Solved Virtual Machine Questions; Privacy, Isolation of Apps,

[Sherri is a Cat]

Perhaps try useradd instead of usermod.

The VB GUI launches and I get errors in the terminal.

Right now I'm looking up information to understand what an XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

@osprey

Is it possible that those errors would be resolved by installing the Virtual Box Extension Pack?

That's next. I haven't installed it because of the errors I'm getting.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

Scratch that. I just read what the extension pack for...

"... support for USB 2.0/3.0, VirtualBox RDP, disk encryption and PXE boot..."

 

[KGIII]

A ton of your installed applications will throw errors in the terminal, if launched from the terminal.

If they still run as expected, you can safely ignore those errors.

Also, you can just open VirtualBox without using sudo. It's in your application menu (or should be) under "Administration" and it's called Oracle VirtualBox.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

Also, you can just open VirtualBox without using sudo.

I'm starting to understand how handy the terminal is, like short cuts. If I'm typing a document and want to quickly save my work it's faster and easier to use Ctrl + S than to move my hand from the keyboard to the mouse, move the cursor to the 'File' menu, click, move down to 'Save'...

A ton of your installed applications will throw errors in the terminal, if launched from the terminal.

If they still run as expected, you can safely ignore those errors.

This is REALLY good to know. Thank you!

Also, you can just open VirtualBox without using sudo. It's in your application menu (or should be) under "Administration" and it's called Oracle VirtualBox.

Or start typing Virtual Box...

 

[KGIII]

Or start typing Virtual Box...

Yup, though you're already using the mouse at that point. Just 'virtual' should bring it into view 'cause there aren't going to be a lot of applications that have that in the name. I think the application menu in Mint is even smart enough so that you can type 'virtual box' instead of 'virtualbox', though I'm using a different distro at the moment.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

Yup, though you're already using the mouse at that point. Just 'virtual' should bring it into view 'cause there aren't going to be a lot of applications that have that in the name. I think the application menu in Mint is even smart enough so that you can type 'virtual box' instead of 'virtualbox', though I'm using a different distro at the moment.

you can use as little as 3 characters. v i r

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

I can't install the extension pack. I'm being told that it failed to enumerate host USB devices, VB isn't currently allowed to access USB devices. Can be changed by adding 'your user' to the 'vboxusers' group. I thought I already added myself...

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

So this is a total aside....

I'm just staring at my last post in awe, wondering if it was really me who used the terminal to show everyone that someone called :x:127:sherri is a user in the group 'vboxusers'.

The terminal was the single most intimidating,scariest thing that scared me away from Linux for a very long time...

What have you all done to me???

 

[KGIII]

you can use as little as 3 characters. v i r

Out of curiosity sake - and with a ton of applications installed - just 'v i' are enough to at least show the shortcut in the application menu.

Which is a good chance to explain an earlier comment...

Applications are smart these days. If you open an application from the menu and it asks for the admin password, then it needs sudo. If you can open that application without the prompt, then your user has permissions to open that application without needing elevated permissions.

(That goes back to your using sudo in the terminal to start VirtualBox.)

Also, opening some applications with sudo will generate more errors than otherwise - just because it's being opened as a different user and it isn't set up to do so. In this case, and in most other cases, you can just open VirtualBox without any elevated permissions. In fact, if you do so then the changes you make while it is open may not have any bearing on the application when it is opened by your regular user account. In Linux, those are often treated like two disparate accounts.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

Out of curiosity sake - and with a ton of applications installed - just 'v i' are enough to at least show the shortcut in the application menu.

Which is a good chance to explain an earlier comment...

Applications are smart these days. If you open an application from the menu and it asks for the admin password, then it needs sudo. If you can open that application without the prompt, then your user has permissions to open that application without needing elevated permissions.

(That goes back to your using sudo in the terminal to start VirtualBox.)

Also, opening some applications with sudo will generate more errors than otherwise - just because it's being opened as a different user and it isn't set up to do so. In this case, and in most other cases, you can just open VirtualBox without any elevated permissions. In fact, if you do so then the changes you make while it is open may not have any bearing on the application when it is opened by your regular user account. In Linux, those are often treated like two disparate accounts.

I'm going to have to come back to think on this a little more tomorrow. A Linux riddle that is... like wrapping my mind around the Golden Section... Very simple but hard keep straight in my mind while I'm understanding it.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

Also, opening some applications with sudo will generate more errors than otherwise - just because it's being opened as a different user and it isn't set up to do so. In this case, and in most other cases, you can just open VirtualBox without any elevated permissions. In fact, if you do so then the changes you make while it is open may not have any bearing on the application when it is opened by your regular user account. In Linux, those are often treated like two disparate accounts.

I wonder if the issues I was having with NordVPN and internet connectivity have something to do with this..

 

[bob466]

If you followed my instructions in post 19...you will have Virtualbox and the Extension pack installed.

To open Virtualbox...go to Menu...Administration...Oracle VM Virtualbox and click it...Virtualbox will open.

At this point you need to add yourself to the vbox user group...to do this...with Virtualbox open and minimised open the Terminal on your Desktop and type...sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers your user name.
Hit Enter...give your password and hit Enter again...once done close Virtualbox and Re-Boot the computer.

Most important...G is upper case and your user name means...if my user name is bob...the command is...sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers bob.

Once all of this is done...we'll talk about installing a Distro and the settings to do so.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

If you followed my instauctions

I had fun digging jumping into the terminal! If I can 't get it straightened out tomorrow I'm going to reinstall it.

 

[bob466]

Later we'll talk about adding a Shared Folder between the Host and Guest and a few other things.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

...will have Virtualbox and the Extension pack installed.

Everything is done except the Extensions pack. It looks like I have to add myself as a user before I can give VB access to the USB drives before the Extension pack can be installed.

 

[f33dm3bits]

Everything is done except the Extensions pack. It looks like I have to add myself as a user before I can give VB access to the USB drives before the Extension pack can be installed.

If I were you I would just run Zoom as a flatpak if you want it isolated, by going the route of using Zoom in a vm you are making your life unnecessarily difficult.

 

[Sherri is a Cat]

If I were you I would just run Zoom as a flatpak if you want it isolated

• Assumes I haven't done that already.

, by going the route of using Zoom in a vm you are making your life unnecessarily difficult.

• Assumes that a VM would make what I'm already dealing with worse.
• Must think the crap I have to put up with from Zoom every single day is no big deal.
• Has no idea why I am so determined to put a muzzle on this particular app.
• Apparently didn't occur to ask , or maybe couldn't care less anyway.
• Obviously has no clue that Zoom may not be the only reason I want a VM.
• Is presumptuous

 

[f33dm3bits]

• Assumes that a VM would make what I'm already dealing with worse.
• Must think the crap I have to put up with from Zoom every single day is no big deal.
• Has no idea why I am so determined to put a muzzle on this particular app.
• Apparently didn't occur to ask , or maybe couldn't care less anyway.
• Obviously has no clue that Zoom may not be the only reason I want a VM.
• Is presumptuous

Okay I will just ignore your future posts then if you are going to be like that.

• Assumes that every time someone responds they are fully awake because it's the same timezone everywhere because the earth is flat.

Doing passthroughs of host devices to a vm is generally more complicated than doing anything else.

 

[f33dm3bits]

Okay I will just ignore your future posts then if you are going to be like that.

• Assumes that every time someone responds they are fully awake because it's the same timezone everywhere because the earth is flat.

That was my morning humor. I shouldn't have responded like that. So sorry.