External Monitor on Linux Guest

[anfho]

Dear All,
I have an external Monitor connected to my computer with Win7 host and Ubuntu10.10 guest. I have enabled the serial ports in the settings for the guest, but it seems like, I have to add a Port/File Path to the specifications of a serial port... Therefore, my Ubuntu does not recognize the connected external monitor...

Does anyone know how to make my guest recognize the external monitor?
Any help is greatly appreciated... Thanks very much. Best regards,
Andreas

[Perryg]

What does your monitor have to do with serial ports?

[wotan]

I use VB4 on XP with Linux guests, and the external monitor works just fine alongside the internal one. Just configure the guest for 2 displays and install the correct guest additions...

Or are you trying to use a serial console?

[anfho]

@Perryg: I though the VGA port was serial?

@wotan: I have VB 3.2.12 and have the guest additions installed. In my Ubuntu, I go to System->Preferences->Monitors and when I click on the detect monitors, nothing happens...

So not sure what I should do there...
Thanks!

[Perryg]

Can I assume that you have just the one monitor? or is this a laptop and you are trying to use the external monitor as a second monitor?

[anfho]

ok. sorry. I should have been more specific. I am using a laptop and want to connect an external monitor, which for my win7 host works fine but not for my VBox guest Ubuntu... Thx!

[anfho]

One other question: Is it possible to just update to VBox 4 without having to install any of the VB guests?

[Perryg]

OK so now we are being more specific now, exactly what is it that does not work for you on the guest?
Are you wanting to have the host us one monitor and the guest the other?
Or is it that the guest does not fill the external monitor?
Have you installed the guest additions (on the guest)?

Note: The guest is using the vbox video drivers and you do not adjust the screen resolution or add special drivers in the guest.
See Chapter 4 Guest Additions in your VirtualBox users manual.

[wotan]

Linux Guests support multiple monitors starting with VBox 4 (with the guest additions installed, I think). I don't believe it is necessary to reinstall Guests to do the upgrade, but I started out with the betas of VBox 4.

[anfho]

@Perryg: I want that my guest in the VB is able to use both monitors at the same time, like my windows does.

I have installed the guest additions, since before that I was NOT able to change the screen resolution at all... and since I have installed them, I am able to change the resolution and also go into the seemless mode...

[anfho]

@wotan: so the only way to make the external screen work is to update to VB 4?

[Perryg]

I want that my guest in the VB is able to use both monitors at the same time, like my windows does.

It doesn't work like that. You can use the second monitor for the guest and the main one for the host or the other way around but the guest can not use both like the host would.

[anfho]

Why does it not work like that?

according to wotan:

Linux Guests support multiple monitors starting with VBox 4 (with the guest additions installed, I think). I don't believe it is necessary to reinstall Guests to do the upgrade, but I started out with the betas of VBox 4.

an update to VB4 would help, no?

AND: If I would upgrade, would I need to reinstall my guests?

[Perryg]

Why does it not work like that?

Why would it. Maybe I just don't get what you are trying to do but if you have the ability to run the guest on one and the host on the other one what more would you need?

[wotan]

You want your guest desktop to span both the internal and external monitor, as if it were running natively on your PC? If that is the case you need VB4 to do it with a Linux guest. I use that configuration all the time. It will it was a must-have feature to bring me back to VBox from VMWare Player (which I don't care for, don't like how they implemented multiple monitor support, and it is not actively developed).