Virtualbox 4.2.4 on 12.2 host: can't access iso images for guest installs

Okay, this is a new one for me. Fresh install of Virtualbox 4.2.4 from the openSuSE repo listed in YaST under ‘Software Repositories’,… Downloaded and installed the appropriate extension pack, added myself to the vboxuser group and logged out and back in. VirtualBox complained about something needing dkms, so I installed that and rebooted for good measure.

I still can’t access any sort of iso image to install a guest OS like I have literally dozens of times in Virtualbox on Windows Vista, 7, and Ubuntu. It lists some sort of odd ‘Virtual optical image’ formats, which are not standard iso images like I’ve used for years. Heck, I can’t even change more than one directory in the file selection dialog.

Any idea what gives?

Thanks,

Monte

So I am using VirtualBox 4.2.4, the latest of which you can find links for here: https://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/virtualization/478410-oracle-releases-vm-virtualbox-4-2-a.html, and suggestions on how to install you can find here: https://forums.opensuse.org/content/section/108-virtualization.html, this info provided for those not yet using VirtualBox which is a very good VM to try in my opinion.

To setup an ISO file to be used as a boot disk, make sure you have downloaded an ISO file claimed to be a boot disk for the OS you wish to place in a VM. You may wish to create a real disk in which you can verify your media operation is good. However, to boot from and install directly from the ISO disk, create your new VM as normal in VirtualBox. Then select its name and pick Settings. Then pick Storage on the Left column. On the Storage Tree select the small CD image under the name Controller: IDE Controller. Under Attributes on the Top Right, select the CD symbol again, Select Chose a Virtual CD/DVD disk file … and browse to the ISO file location where you have full read rights to this file, as in your $HOME/Downloads folder. Then select OK at the bottom of the settings windows if you are finished. When you then select the new VM name and press the Start button, the new VM OS will install from your ISO CD or DVD image without making an external disk. You will need to go back to the same location after the install is complete and change this to a external CD or DVD drive so you do not boot every time from this installation ISO disk file.

Thank You,

On 12/08/2012 11:46 PM, memilanuk wrote:
>
> Okay, this is a new one for me. Fresh install of Virtualbox 4.2.4 from
> the openSuSE repo listed in YaST under ‘Software Repositories’,…
> Downloaded and installed the appropriate extension pack, added myself to
> the vboxuser group and logged out and back in. VirtualBox complained
> about something needing dkms, so I installed that and rebooted for good
> measure.
>
> I still can’t access any sort of iso image to install a guest OS like
> I have literally dozens of times in Virtualbox on Windows Vista, 7, and
> Ubuntu. It lists some sort of odd ‘Virtual optical image’ formats,
> which are not standard iso images like I’ve used for years. Heck, I
> can’t even change more than one directory in the file selection dialog.

I don’t use the version from the openSUSE repo, but the RPM downloaded from the
Oracle/VirtualBox web site works perfectly. I also do not use DKMS, but the
installation compiles the drivers from scratch.

James,

I know you’re trying to be helpful but… I think you missed the part where I said I’ve done this a few dozen times (at least) on different host OSes, and that I’ve used VirtualBox enough times to know how it is supposed to behave. I know what an ISO image is, and how to use it inside VirtualBox, thanks.

There has to be something else going on between the distro-packaged OSE version and the Oracle-packaged version besides just support for USB 2.0, remote desktop, etc. This is the second distro (Ubuntu was the first) that I’ve ran into this B.S. where the OSE version didn’t work right and I had to use the Oracle version, even though I didn’t need any of the supposed ‘features’. The distro-packaged OSE versions never seem to work right, and the first advice you get on any forum, including the VirtualBox forums, is to run the upstream-vendor version because of all the problems with the OSE version. What the heck?!?

Monte

Since we can download and install the version from Oracle and it works just fine, I am not sure it is such a big problem, but in the end, if you want to file a bug report over the packaged version, then please do so. Bugzilla Main Page

Thank You,