Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions via GUI

[Win7refugee]

Hello, after installing Lubuntu into VirtualBox, I wanted to install the Guest Additions. Lubuntu File manager opens nicely in the correct directory upon “inserting” the Guest Addtions CD image. But double-clicking on autorun.sh didn’t do anything and double-clicking on VBoxLinuxAdditions.run didn’t do anything either. Right-clicking on VBoxLinuxAdditions.run only offered to open it in Featherpad. Is there a way to install the Guest Additions without using the terminal?

Here’s what I did in the end, I don’t know if all of it is necessary (corrections welcome), but it worked:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo  apt-get install dkms build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) module-assistant
sudo m-a prepare

cd /media/cdrom0/
sudo sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

[KGIII]

I’ve yet to find a graphical way to install the guest additions in VBox.

I only install ‘build-essential’, then I mount the GuestAdditions virtual disk, and then:

chmod +x ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

And finally, I just run the .run file.

sudo ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run

(Going from memory, mostly.)

Sometimes you have to download the GuestAdditions, for reasons I do not know. After the download completes, it offers to mount the disk for you. Do that and then open that in the terminal from the right click menu, or however you want to navigate there.

I use VBox a great deal and don’t recall ever being able to graphically add the guest additions (in Linux - I have no clue about Windows).

[That_Random_Guy]

I also don’t really recall having any kind of graphical GUI wizard for the Guest Additions setup on Linux.

I know Windows has a wizard when installing on Windows box but that’s a given, I guess.

[Win7refugee]

I seem to remember a distribution that I experimented with years back (Crunchbang?) where one was able to right-click on the file in the file manager and one of the choices was something like “Run in Terminal” or even “Run in Root Terminal”, which it had. Or maybe one opened the Root Terminal, eliminating the need to type sudo, and dragged the file onto that terminal. I don’t remember exactly. But either would be good enough, if somehow possible, as I mainly struggle with navigating the filesystem in the terminal. I don’t know how much time and Googling I spent yesterday to get all the way to the folder in the Guest Additions “cdrom”, but it was a struggle

[KGIII]

When you mount the guest additions, it’ll pop up a window offering to open it in the file manager. Do so.

Then, you can right click right there in that instance of the file manager to open it in the terminal - which will open it right in the right directory.

You won’t need to traverse the directories for anything. You’ll be in the right terminal automatically by opening it in the file manager.

That’s true for the file manager in general, as well… You can navigate to ~/Music/folder/foo/another_directory/blah/blah/blah and just right click and open in the terminal - and open it in that particular directory.

[Win7refugee]

Good morning and thank you for your help!

When you mount the guest additions, it’ll pop up a window offering to open it in the file manager. Do so.

This part has always worked for me in Lubuntu:

It’s the second part, which I expected, but where I must be doing something wrong:

Then, you can right click right there in that instance of the file manager to open it in the terminal - which will open it right in the right directory.

I don’t see any choice to open the file in the terminal:

What am I doing wrong?

[KGIII]

Click in a blank space, not on the file itself.

https://i.imgur.com/PRi1CY9.png

The image isn’t working for me - but it works if I click on it.

[ArrayBolt3]

I wonder if “Trust this executable” will do anything?

[Win7refugee]

Thank you both, I’ll try it. I understand that the advice by KGIII takes me to the directory (many thanks!). But obviously, I still have to run the file in the terminal. @ ArrayBolt3 I was wondering about that too. Will try and will report if it lets me run the file directly from the file manager.

[Win7refugee]

Good morning! I tried the following:

1. Selecting “Trust this executable” and clicking open didn’t do anything at all.
   

2. Choosing Open with other applications > System Tools > Qterminal just opens the terminal, not even in the GA’s directory.
   

3. Choosing Open with other applications > Custom Command and entering the name of the file name in the Application name field didn’t do anything, no matter if Execute in Terminal Emulator was selected or not.
   

4. Choosing Open with other applications > Custom Command and entering the name of the file in the Command line to execute filed didn’t do anything, no matter if Execute in Terminal Emulator was selected or not.
   

So it seems that although one can avoid traversing the file system in the terminal using the tip shared by KGIII, which is helpful, there either isn’t a way to actually execute the file from the File Manager or I haven’t chanced on one in my experiments.

[Win7refugee]

From further tests:
Seems that the base Ubuntu comes close with the right-click option Run as Program:

But even that fails as it needs administrative privileges:

So I’m guessing this would work if the root account was enabled and one would try this while logged in as root. Or is there a way to run the File Manager as root?

Or perhaps there is a way to make the File Manager ask for the password? I seem to remember that during one of my experiments, the Lubuntu File Manager did actually ask me for the password when trying to edit a system file. But I can’t recall the exact circumstances.