VirtualBox -- Create VM for Booting Live ISOs/CDs/DVDs

[gold_finger]

This is additional information on using VirtualBox once it is installed.  For the basics on installing, creating VMs (virtual machines), and enabling USB support for VBox -- see Help Manual -> Software page -> Software Tutorials page link.



Creating a Dedicated VM for Live ISO/CD/DVD Booting

Sometimes you may not want to install to a virtual hard drive.  You may just want to test something, take a look at an OS before deciding to install it, or you may just not want to use all of your disk space for virtual drives of various OSs.  Whatever the reason, it is handy to setup a VM specifically for just booting live OSs.  The example below describes how to do that and is setting it up to boot 64-bit versions of Linux.  (Adjust settings as appropriate for the OSs you might be booting.)

From main VBox window, click New to make a new VM.

Fill-in Name, Type and Version.

• Name = Live64DVDs  (you can name it anything you like)
  
• Type = Linux
  
• Version = Other Linux (64-bit)
  
• NOTE:  these settings can be changed later if necessary.  After VM is created, just highlight it and click the Settings button.
  
• Click Next to continue.
  

Set the amount of memory (RAM) to dedicate to the VM.

• Between 512MB - 2GB should work for most situations.
  
• DO NOT allot more than half of your memory to the VM.
  
• You can adjust the dedicated memory any time later if you need to change it.
  
• Click Next to continue.
  

On the Hard drive page, click "Do not add a virtual hard drive".  It will warn you that you are creating a VM without a hard drive.  Hit "Continue", because that is what you do want in this case.

Your "Live64DVD" VM will now appear on the main VBox window.  When a VM is highlighted on the left, a summary of its settings will be shown on the right.

• Highlight your new VM for live disks.
  
• Notice that under Storage it is showing the CD/DVD drive for booting and that it is Empty.  That is telling you that nothing is currently selected to boot the VM from.  So if you were to click Start at this point, nothing would boot.
  
• If you want to boot a CD or DVD, just load it into the tray and it will boot when you start the VM.
  
• If you want to boot an ISO file you have downloaded to your hard drive, you need to go into the settings for your live VM and tell it where that ISO file is and to use it for booting.
  • Highlight the VM and click Settings button
    
  • In Settings window, click "Storage" along left side
    
  • Under "Storage Tree", click the word "Empty" under "Controller: IDE" (there will be a CD icon next to "Empty").
    
  • Under "Attributes" (right side), click to check box for "Live CD/DVD"
    
  • Now click the CD icon just above that to the right.
    
  • Select "Choose a virtual CD/DVD disk file"
    
  • 
    
    
  • That will open a window for navigating to the ISO in your file system.  Find the one you want, select it and click "Open".
    
  • It will now show up in the Storage Tree under "Controller: IDE"
    
  • Click "OK"
    
  • Back on the main VBox window and you will see that the ISO file is showing in the "Storage" settings for your VM.
    
  • 
    
  
  
• If you would like to adjust the Display settings to enable 3D or 2D acceleration and/or give the machine more video memory, go ahead and do that.
  
• When done adjusting settings, click the greenStart arrow and it will boot just like you computer would if you were using a live CD/DVD.
  

With this VM created, you no longer need to create a new virtual hard drive just to test out an ISO/CD/DVD or run something live if you need to for some other reason.  Just select your live disk VM, change the settings to point to the correct ISO (or load your CD/DVD in the tray), and hit Start.


Tip:  If you frequently try out both 32-bit and 64-bit OSs, make a VM for each so you don't have to remember changing that setting when moving from one to the other.

[Wirezfree]

Hi gold_finger,

Another nice tutorial... excellent.

What I'm trying to read up on,
Is creating a VM from my nice clean LL2.0 installation before I start doing to much on it.
That way I can test things in the VM before I do it on my actual install.
In windows it was very easy with the application disk2vhd.
But in Linux all I have found is lots of things with lots of commands that are just bit to much,
and I don't want to break my nice install  :'(

Dave

[gold_finger]

You can just install same LL version to the VM and have a clean, new install to test things on.

If you mean that you did some custom settings, installed extra programs, etc. and want to make a duplicate of that, there is an old program called "remastersys" that can do that.  Last I checked it has not been maintained for the last 1-2 years; but I did use it as recently as 3-6 months ago on Linux Mint 16 and it worked fine.  I haven't tried it on anything based on Ubuntu 14.04, but it might work.

There are probably other ways to do make an ISO from your current install, but I haven't explored anything other than remastersy myself.  Maybe someone else has a better idea or another method for you.

Let me know if you need something like that -- maybe I'll have time to test it out for you over weekend.

[Wirezfree]

Hi gold_finger,

Many thanks...

It is the 2nd options you mention, I now LL2 with my common apps, all configured, network, printer, mount points etc...
So have a VM of that, rather than clean OOB and start again.

I will checkout "remastersys" first and see if that fits the bill.

UPDATE
After a few Google's it appears remastersys is now being developed by a new team
Here is an update 1st March 2014, But no GUI yet
http://system-imaging.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/black-lab-imager-11-source-code.html


Dave

[gold_finger]

It is the 2nd options you mention, I now LL2 with my common apps, all configured, network, printer, mount points etc...
So have a VM of that, rather than clean OOB and start again.

