Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions

After installing your virtual machine in VirtualBox you should install the Guest Additions…what is that for? It lets you use your virtual machine at fullscreen and it also adds extras kernel modules to get better performance. So, let’s see how to install it…

Installing pre-requisites

Due to you are going to compile a kernel module, you’ll need a compiler, some header files and other stuff. But don’t be afraid, you only have to type this in a terminal of your virtual machine as root:

aptitude install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)

Installing the Guest Additions

Now you have to mount the Guest Additions cdrom. Go to Devices > Install Guest Additions as shown on the above picture. Once you’ve mounted the Guest Additions go to /media/cdrom directory on your virtual machine and execute the installer:

cd /media/cdrom
sh ./VBoxLinux-Addtions-x86.run

Finally reboot your virtual machine to apply changes.