(SOLVED)VirtualBox 6.1 vs 6.0

[New2VB]

Hi. I have an HP Win10 laptop running VB 6.0 & LINUX Mint and it's working so well I'm somewhat reluctant to update to VB 6.1 right now. So, what is the down side to continuing to use 6.0 instead of updating to 6.1, what are the risk? Thanks.

[multiOS]

The only downside(s) to not updating to the 6.1 series is that you won't have access to any new features specific to that strand of development. Check the 6.1 Changelog to see if any of those 'new' features are needed/desirable and then make your decision, but there's nothing wrong with sticking to what you have if it is still supported (which it currently is) and it works for you.

[New2VB]

Thanks for the reply mulitos. I took a quick look at 6.1 and I'm pretty sure that with my limited use 6.0 should be just fine for me.

However, I guess I'm just a bit confused at how VirtualBox handles new version releases and the support of older versions. Ever since receiving the notification for the release of 6.1, I've been of the assumption that 6.0 would be supported only until July at which point it would no longer receive updates. The link below to the VB Downloads page and excerpt from that page is how I arrived at that assumption: https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

If you're looking for the latest VirtualBox 6.0 packages, see VirtualBox 6.0 builds. Please also use version 6.0 if you need to run VMs with software virtualization, as this has been discontinued in 6.1. Version 6.0 will remain supported until July 2020.

Does support/updates for 6.0 actually end in July or does it continue? I'm confused! Any idea? Thanks again!

[scottgus1]

All we know is what the devs say. So if they say July, then there are 8 days left as of today. 6.0.x will still continue to run, just won't be updated or fixed.

Updating anything can be a cause of trouble, thus good restorable backups are a wise idea before upgrading.

[New2VB]

I've kept it updated. It's currently at 6.0.22 but 6.0.24 is now available however now when ever I click on Check for updates or when it starts up it always pops up a box stating there is 6.1 available. I've been good about keeping snap shots but I think for now I'll stick with 6.0, it's working. If I notice it having problems then I'll revisit the update scenario. Thanks.

[scottgus1]

I've been good about keeping snap shots

Snapshots make a guest more delicate and do not work as backups. They are similar to Windows' System Restore points: they are point-in-past-time markers, not extractable, useless without the base system in place, but easier to corrupt because the files are accessible on the host drive. They do not store "files", like a backup folder would. Virtualbox snapshots store changed disk sectors, which may or may not contain the entire file. They should only be used on guests you're experimenting with and with data you wouldn't mind losing. (The forums are replete with users destroying their important data because they did something wrong with a snapshot.)

A copy of the shut-down (not save-stated) guest folder with all files therein, as well as the guest disk files if they are not in the guest folder, serves as a complete backup of the activated guest. You can FC file-compare the backup to confirm the copy. If the original is lost, move a copy of the backup back to the original location and the guest will be ready again. The copy can be used on a different host PC too, just by registering the guest's .vbox file.

Note that if the original guest had all the guest disk files in the guest folder, the guest is completely usable on any capable host and host OS. If the disk files are outside the guest folder then the .vbox file has absolute paths to the disk files and these paths must be either reproduced on the new host or the .vbox file must be modified.) Virtualbox 6.0.x and later have the right-click-the-guest Move command to move the guest folder to the same drive the guest drive file is on, and the File menu's Virtual Media Manager's Move command to move the guest's drive file into the guest folder next to the .vbox file, to achieve the optimum guest format.

[New2VB]

So if I understand you correctly, unless I'm playing around with other os's, say maybe a couple of different versions if Linux, etc., it's not really necessary to take a snapshot of VB after a general update, is that right? I've been wondering about that!

So, my next newbie questions are:
1. Where do I find the shut-down guest folder?
2. How can I get VB to bypass the 6.1 update and down load the 6.0.24 update?

Thanks for your help!

[scottgus1]

not really necessary to take a snapshot of VB after a general update

I never use snapshots unless I am experimenting with how they work for a forum question. If one wants to be able to set a guest state to return to, backups are better.

