. Jun 2007, 03:41

Re: About setup share-folder

Post by satimis »

multiOS wrote:Section 4.3 of the VirtualBox User Guide
Thanks for your advice.

Before posting, I have looked at the document suggested.

4.3. Shared Folders
https://docs.oracle.com/en/virtualizati ... lders.html

They are for guests not for Windows host. Where can I find document for Windows host?

Whether after installing VirtualBox-6.1.36-152435-Win.exe file sharing would be automatically setup on Windows host. Then I have to setup share folders on guests ?


Regards
BillG
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Joined: 19. Sep 2009, 04:44
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: VirtualBox+Oracle ExtPack
Guest OSses: Windows 10,7 and earlier
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: About setup share-folder

Post by BillG »

I cannot follow what you are asking. A VirtualBox shared folder is a folder on the host which can be accessed from a guest. That is all it does.

If you want full file sharing between host and guest, you need to use some other method. If both host and guest are Windows, use Windows file sharing as you would between Windows PCs on the same network.
Bill
scottgus1
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Re: About setup share-folder

Post by scottgus1 »

Normal shared folders as provided by a host OS are set up in the host OS's settings. How to do this is a web-search. Virtualbox has no say in these host-OS-shared folders. You need a Bridged or Host-Only network in the VM, then you'd use the host and VM OS's usual methods to share and see the shared folders over the network, just like you would between real computers in a real Ethernet network.

Virtualbox's Shared Folders as discussed in the manual are a special setup that is made in the VM's Shared Folders settings and requires Guest Additions to be installed and working in the VM. No network is needed for Virtualbox's Shared Folders (though you can have a network if you want for other things). Virtualbox "fakes" a network server inside the Windows VMs, called \\vboxsvr. This "server" shows all the host folders picked in the VM's Shared Folders settings. Linux has a different method, explained in the manual. You can also tell Virtualbox in the Shared Folders settings to auto-mount the Virtualbox Shared Folder in the VM's OS, either as a drive letter in Windows or as a mount point in Linux etc. You can also manually mount the Virtualbox Shared Folder using the commands shown in the manual.
mpack
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Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
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Re: About setup share-folder

Post by mpack »

This is weird. Satimis has been a VirtualBox user for longer than me, notice his join date. He has 467 posts to his name - there's no way he needs to be told what GA shared folders are or how to configure one.
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