SOLVED -VBox keeps telling me I'm running on low disk space!

[MSUResearch]

Hi everyone,
Not really too well versed in VirtualBox, so I'm hoping someone can help.

I am using an iMac 3.2 GHz Intel Core i3 with 4 GB of memory, running OSX 10.6.8.
An IT friend of mine who no longer works at my institution helped me set up VirtualBox running Windows XP. The only reason I use it is because I have to use Microsoft Access for my job. Other than IE, Adobe Reader and MS Office Suite, I don't have much else running in VB.

Recently (in the past few months), XP keeps telling me I'm running on very low disk space, even after I've deleted every application I can to free up space. Access is running extremely slow, to the point that it will sit forever "not responding," rendering it useless.

Is there something I'm doing wrong? Is there anything I can do to fix the problem?

Any guidance is greatly appreciated!!

[mpack]

Please double check: is VirtualBox (running on your host) giving you this message, or is it actually XP giving you this message? It makes a significant difference! Perhaps post a picture of the message dialog and describe the context.

If the message is coming from VirtualBox then it presumably means that the VM's virtual disk (a) has a virtual capacity larger than the host partition on which it's located, and (b) the virtual disk has now expanded to the point where the host partition is nearly full. The only cures for this are (i) enlarge the host partition, possibly by buying a larger drive. or (ii) move the VM to a larger host partition. An overuse of snapshots can also lead to this condition.

If the message is coming from XP then it means what it says: the (virtual) hard disk is nearly full. This could cause disk congestion, thrashing etc which could explain why performance is so low. Deleting files on the host will not help at all. If there's still plenty of space on the host then you would need to increase the size of the virtual drive.

I suggest that you make a backup copy of the entire VM folder as soon as possible, to ensure that nothing you are about to do can lead to disaster.

[MSUResearch]

Thanks for the reply.
Sorry - this is the Windows XP system that is giving me the Low Disk Space alert, not VirtualBox.
I can't post a link yet, so I don't know how to put up a screenshot.

But the VBox Manager window shows the system as:
Base Memory: 325 MB
Boot Order: Floppy, CD/DVD-ROM, Hard Disk
Acceleration: VT-x/AMD-V, Nested Paging
Display
Video Memory: 32 MB
Storage
IDE Primary Master: MSU Windows.vdi (Normal, 10.00 GB)
IDE Secondary Master: [CD/DVD] VBoxGuestAdditions.iso (56.89 MB)

Not sure what, if any of this information is meaningful.

So presumably, I should look to increase the size of the virtual drive. I am not sure how to make a backup copy of the VM folder. Would this just be finding the files on my Mac and copying them to a flashdrive or dropbox type app?

Again, thanks for your help!

[mpack]

10GB is too small, that is undoubtedly your problem. On my XP VMs designed for light use the disk is 32GB (dynamic of course). On VMs I use frequently, I make it 64GB. I would suggest the latter for you as well.

Some things I must know:

1. Are you using snapshots? (what does the Snapshots pane show?).
2. How much free space is available on the OS X host partition?
3. Did you make that VM backup yet? The backup is made by finding your "VirtualBox VMs/vmname" folder and copying it+contents to a network or USB drive.
4. It would also be useful if you posted a VM log file. I.e. zip or otherwise compress the "VBox.log" file (only - I don't want a copy of everything in sight) from the Logs subfolder of your VM folder, and post it here.

Incidentally, images should be posted here as attachments. External links are not required (or desired). Ditto for the zipped log file. Png or Jpg is best.

[MSUResearch]

No, not using Snapshots. I just took one and attached the image here.
I don't know how to determine how much free space is available on the OS X host partition.
I searched my computer for "VirtualBox VMs/vmname" and the only VBox files I saw were the VBox application itself, the extension Pack (4.1.8 ), and the user manual.
If I knew how to access a VM log file, I would take a screenshot, but again, I don't know how.

I'm sorry, my knowledge of VirtualBox is miniscule.

[mpack]

No, not using Snapshots. I just took one and attached the image here.

Uh... I didn't ask you to take a snapshot. My intention was to ensure that you had not done so. Please delete any snapshots that now exist.

