how to install guest additions on a Fedora 39 host

[snowsurf]

trying to install the VB guest additions on a Fedora 39 host i am unable to install it in the host at all and i cannot understand why as i have done all the normal things both are of the same version so they should be compatible but it simply will not install no matter m what i try.Any help/advice would be appreciated

[scottgus1]

trying to install the VB guest additions on a Fedora 39 host

If your post is to be interpreted as written, I've highlighted the problem. Guest Additions go in the guest, the VM, not the host.

If you did really mean a VM on the host, and you're really trying to install Guest Additions in the guest, the VM, please state what is the VM's OS, and exactly what you're doing, and what's going wrong.

Guest Additions have prerequisites in Linux VMs, same as Virtualbox on the host, see https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04. ... ions-linux and https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch02. ... nux-prereq
Also, watch the terminal installation report when running the GAs installer. Error messages will show if the install ran into a problem.

[snowsurf]

Guess i did not describe that particularly well i was having trouble inserting the guest additions in the operating GUI i have got that done but when i insert the guest additions the system doesnt see them and wont install them i am run ning a Fedora 39 host and and installing Linux mint 21.3 guest all the neccessary programmes are installed.On reading the install notes from VB i think i need a symbolic link for the guest installer to work

[scottgus1]

OK, thanks, that makes some more sense.

The Guest Additions comes as a CD image, in an ISO file. This ISO file goes in the VM's Optical Drive, and shows up inside the VM OS's CD drive. You should not have to make any symbolic links or other Linux specials stuff.

If you're running official Virtualbox from www.virtualbox.org then the Guest Additions (GAs) will be bundled already with the host Virtualbox installation and you can get the GAs loaded by using the VM windows Devices menu, Insert Guest Additions CD Image command. Then look in the VM OS's CD drive.

If you're running Fedora's fork of Virtualbox, you may have to download the GAs separately. Then in the main Virtualbox window, in the VM's Storage settings, click the "Optical Drive" link, then Choose Disk Image, find the downloaded GAs ISO, and choose it. Then look in the VM OS's CD drive.

If you get a 'VERR_PDM_MEDIA_LOCKED' error, it means the VM already has an ISO in the CD drive which is mounted in the VM OS's CD drive, and you'll have to unmount the mounted "CD" first before the GAs ISO can be loaded. Sometimes you may already have loaded the GAS and just don't know it yet.

Finally, Guest Additions have prerequisites in Linux, same as Virtualbox on the host, see https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04. ... ions-linux and https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch02. ... nux-prereq
Also, watch the terminal installation report when running the GAs installer. Error messages will show if the install ran into a problem.

[snowsurf]

Thank you for your prompt reply it has helped me clarify my thoughts
This is strange i have installed all manner of operating systems in the past without any problems with GA but for some reason the installer doesnt see the file even though it is in the GUI ready as bast i can figure out is that the file is not an iso file so it cant see it
but it was downloaded from the Virtual box site so i dont know why that would be i am reluctanty to convert it to an iso file in case it stuffs everything up
i have never come across this in all the years i have been using VB

IT doesnt matter if i download it from the Fedora packages or the VB site it still comes as a non iso file

Any thoughts would be appreciated

[scottgus1]

Style point: Please use proper punctuation and capitalization in your sentences. That paragraph was hard to understand.

Guest Additions from www.virtualbox.org always comes as an ISO, never anything else. You don't have to convert it to an ISO, it already is one.

If your Guest Additions download is not showing as an ISO, could your host OS be lying to you about hiding known extensions? If so, disable that feature security hole and make all extensions shown.

This is how to get Guest Additions loaded into the VM. No conversions mentioned or necessary:

If you're running official Virtualbox from www.virtualbox.org then the Guest Additions (GAs) will be bundled already with the host Virtualbox installation and you can get the GAs loaded by using the VM windows Devices menu, Insert Guest Additions CD Image command. Then look in the VM OS's CD drive.

If you're running Fedora's fork of Virtualbox, you may have to download the GAs separately. Then in the main Virtualbox window, in the VM's Storage settings, click the "Optical Drive" link, then Choose Disk Image, find the downloaded GAs ISO, and choose it. Then look in the VM OS's CD drive.

Note that the OS inside the VM may require further steps to mount the contents of its CD drive so they can be seen.

If English is not your native language, please use your native language, and we can use translation.

[snowsurf]

Firstly my apologies my message was a mess i was deep in thought and not paying attention to what i was writing,English is my native and i am normally rather good at it so sorry for the rather garbled message.

