VirtualBox Upgrade Procedure

[TekLord]

I am new to this group so please forgive me if I have overlooked existing information.

I currently run 4.3.6 r91406.
I have been running this version successfully for several months now. It works perfectly for the applications that I use.

I would like to know the step-by-step procedure for updating the VirtualBox host on my Windows 7 x64 PC.

If there is a thread that describes this process in detail, I would be grateful if you could post the link.

In addition, I have some questions...

1. Do I need to uninstall the existing VirtualBox application on the host machine prior to installing the new version?
2. Or, does the new installation automatically update/remove/patch the existing installation?
3. Will all of my existing Virtual Machine configurations be retained?

I am a software developer and I can't afford any downtime. Thanks in advance for your suggestions/comments.

[cpontus]

1. No
2. Yes
3. Yes (but back everything up just in case and I don't mean with VM snapshots)

Also, make sure all your VMs are shut down before the upgrade. Once done, power each on and upgrade the Guest Additions.

[TekLord]

Thank you so much for the quick response.

Currently, I do not have the "Guest Additions CD" mounted. Originally, I had this image mounted to install the Guest Additions but I guess I de-mounted it somewhere along the way. When I click on the "Devices" pull-down menu I see a "Insert Guest Additions CD Image..." selection.

My question is related to your comment about "Upgrading Guest Additions".

Assume that I do the following...

1. Launch the new VM Host installer.
2. The installer updates my version of VirtualBox.
3. What is the procedure for upgrading the Guest Additions?

Thanks again.

[BillG]

Simply run the procedure to install the additions. If the machine already has additions installed, the installer will update them.