I searched my computer for "VirtualBox VMs/vmname" ...

Notice that I placed vmname in italics. The idea was that you replace vmname with your actual VM name, thus completing the folder name. The folder itself should be found off your standard documents folder - whatever that is (I'm not a Mac user). I.e. the vm folder will be called <documents root>/VirtualBox VMs/vmname. You would copy this folder (plus contents) to make a backup.

Providing a log file should be simple: right click the VM in the VirtualBox manager window, select "Show Log...". Select the "VBox.log" tab and click the "Save" button. Zip (or otherwise compress) the resulting file and attach it here.

[MSUResearch]

Oh, sorry! Deleted.

Attached is a zip of the log file. I appreciate all your help.

I've tried searching my Mac for every file related to VirtualBox, and I can't seem to find any folders at all - just the application itself. I'll keep trying, though.

[rpmurray]

On a Mac the VirtualBox VM files will be stored in the users Library folder, in the following path:

<hard drive>/Users/<user name>/Library/VirtualBox

SpotLight in OS X does not search in there so using a search will not find it.

[MSUResearch]

Brilliant! Thanks very much. Found it.

[MSUResearch]

Ok, so I've been able to copy the vdi file on an external server. I've looked online for the proper code to enter into the Terminal app (which I presume is what Mac users are supposed to do), but every version I seem to find online doesn't work right. Does anyone know the proper command to type in?

Thanks!

[mpack]

Copying the VDI file is not enough for a backup. You must copy the entire VM folder as I described.

I gave you a link above which describes how to resize a disk. Read it carefully!

[MSUResearch]

Thanks - I went back and copied the entire VirtualBox folder rather than just the vdi file.
I guess I'm having trouble with how to correctly type in the absolute file path. Not sure what that is on my Mac.

edit: Here's a copy/paste of what I'm doing/seeing in Terminal (tried to attach a png but it wouldn't let me):




Last login: Mon Oct 21 15:33:59 on ttys000
msu00084862:~ msuuser$ VBoxManage modifyhd <absolute path to file> --resize 40960
-bash: absolute: No such file or directory
msu00084862:~ msuuser$ VBoxManage modifyhd /Users/msuuser/VirtualBox/HardDisks/MSU Windows.vdi --resize 40960
Oracle VM VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version 4.2.18
(C) 2005-2013 Oracle Corporation
All rights reserved.

Usage:

VBoxManage modifyhd <uuid|filename>
[--type normal|writethrough|immutable|shareable|
readonly|multiattach]
[--autoreset on|off]
[--compact]
[--resize <megabytes>|--resizebyte <bytes>]


Syntax error: Invalid parameter 'Windows.vdi'
msu00084862:~ msuuser$ VBox Manage modifyhd /Users/msuuser/Library/VirtualBox/HardDisks/MSU Windows.vdi --resize 40960
-bash: VBox: command not found
msu00084862:~ msuuser$ VBox Manage modifyhd /Users/msuuser/Library/VirtualBox/MSU Windows.vdi --resize 40960
-bash: VBox: command not found
msu00084862:~ msuuser$ VBoxManage modifyhd /Users/msuuser/Libary/VirtualBox/HardDisks/MSU Windows.vdi --resize 40960
Oracle VM VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version 4.2.18
(C) 2005-2013 Oracle Corporation
All rights reserved.

Usage:

VBoxManage modifyhd <uuid|filename>
[--type normal|writethrough|immutable|shareable|
readonly|multiattach]
[--autoreset on|off]
[--compact]
[--resize <megabytes>|--resizebyte <bytes>]


Syntax error: Invalid parameter 'Windows.vdi'
msu00084862:~ msuuser$

[rpmurray]

You have a space in the vdi filename, so you'll need to enclose the path in double-quotes.

[MSUResearch]

Thank you! That worked! Now, the problem I'm running into is I cannot install a partition expander onto my guest OS (windows XP) to expand the drive. I've tried uninstalling things (even IE, which is only 4.38 MB), and I can't even do that. It tells me I don't have enough space to uninstall anything! Ugh. Is there anything I can do?

Thanks for all the help.

[rpmurray]

Have you emptied the trash on the guest?