virtualbox.org

Isn't there a fast simple way of getting a file from outside the machine inside and vice versa?
On Microsoft Virtual PC you could simply drag a file from the host PC over the client window and it would be copied.
Or you can can right click and select 'copy' on the host and select 'paste' on the client
Neither of that seems to work here.

Perryg wrote:http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.h ... redfolders

Yeah i saw that, I thought surely there was a simple and fast way instead of that.

Oh well.

Putting a share on my C:\ drive seems like a ludicrous way to go... anyone on my network will have access to my files. Isn't there a better way to move a file to the guest?

FTP, SSH, ...

FTP, hmm... I do appreciate the tip, however terse... a search through the VBox manual produced nothing. I have used ftp before online, but, in a VM, well...
Can you elaborate with a sample command line? Then your post will have value to me, and maybe to a few others :-}

windtalker wrote:Putting a share on my C:\ drive seems like a ludicrous way to go... anyone on my network will have access to my files.

Not if we are talking a VirtualBox GA share they can't. The real danger is that malware inside the VM would have free access to the system folders on your host. Better to have a dedicated single folder, not a whole drive.

windtalker wrote:Isn't there a better way to move a file to the guest?

Nope. Copying the file into a shared folder, where the VM can then see it, is the best way.

mpack wrote:

windtalker wrote:Isn't there a better way to move a file to the guest?

Nope. Copying the file into a shared folder, where the VM can then see it, is the best way.

No its a stupid limitation when you CAN ONLY do that - however I've found the solution for me (and windtalker ) - ditch this product!

And go for VMWares free 'player' instead. (http://www.vmware.com/products/player/)

They call it a player but its a virtual machine and you can install XP, windows 7 etc

AND once its running you can just grab files on the host machine and drop them into the Window of the virtual machine and the files get copied over - just like the did in Microsoft application (and the way they should in general)

velrum wrote:AND once its running you can just grab files on the host machine and drop them into the Window of the virtual machine and the files get copied over - just like the did in Microsoft application (and the way they should in general)

nah, that's the stupid way to do it, you have to be on the host machine, you have to have guest additions installed, your guest/host os has to support it etc; just use samba, ssh, nfs, ftp etc. like you would with any other networked machine, that way you can share the same files rather than working on copies and you can do it from any machine on your network.

same goes for the gui - use x11-forwarding, vnc, rdp etc; rather than the virtualbox application or vrdp.

too many people use vm's as a special case, whereas they should be treated as any other networked server.

...spoken like a true geek.... and I technically concur. However, many of us don't really care about what is the most intellectually stimulating, since we have jobs to do WITH computers, not tinker with them adding 4-barrel carburetors, etc. I have tinkered with them for 45 years, and now hate 'em for what they have become, I just want the damn things to work.
Your post was somewhat arrogant and elitist.
I have been using VMware Workstation for many years, and when a friend turned me on to VB, that turned me on... I do a lot with FOSS.
So here's my point.. WMware WS offers drag and drop both ways between host and guest. That is handy as heck, and this user is quite spoiled in that regard. It seems to me that a newer VM wishing to upstage existing products better continue the feel-goods if you want traction.
BTW, I went back to using WMware.

Ah, I mistook you for someone asking a serious question, rather than just another freeloader looking to complain that what he got for free is less than perfect. By all means go to VMWare - frankly I think that's the best outcome for you and us.