virtualbox.org

I have some newbie questions-
Host Windows XP Pro SP3
Guest various Linux distros

1. I just been running off live Linux CD/ISO. Should I let it install? What's the difference? Does VB save that installation? The next time I run that Guest will it still need to point to the CD/ISO to run? What if I download a bunch of updates for the Linux Guest, add programs, customize stuff... What happens to all that when I shut down the Guest? What happens to all that when I shut down the Host? Where is the Virtual Disk space on my Host? Can I move that to another drive/location on my Host? What happens to that "file" when I shut down the Guest? What happens to that "file" when I shut down the Host?

2. I have a USB Wifi connected to the Host. I'm having lots of trouble getting it working. I tried three different distros of Linux and finally it working in Kubuntu. I didn't do anything special vs the other two, just worked right off the bat, no drivers or config. Maybe just the fact that Kubuntu has a way better Networking GUI with Scan capability. Just don't understand why it won't work in the other two distros? I can see the Guest taking control of the USB Wifi, and it shows in Networking that I have Wifi but it won't connect to any SSID.

Thanks

1. If you do an install, the OS will be installed just as it is on a physical machine. The "hard drive" of the vm will be a file in your file system. You can shut down and reboot the vm directly from this virtual hard drive. It does not require the install CD. It will still be there after you reboot the host.

2. Why do you want the vm to connect directly to the USB Wifi device? What doesn't work for you using the default (NAT) network setting?

Thanks. I got it all working now BUT the USB Wifi is extremely slow on the Guest. This happens in Kubuntu Guest and Windows Vista Guest (for which I was able to install the manufacturer driver). When I use the USB Wifi in the Host it downloads at 3M speeds. When I use the USB Wifi in either Guest it downloads at under 100k speeds. Web pages load half way, then sit for a few seconds, then finish loading, etc...