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(Solved) How get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 15:32
by loukingjr
I managed to get OSX 10.6.8 installed as a guest in VB 4.3.12, running on OSX 10.9.3. I remember there was a post about a code you could change in the .vbox file to use a larger screen for the guest but I can't find it. Any one know what it is?
TIA
Re: What do I edit to get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 15:37
by loukingjr
I may have spoke too soon.

I had Snow Leopard running as a guest until I updated it to 10.6.8.

Re: What do I edit to get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 15:56
by mpack
Can't you just drag the window to a new size? Other than that you'd be looking at "Custom VESA Resolutions" in the manual.
Re: What do I edit to get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 15:59
by loukingjr
mpack wrote:Can't you just drag the window to a new size? Other than that you'd be looking at "Custom VESA Resolutions" in the manual.
as far as I knew there were no guest additions for OSX.
Re: What do I edit to get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 16:03
by mpack
I didn't mention any GAs, or anything that needs them.
Re: What do I edit to get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 16:19
by loukingjr
mpack wrote:I didn't mention any GAs, or anything that needs them.
no you didn't. as soon as I get this reinstalled I'll try it.
Re: What do I edit to get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 20:29
by rpmurray
From the manual:
EFI provides two distinct video interfaces: GOP (Graphics Output Protocol) and UGA (Universal Graphics Adapter). Mac OS X uses GOP, while Linux tends to use UGA. VirtualBox provides a configuration option to control the framebuffer size for both interfaces.
To control GOP, use the following VBoxManage command:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" VBoxInternal2/EfiGopMode N
Where N can be one of 0,1,2,3,4,5 referring to the 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1920x1200 screen resolution respectively.
Re: What do I edit to get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 20:56
by loukingjr
rpmurray wrote:From the manual:
EFI provides two distinct video interfaces: GOP (Graphics Output Protocol) and UGA (Universal Graphics Adapter). Mac OS X uses GOP, while Linux tends to use UGA. VirtualBox provides a configuration option to control the framebuffer size for both interfaces.
To control GOP, use the following VBoxManage command:
VBoxManage setextradata "VM name" VBoxInternal2/EfiGopMode N
Where N can be one of 0,1,2,3,4,5 referring to the 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, 1440x900, 1920x1200 screen resolution respectively.
yes, I had found it. thanks though

now that I have OSX 10.6 installed as a guest I'm wondering why. lol I've been messing around trying to update it to 10.6.8 but everything I have tried makes it fail to boot. Plus trying to play videos is a lost cause. well, at least I got it running.

Re: (Solved) How get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 21:02
by loukingjr
I find it more than a little ironic that every guest I have runs better than OSX as a guest.

Re: (Solved) How get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 29. May 2014, 23:31
by rpmurray
All your other guests probably have Guest Additions and aren't still something that is still "experimental" according to the devs.
Have you tried 4.3.6? Something the devs did starting is 4.3.8 has broken some of the functioning of OS X guests.
Re: (Solved) How get better resolution in OSX guest?
Posted: 30. May 2014, 01:11
by loukingjr
rpmurray wrote:All your other guests probably have Guest Additions and aren't still something that is still "experimental" according to the devs.
Have you tried 4.3.6? Something the devs did starting is 4.3.8 has broken some of the functioning of OS X guests.
no I haven't. mainly because other guests do seem to work better with 4.3.12 and I really have no use for OSX guests. I just was curious how they worked. I have Macs with 10.7-10.9 running natively.