There’s a facility with VirtualBox to install “Guest Additions” - various utilities for a particular OS that will enhance it’s capabilities to work with VirtualBox. Most of the other virtualisation software has its own equivalent.

However, I’ve struggled to get it work until I came across an article in PcPro (October 2007) about how to do just that. It’s for Ubuntu but works just as well for Kubuntu.

First of all mount the Guest Additions disk. Now run the following…

sudo aptitude install build-essential linux headers-`uname -r`

When that’s done you’re supposed to change to the CD rom and run the following…

sudo sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

For some reason I can’t get to the CD Rom via the terminal program (well I could, but it said there was nothing on it). Instead I found, by more luck than judgement, that I was able to install it at root via clicking on the CD Rom icon.

Anyway it worked. Amongst other things I can now resize my Kubuntu window up to the full 1280×1024 of my monitor. I’ve also got seamless mouse use - no more using a special key to move in and out of the virtual window, back to the host. All very handy.

Lastly, the same article gave details of a useful command line program provided with VirtualBox for making clones of your virtual hard drives. The command iis in the VirtualBox folder and is…

VBoxManage clonevdi {source disk} {output file}

The source disk is the full path to where you have the virtual drive stored.

I posted recently about trying out Linux via VMWare. VMWare was incredibly easy to set-up but has had 2 frustrating problems…

1. It’s slow (this is apparently on purpose to get you to buy the commercial version. Allegedly)
2. The network bridging that it uses causes my network connection to not start for about 5 minutes after a reboot. Frustrating and nobody on the VMWare forums seems to want to suggest an answer to it.

The other free alternative is Virtual PC from Microsoft but, having tried it, it’s a typical Microsoft product that doesn’t seem to want to know anything about any possible rival. Hence you can set up various flavours of Windows OS’, but everything else is clumped into a big generic “other” pile.

PCPro has recommended VirtualBox so I gave that a go.

Again it was easy to use and, yes, quick. Again I installed Kubuntu, but every time I tried to change the resolution (from 1024×768 to my screens native 1280×1024) or specify the monitor or graphics card model, it refused to boot up.

I also had a frustrating time - my own fault for not reading instructions - with the Snapshot facility.

In the end I gave up with trying to change the graphics properties and just created a clean install of Kubuntu with Opera, Firefox and SeaMonkey browsers added to the existing Konqueror.

I uninstalled VMware and now can get an internet connection immediately my PC has booted. It’s also, as previously mentioned, quick. I’m limited to having it in a window on my Windows desktop in the aforementioned limited resolution, but I can live with that.

I should also take the chance to update my own instructions on updating the above browsers…

Firefox & SeaMonkey. These can be installed in one go using the automated script. For some reason I found I had files missing that caused this script to fail. I simply looked these files up in the Adept Manager.

Opera. Download from their site in .rpm file format, right click on the resultant file and select the option to install it.

And so I don’t have to keep going back to my original post to remember how to request root access - you put sudo at the beginning of the command line.

Grrr, some things get me really annoyed.

A discussion board I often use has a section for computer problems. Often they resolve around issues with anti-virus products. Unfortunately there’s a feverish almost zealous addiction to the free version of AVG which is quite off-putting (to say the least). Someone posted the other day to say they had Norton 360 and it kept going offline. The suggested answer… get rid of it and download the free AVG. Arrrgghhh.

That’s like going on a car forum and asking about a problem with your BMW, and everyone suggesting you get a Skoda instead. It’s cheap, reliable and they’ve never had any problems with it.

I upset things a little when I pointed out that a recent PCpro review found that AVG had poor detection rates. Naturally, I was told that you get different results on different days so AVG averages out just as good as the others. Riiigghhhtttt.

The PCpro recommendation was to get Kaspersky. It wasn’t free but for the advanced features and better detection it was worth spending a little for it.

Naturally the recommendation on the forum is to get free AVG. You’d think they worked for the company or something….

And whilst I’m on a rant.

The Workplace Parking Levy has raised its ugly head. This is a plan by Nottingham City Council to charge people for parking at work. It will help congestion by getting people to find alternatives routes to work and they can plough the money back into local transport schemes.

Except… well, where we work is on the outskirts but not in the city. So we won’t see the benefits of any improvements. Plus it won’t stop people coming to work, as most people don’t have an option. It will hit shift workers and anyone else, even if they don’t cause congestion because of the times they travel. Oh, and small businesses are exempted because… their cars don’t cause congestion?? Not sure on that one.

No, it’s badly thought out rubbish that’s just going to hit us in the pocket - £185+VAT a year starting in 2010, going up within 5 years to £350+VAT. To park. At work. Most will pay it, whilst others will find alternative places to park (probably on residential roads).

Ok, so you’d have thought that after all my problems me stating that the keyboard was a French version might have been taken seriously.

“It is highly unlikely you will have the French version, as we only sell UK version here.”

Says Hiper Customer Services.

Of course, my fault. I was obviously looking at something else. Like a French dictionary or something.

How stupid do they think I am?

Anyway, a couple of pictures went back to them (one of which is above - click on it for the full size picture. See if you can spot the problem). The French keytops being one clue. The French symbols on the keys being another. Oh, and the letters “FR” on a sticker on the keyboard and the box being another. Last, but by no means least, the French flag on the box is a REALLY big give-away.

Other than the above response I’ve heard nothing from Hiper - nothing about my PSU for a start.

But wait… a card came through the post. From worse-than-bloody-useless courier firm Amtrak. Who will only deliver during the day whilst I’m out, will only attempt delivery twice and don’t answer their phone. Hiper use Amtrak.

So I rang their customer services to find out if they’d sent me anything… “Oh, I think a colleague may have sent you another keyboard”. This was AFTER I’d told them I wasn’t prepared to spend anymore time sat at home waiting for couriers.

Well, this time I will. Simply because their keyboard is actually quite nice (when it’s in the right language). I may as well try and get something from them. In the meantime, I’ll email Hiper again to find out if/when they plan to refund me for my PSU. If I don’t get anywhere it’s my intention to email the Watchdog page at PC Pro magazine.