virtualbox.org

My host is Windows7. I've installed VBox and have an ISO image of Linux Mint. I can get it to boot to Mint with no problems, but when I try to install Mint, it keeps telling me I must have at least 5.8 Gb available disk space (see pic). When I create a new VM within Vbox, how do I specify the disk size to be used for the VM? I've tried creating a VM using different options but can't seem to get this going.



Thanks,

Andy

Add a hard disk to the VM, using VM settings | Storage (the panel you pictured). According to the picture you have nothing in the hardware recipe except a CD drive. Make sure the hd you add is 32GB or so, dynamic VDI.

The default template for Linux would have created a virtual hard disk - you must have deleted it.

mpack, thanks for replying. I had figured it out awhile ago. I ended up creating a VDI and using a Fixed size disk (of 16 Gb). After doing that, I was able to install it no problem. Not sure why the Dynamic option wouldn't work.

I'm happy that you're happy, but for the record, there is no reason for the dynamic disk option not to work, so this has to have been pilot error.

A dynamic VDI is in all significant respects identical to a fixed VDI, except that the latter will init the whole disk surface at creation. In other words the fixed disk option does more work at creation time and hence if anything it is the fixed disk creation which should have failed, if anything was going to. I think you may also regret the decision to go for such a small drive (16GB): 5.8GB was the minimum needed to install the OS, but I assume you plan to have other things besides the OS on your virtual PC.

mpack, could be pilot error, but it's all good. The main reason I limited it to just 16Gb was I don't plan on storing a lot of data within this guest OS. I installed it to refresh my memory about moving
around Linux (especially the command line). Just wanted to get more familiar with Linux again for a possible job opportunity down the road.

Thanks for the suggestions,

Andy

hikerguy wrote:mpack, could be pilot error, but it's all good.

I agree. It wasn't my intention to criticise, the only reason I contradicted you is that I know from experience that if you don't challenge these things early on then a myth can develop.

hikerguy wrote:I installed it to refresh my memory about moving around Linux (especially the command line). Just wanted to get more familiar with Linux again for a possible job opportunity down the road.

VirtualBox (and of course any other VM platform) makes an excellent, in fact almost indispensable educational tool for anyone interested in almost any facet of PCs. Prior to my first use of VirtualBox I got an opportunity to install an operating system maybe once every 3 to 5 years. I have no idea how many OS installs I've done with VirtualBox... it's more than a few! Plus of course you can play with operating systems you may not otherwise ever get a chance to use, or create sandboxes for playing with any other kind of software application, and so on, and on....

No problem mpack. I didn't take it that way. I've used Vbox in the past when I used to run Linux (Ubuntu) as host, and had a Windows guest OS. It is pretty slick. I'm sure I'll try other versions
of Linux in the future. That's again for pointing out a potential problem down the road.