I have finally succeeded. It took seven hours to get it working. During that time I also installed KVM, which I had never heard of before, and tried to install Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, using the same install media (ISO file) that I had used to install it on VirtualBox several years ago. I had also tried to install it under VirtualBox on the new Latitude, and it appeared to install, but when I tried to start it I got a black screen with the message that it couldn't find anything to boot from. I got this same error message with the KVM install.
Note that in the past whenever I had a new install of whatever the current version of Xubuntu was I just installed VirtualBox from the repository, which created ~/.VirtualBox/VDI (and many more folders), and then copied the .vdi files from the old computer to the /VDI folder on the new installation. When I launched the new VirtualBox there would be all my machines, working perfectly. But this time that didn't work. I also noted that the new version defaults to importing an OVA or OVF file which was exported from the old VirtualBox/VDI folder. I successfully exported my old .vdi file, both as OVA and OVF, but the import feature on the new install always ended in an error message that the import had failed. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the old installation was VirtualBox 1.6.16 on Xubuntu 20.04.2, and the new one was version 1.6.26 on Xubuntu 21.10. Between 1.6.16 and 1.6.26 Oracle completely changed the configurations, including putting the .vdi files into their own folder ~/VirtualBox VMs/. I also tried putting my .vdi files into the new folder, but they still didn't appear. Eventually I found a place in Preferences for the new 1.6.26 where I could specify the location for .vd files. The default was ~/VirtualBox VMs, so I changed that to ~/.VirtualBox/VDI, and used that as the folder to copy my .vdi files to, but they still didn't appear. Finally I wiped out all the configurations for the new VirtualBox, then copied the entire ~/.VirtualBox folder (recursively) from the old computer to a USB stick, and then pasted the whole thing (105GB) to ~/ on the new computer. When I launched VirtualBox finally all my old machines appeared. I tried Windows 10 and it ran perfectly as it always did on the old computer. Note that each of these attempts took from 15-20 minute to over an hour, partly because of time spent browsing the net for howtos, and partly for copying the files. It takes a long time to copy 105GB from the old computer to the new one. It was a PITA, but it's finally done. Thanks for all the suggestions! On Sat, 12 Feb 2022 14:47:00 -0500 Tomas Kuchta <[email protected]> dijo: >I have no intention to judge other people choices - just my opinion + >this is pLUG. > >No usb issues with Virtual Box here for about decade now - using Oracle >repo + virtualBox Additions. > >I have no issues using usb with KVM either. I feel KVM is better and >more performant than VirtualBox these days. > >Given my bad and costly experience with various commercial SW quality >and/or long term support, both personal and at work ---> I am of the >opinion that commercial software does not have positive ROI, fiscally >and intellectually - if there is a choice to be made. Most commercial >solutions look great on paper, if you can find what they are suppose >to do at all, but ..... Clearly commercial SW companies know it - >hence the shift to subscriptions, lobbying, competition removal, and >various lock-in schemes. > >My 2c - I would not touch VMware again, and vBox either, if not for >legacy reasons. KVM works and will keep working better. > >-T > >On Sat, Feb 12, 2022, 10:44 Chuck Hast <[email protected]> wrote: > >> VirtualBox USB issues drove me to VMWare, and >> since for personal use it is free, I started using it. >> >> Never had any issues moving a VM from one >> VMWare machine to another. I never tried VB >> again due to the USB issues I encountered. >> >> On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 11:21 PM John Jason Jordan <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> > I discovered that I can export from the old VirtualBox to OVF >> > format just by manually changing the name of the file it will >> > create from .OVA to .OVF. And the new VirtualBox on the Latitude >> > will import it, except that at the end the import fails: >> > >> > VirtualBox Error >> > Failed to import appliance ... Windows 10.ovf >> > Detail >> > Result code NS_ERROR_INVAL ID_ARG (0x80070057) >> > >> > I tried it both ways - exporting as OVA and exporting as OVF, and >> > the new VirtualBox will try to import either one, but at the end >> > always gives the above error message. >> > >> > I also tried copying the Windows 10.vdi file to ~/VirtualBox/VDI on >> > the new computer (where I had to create the folder first), but the >> > new VirtualBox does not see the machine. I also tried putting it in >> > ~/VirtualBox VMs, which is the default folder that the installer >> > created on the new computer, but it still is not visible. >> > >> > At the end I decided to just reinstall Windows 10 in VirtualBox on >> > the new computer from the .ISO that I still have. It took a couple >> > of hours of swearing, but I finally got it installed, except when >> > I launch it I get a screen with a lot of little squares instead of >> > a Windows 10 screen. In VirtualBox the icon for Windows 10 appears >> > and the Settings to the right also appear, and appear correct, but >> > I can't figure out how to fix the video problem. >> > >> > TomasK <[email protected]> dijo: >> > >So, you need OVF to import it? >> > >Try export Virtual Appliance from menu then select one of the OVF >> > >formats. >> > >> > The format is not selectable, but (see above) the file that it will >> > create appears in a box below and you can just edit the name to >> > .ova or .ovf. >> > >> > >I do not bother - just: >> > > rsync -a "VirtualBox VMs" .../home/$USER/ >> > > rsync -a .config/VirtualBox .../home/$USER/.config/ >> > > >> > >Then start your new virtualbox and you should see everything as >> > >it used to be. >> > >> > I don't understand the rsync commands above. The .vdi files are on >> > one computer and they need to be copied to a new computer, and the >> > computers are not directly connected. It is faster and easier just >> > to copy files from the old computer to a USB drive and plug the >> > drive into the new computer. And I already did that on the new >> > computer, both to ~/.VirtualBox/VDI (which I had to create) and to >> > ~/VirtualBox VMs (created by the installer of 6.1.26). >> > >> > Tomorrow I'm going to scour the VitualBox forums hoping to find >> > step by step 'for dummies' instructions for how to install Windows >> > 10 from an ISO. >> > >> > I should add that this is not a crucial matter. My old computer has >> > Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows 10, and none of them have been >> > run for at least a couple of years; Windows 2000 for at least five >> > years. If I had any brains I'd just forget about it. >> > >> > I should add that the old computer has Xubuntu 20.04.2 with >> > VirtualBox 6.1.16 and the new computer has Xubuntu 21.10 with >> > VirtualBox 6.1.26. >> >> >> -- >> >> Chuck Hast -- KP4DJT -- >> I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. >> Ph 4:13 KJV >> Todo lo puedo en Cristo que me fortalece. >> Fil 4:13 RVR1960 >>
