Copying files from Linux VirtualBox to Windows Desktop

[sweetloraine]

It cannot be this hard...
I am embarrassed to admit how many hours I have spent trying to find out for myself,without asking anyone, one basic,basic,basic question. I have scoured Google and learned a lot. Just not the answer.

This is what I want to do-using File Manager. Not Linux commands-File Manager.
(After alot of of research,I appreciate how with LinuxLite I don't have to gksudo nautilus/nemo etc....)

(For reference I am running LL on Windows 8.1 under VirtualBox with a Shared Folder)...
This very basic thing is what I want to do...

I want to open File Manager,navigate to my Shared Folder...right here I get errors and can't even look at the shared folder...
I got around that by Open As Admin. LL opens another File Manager (this one with root privileges).

OK! Now I can look at the Shared Folder! I can see all the files! I am thinking I'll just drag and drop the file I want onto my desktop. Nope.Again with the error.

OK. So I "Copy" and and navigate to MY desktop
(not root/Desktop-this was another time consuming big gottcha..my DESKTOP-the screen I look at when LL is started- is NOT /root/Desktop. This is not intuitive! My DESKTOP is "/home/sweetloraine/Desktop/. Without years of MSDOS command prompts this would have been a showstopper. I would think  /root/Desktop is THE desktop.)

I click on the DESKTOP ("/home/sweetloraine/Desktop") right-click and try to paste. Nope.

The file is COPYed. SO I know I can paste it somewhere!! I navigate, using FileManager, to "/home/sweetloraine/Desktop" (which is my DESKTOP) and paste. Success! The file is copied to my DESKTOP. I can see it!

ALMOST THERE!!!
I close every terminal,every File Manager,every window; it is just me and the DESKTOP-the screen with all the icons on it-DESKTOP. (Having root Desktop,User Desktop,and the actual visual desktop makes things hard to explain-and is a source of confusion).

I can see my file! BUT it has an "X" in the lower right hand corner of the icon. Bad news...

This is what I want-I want that icon to NOT have an "X". I want to be able to just click on the file and have it open.

I am so close I can taste it...But there has to be an easier way to do this:
Copy a file to the desktop. Click on the file I just copied and be able to open it when NOT root (if it is a video file,then play it. If it is a text file then open it.).

I feel retarded posting question because it cannot possibly be this hard...but I am at the end of my wits.

If some kind soul answers this, I swear I am going to type this into Google 10 billion times:
"How do you copy a file to the desktop in Linux?"
Hopefully it will send the question to the top of Google's results.

[sweetloraine]

I am sorry for the previous post. I just reread it and it sounds convoluted. No wonder I can't find the answer on Google. Lt me try again...

Imagine you are using Windows.
Open Windows File Explorer
Navigate to any folder with a video.
Copy that video file and Paste it to the desktop.

Turn off the computer. Turn it back on. That cpied video file is on your desktop.
Click it. The video will play.

That is what I want to do in LL.

[torreydale]

Have you installed Restricted Extras using Lite Software?  Menu > System > Lite Software

[firenice03]

Some informational... maybe it will enlighten or trigger that ah-ha moment...

The "share" folder is it local or a network - SMB:// to the path.. ?

The Open as admin is elevated privilege - some paths with in LL are secured for access (sudo) but you can still copy a file out of the directory

Desktop in LL =  /home/user/Desktop ... or ~user/Desktop.. User is your user name..

If file continues to prompt - change files access?? Right Click file>properties>permission tab??

Does it help or closer??

[Valtam]

Title changed to reflect issue.

[trinidad]

Some kinds of graphics files have to be opened first in the copying OS in order to copy them, i/e you must have a video viewer capable of viewing them, (not Firefox). If you do not the file icons may be there but you will not be able to copy them, only the file icons will be copied expressing a necessary network connection for viewing. If you are copying graphics from Windows to Linux this is often the case even within the Windows 10 bash shell. Try opening the files with VLC directly from the file manager before copying. If you can't view them you will need plugins for VLC. Also with your Samba the system you are copying from is requiring administrative privileges, thus the x. Windows is layered with privileges, and it is possible that you will have have to open every file with an x from a password prompt. The Linux user privilege doesn't matter at all. You can be a guest on the Linux OS as long as your Samba login is as the Windows administrator to the Windows OS. You should never need to use the Thunar root file manager to copy files from Windows. 

TC

[sweetloraine]

Thanks to all that replied...


Got it!

It is just a matter of thinking about files differently than Windows does.

Thank You all.