This is really annoying me no matter what i do the VB manager simply does not see the extension package so it cant install it in the guest system

It installs in the VB manager but will not action it any further i have looked at all permutations and tweaked all that i can but to no avail

I agree with all that you say as ihave done it in past iterations without any problems but this i just do not understand and am at a complete loss as to what to do

I trust this is a bit better and a little more understandable

[scottgus1]

Thanks for the clarification. Unfortunately, it leads to a hair more clarification needed:

no matter what i do the VB manager simply does not see the extension package

I don't know if your terminology just got mixed, but there is a download for Virtualbox called an "Extension Pack", which gives Virtualbox more capability on the host (under a more restricted license). The Extension Pack is not the Guest Additions.

Please give us a detailed list of exactly what you're downloading (links to the download) and exactly what you're doing with it (window opens, menu choices, button clicks, command lines).

[snowsurf]

I don't know if your terminology just got mixed, but there is a download for Virtualbox called an "Extension Pack", which gives Virtualbox more capability on the host (under a more restricted license). The Extension Pack is not the Guest Additions.

I downloaded from the fedora 39 package list it is the same version as is on the VB website namely Version 7.0.12_rpmfusion r159484 in the package list it is called "Virtual Box Guest Additions 7.0.12-1.fc.39(64 bit) with the following descripton

This package replaces the application of Virtualbox's own methodology to
install Guest Additions (in menu: Devices | Insert Guest Additions CD-image file).
VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for
enterprise as well as home use. This package contains the VirtualBox
Guest Additions which support better integration of VirtualBox guests
with the Host, including file sharing, clipboard sharing and Seamless mode.
Aditional note: this package can be installed on an non-guest system, because it is
harmless and services would not run anyway.

I then use the VB manager to install it into the the extension slot in the VB manager which it does successfully but when i click on insert guest additions cd image in the devices menu it doesnt see it and wants to download a new file.The guest Additions file also does not show up in any pane associated with the VB manager as an iso file

I hope that gives a little clarification i have no doubt it will be something simple and stupid i am doing but i cant for the life of me see what

[scottgus1]

Thanks for the information. This part is still unclear:

I then use the VB manager to install it into the the extension slot in the VB manager

I don't know if this is a translation between English and another language, but the VB manager does not have a thing called in English an "extension slot". So I unfortunately still don't know precisely what you're doing.

However:

The name of the file you downloaded:
Virtual Box Guest Additions 7.0.12-1.fc.39(64 bit)
Isn't the name of the Guest Additions provided by www.virtualbox.org:
VBoxGuestAdditions_7.0.12.iso

And the name of the Virtualbox version on your host:
Version 7.0.12_rpmfusion r159484
isn't the same as the www.virtualbox.org download for Fedora 36 / 37 / 38 / 39:
VirtualBox-7.0-7.0.12_159484_fedora36-1.x86_64.rpm

Now top this off with a dash of description:

This package replaces the application of Virtualbox's own methodology to
install Guest Additions (in menu: Devices | Insert Guest Additions CD-image file).

It appears that you're using the Linux distro's fork of Virtualbox, which fork isn't supported on this forum. Especially so as they are rolling their own method to get Guest Additions installed, according to the description, and which is different than the way official Virtualbox does it (official Virtualbox doesn't have to do it, because the Guest Additions ISO is bundled with the Official installation.)

So ultimately you're going to have to ask the Fedora help forums what to do. They have their own arrangement that is different from Official Virtualbox, and I don't grok their method, myself.

[snowsurf]

Thank you for your comprehensive answer it answers a lot of questions i had,i had my suspicions that it may have been the case so i would humbly suggest i scrap the lot and start from scratch utilising VB official site and procede from there,bit of a pain but a lesson well learned.

don't know if this is a translation between English and another language, but the VB manager does not have a thing called in English an "extension slot". So I unfortunately still don't know precisely what you're doing.

Ok it installed in the GUI where it should which is why i thought it was ok

So back to the drawing board a chastened but wiser goose

I thank you for your invaluable help and i will keep you posted as to how it all goes in the future may take me several weeks to get it all going again

[scottgus1]

Sounds like a good plan. You can get official Virtualbox from https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads

Please note that official Virtualbox has prerequisites that vary from one Linux distro to another: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch02. ... nux-prereq

Also, a purge of the forked Virtualbox from your Linux host (however Fedora does that) is probably a good idea before installing Official. It probably would mess things up to try to install Official right over the top of Fork.

[snowsurf]

Just a quick question,i think i know the answer,would it be ok to save the operating systems i have installed ready for the new Virtual Box GUI or would it be best to trash the lot and start from absolute scratch

Just looking to cheat a little and save some time if its not a good idea no problem

[scottgus1]

The VMs can definitely stay. They're like the picture files for Gimp or text documents for gedit or Libre Office. They stay through the uninstall & reinstall process.

[snowsurf]

No problems that confirms my thoughts will start the process today will keep you informed of progress

Once again many thanks for your help and advice