Where do I find the shut-down guest folder?

Right-click the guest in the main Virtualbox window's guest list, choose Show in Explorer. The folder window that opens is inside the open guest folder, showing the guest files. Go up one folder level and you can click and copy the folder itself.

How can I get VB to bypass the 6.1 update and down load the 6.0.24 update?

Go to https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Download_Old_Builds, download the installer (and matching Extension Pack if you want it) and run the installer manually. All the guests should be fully shut down, not save-stated. The best way to install on Windows Hosts is to right-click the installer and Run As Administrator, even if you already are an administrator.

[New2VB]

I'll check both out soon, thank you!

[New2VB]

Right-click the guest in the main Virtualbox window's guest list, choose Show in Explorer. The folder window that opens is inside the open guest folder, showing the guest files. Go up one folder level and you can click and copy the folder itself.

Scottgus1, thanks. Having this exchange with you lead me to do further googling & youtubeing where I ran across the Export/Import process. So now I'm a little confused as a lot of what I ran across seemed to indicate that a simple copy/paste of a VM file will not work for a backup and that the Export/Export process is the best way to go. Will copy/past work or should it be Export/Import or am I missing something here?

Another topic I'd like to explore regarding Export/Import (now that I know about it) is if Export/Import would be a possible solution to another VirtualBox question I've been having: installing VirtualBox on an iMac so I can run Linux on it. My understanding is that I should be able to install VirtualBox on my imac and then just export my Linux VM from the HP laptop to a file and then import it into VirtualBox on the imac! It sounds too simple! So, is that possible considering the imac is macos with only a dual core processor where as the HP is win10 with a quad core? Or, please let me know if should this be a new topic for VB on Windows Hosts or a new topic in VB on MAC OSX Hosts forum section???

Again, thanks for all of your input!

[scottgus1]

please let me know if should this be a new topic

We've probably squeezed "One issue per thread" somewhat beyond design specifications... If you run into trouble trying the move/copy, then ask in a new thread, relating to either the source or destination host PC.

Exporting (and cloning also) aren't recommended for backing up a VM. Either process changes some guest settings, and a change in the guest means there's no way to FC-file-compare-confirm the backup. Some of the things changed can result in deactivation of licensing for OS's & programs that need to have the same hardware present. Additionally, Export tries to match the older OVA format and is intended for using a guest under another hypervisor besides Virtualbox. The OVA format is not compatible with Virtualbox-encrypted guests: guests must be decrypted to export.

If you are restoring a recommended folder-level backup copy of the guest, it can go back in the exact same place it was before on the existing host PC, or it can be transferred to anywhere on any new host. Though I have not seen the Youtube videos, the problem some folks have in restoring such a backup to the existing host PC could be that Virtualbox remembers where the guest was before, and one can't have the exact same guest attached to Virtualbox more than once. Trying to register a guest backup restored to a different folder on a PC than where the guest was before will fail if Virtualbox still remembers the old guest's location. You would just have to make Virtualbox forget: right-click the failed guest, choose Remove, then Remove Only. (Remove's 'Delete all files' deletes the existing guest's files with no possibility of recovery and no 'Are you sure?', so if you have any idea you might want something in the failed guest, be careful when Removing the failed guest.)

It is still possible, if the guest is in optimum format, to copy the shut-down guest folder to the new iMac. The memory and processor counts might have to be adjusted. Exporting and importing may also work, if there is no licensing involved. The folder copy will be faster, as Export/Import requires a guest disk file compression.

When the time comes, and you have any questions, feel free to ask in a new topic on the forums, we'll try to help you through.

[New2VB]

please let me know if should this be a new topic

We've probably squeezed "One issue per thread" somewhat beyond design specifications... If you run into trouble trying the move/copy, then ask in a new thread, relating to either the source or destination host PC.

True, probably time to move on! Last, I am highly considering putting VirtualBox on the imac and just seeing if it'll import and run the Linux vm from the hp, if not I'll just do a new instal on the imac. We'll see!

Thanks again for all the help.