That's what I figured you wanted.

UPDATE
After a few Google's it appears remastersys is now being developed by a new team
Here is an update 1st March 2014, But no GUI yet
http://system-imaging.blogspot.co.uk/201...-code.html

Thanks for update link -- knew they took over project but wasn't aware they came out with any new code.

I'll try experimenting a bit either today or tomorrow on spare computer.  Will try out old version of remastersys first to see if it works on 14.04 (LL 2.0) because it has a GUI interface, making things easier.  If doesn't work, I'll try out new code from above link and see what happens.  Will report back when done.


P.s.
Worst case scenario if remastersys doesn't work -- just install to VM, manually make same changes to system, then take a "Snapshot" (in VBox) of it to save its original state.  Revert VM to snapshot anytime you need to backtrack to original state.

[Wirezfree]

Hi gold_finger,

Yes, I could just do an install of LL2 into VBox.
I just liked the idea of having an exact mirror of what I have now.

Thanks... Dave

[gold_finger]

Wirezfree,
Just an update to let you know I haven't forgotten this.

Tried a fresh install of LL on spare laptop, then tried running old remastersys from deb files downloaded from here:  http://sourceforge.net/projects/os4syste...203.0.4-2/.  It would not run properly and gave me an error message stating that lightdm was not setup properly, or something to that effect.

However, that laptop has had many problems and seems to be on its last legs.  I kept running into problems with it freezing up completely after it was running for a while, with no option other than hard shutdown.  (Even "REISUB" shutdown method didn't work.)  I also tried another LL installation followed by installing Valtam's test kernel to see if that would help.  It didn't -- had same freezing problem.

Basically what I'm saying is I can't be sure that the remastersys failure was due to incompatibility of the program or due to physical component problems that computer has and are getting worse.  Here are things I know/suspect are wrong with it:
*  A physical solder point on either the CPU or GPU is bad -- causing inconsistent boot behavior.
*  There is a problem with power management as it seems to drain battery quickly.  Even when powered off after fully charging battery (a new one), the battery will be dead after few days to a week when go to turn laptop back on.
*  Stongly suspect that the GPU is on the verge of failure because laptop heats up quickly and the failing GPU most likely is what causes the freeze-ups.  (Could also be that CPU needs re-seating with new thermal paste, but pretty sure it's the GPU.)

Anyway,  I may get time within next week or so to test remastersys on a different computer.  Will post back when/if I do.

[N4RPS]

Hello!

1. Try using canned air to blow out the heat sink and fan(s). You'd be surprised how dirty they can get.

2. Memory issues can also cause freezes. Try popping out the RAM stick(s) and GENTLY cleaning the contacts on both sides of it/them with a pencil eraser, rub off any residue with an alcohol-wetted cloth or cotton swab, and reinserting them. Gold DOES tarnish, and sometimes, that tarnish is invisible on the contacts.

3. Lastly, I'd try repasting the CPU heat sink. CPUs usually plug into zero-insertion-force (ZIF) sockets. GPUs are most likely fastened to the mobo using little solder balls (ball grid array, or BGA), and usually don't cause issues that aren't caught on the assembly line first. Your GPU might even have a heat sink that can be repasted.

None of these suggestion can hurt at this point...

73 DE N4RPS
Rob

[Valtam]

http://sourceforge.net/projects/systemback/

[gold_finger]

N4RPS,

Thanks for your suggestions.  Had already done #1.  Will try #2 and #3 -- clean Memory and repaste CPU.  You are correct -- nothing can hurt at this point.

Just so you know, I got this laptop from friend a 2-3 years ago after it broke on her and she replaced it with a new one.  I mess with it occasionally, but don't really care that much about it.  (Have another newer laptop and several desktops.)  It's an HP DV6000 from around mid-2000's I believe.  That particular model line seems to be notorious for developing problems with Nvidia GPU from what I could tell researching the main problem -- no POST on boot.  Here is one of many, many videos on youtube about how to fix the problem (reflow the solder joint):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEV43byTP9I.  (Very long video, but basic problem is described in first two minutes:  Push power button, some lights flash, hear it access/check DVD drive -- but no POST screen at all, so can't even access BIOS.)

I don't have equipment handy to do that fix, but I'm 99.9% sure this is the main problem with the laptop.

The strange thing about POST problem is that it only happens sporadically during warm summer weather months.  So, it will boot properly most of the time.  During cold winter months it will almost never even POST, so can't do anything with it.

Anyway, regardless of whether I can get this laptop working again, you seem to have much more experience working with laptops than I do.  (I've built/re-built several desktops, but haven't messed much with laptops.)  I use Newegg a lot for desktop computer parts, but I don't really know of any good sources for laptop parts.  Do you happen to know of any good web sources that are geared to laptop parts/accessories and/or specialize tools needed for repairing laptops?  Do you happen to know of any good sources of info on basic laptop repair procedures?


P.s.  Valtam -- I know we are now venturing way off topic with this.  Feel free to move it somewhere else if you want to.