Setup Virtual Machine To Boot From USB Thumb Drive

An ability to boot from USB thumb drive had become the good alternative to the users who have the malfunction CD/DVD ROM drive inside their computer. If they cannot perform OS installation using CD or DVD, they can use USB thumb drive as an alternative OS installer to boot the computer. 

But, it is slightly different way when you want to boot from the USB thumb drive inside virtual machine. You need to perform certain setup on your virtual machine before it has ability to boot from the USB thumb drive.




The Basic Idea – How Virtual Machine Boot From USB Thumb Drive?

When using VirtualBox as a virtual machine, you can setup it to allow direct access (use) to the physical resources inside host computer (the real computer owned by users). This process is called raw hard disk access. The process can be done by creating the special VMDK image file that represent those physical resources.

The physical resources of host computer can be divided into TWO following categories

1. The entire physical disk attached to host computer. Eg: USB thumb drive and computer hard disk.
   
   
2. The partition of physical disk attached to the host computer.

You need to be careful when allow direct access to the entire physical hard disk or its  partition. This is because the host OS usually run from the physical hard disk especially inside its primary partition.

So, when you allow direct access to the computer hard disk from virtual  machine, PLEASE DO NOT ACCESS THE PRIMARY PARTITION WHERE THE HOST OS CURRENTLY RUNNING (usually C:\ drive) or you will encounter the severe data damage and loss.

For our case today, WE WILL SETUP THE SPECIAL VMDK IMAGE FILE THAT REPRESENT THE USB THUMB DRIVE ATTACHED TO THE USB PORT OF HOST COMPUTER. This is the method which you will use in order to SETUP VIRTUAL MACHINE TO BOOT FROM USB THUMB DRIVE. 



 
What You Need

1. VirtualBox, the free virtual machine software. Click Here To Download.

Before The Procedures

1. You need to install and setup virtual machine in your computer. Click here for the guide.
   
   Note:
   Please close the virtual machine first after you finish install and setup it.
   
   
   
2. You must attach the USB thumb drive into the USB port of host computer in order to check the disk number which represent it. To check the disk number, you can do the following.
   
   On your Windows 7 desktop, right click icon Computer –-> click Manage in order to launch the Computer Management utility
   
   
   
   Inside the Computer Management utility click Disk Management –-> you will be presented with the graphical disk indicator at the center pane of Computer Management interface. See below
   
   
   
   Now you will notice that USB thumb drive is represented as Disk 1 or in other means, its disk number is 1.
   
   
   
   Note:
   This information (eg: Disk 1) will be used when you create the VMDK file for USB thumb drive using VirtualBox Manager (VBoxManage).

The Procedures

In this section, we will learn how to use the VirtualBox Manager (VBoxManage) in order to create the special VMDK file. This file is the virtual disk image that represent the USB thumb drive which had been attached to the USB port of host computer. We will use the VirtualBox Manager from the host computer

1. Click --> type cmd –-> when the cmd program appears, right click on it –-> when the context menu appears click Run as administrator
   
   
   
   
   
2. Click Yes –-> the cmd program with administrator privileges will appears like below
   
   
   
   
   
3. On the cmd program interface, type cd \ –-> press to access the root drive of host computer, eg: C:\ drive
   
   
   
   
   
4. From here you must access the folder that contains VirtualBox Manager. Type cd program files\oracle\virtualbox –-> press .
   
   
   
   
   
5. At this step, you can start using the VirtualBox Manager (VBoxManage) to create the special VMDK image file. For the purpose of that type the following command
   
   vboxmanage internalcommands createrawvmdk –filename c:\usbdrive.vmdk    –rawdisk   \\.\PhysicalDrive1 –-> press .
   
   
   
   Note:
   
   -->  vboxmanage internalcommands createrawvmdk : This is the command used to create special VMDK image file.
   
   -->   -filename c:\usbdrive.vmdk  :  The name of special VMDK image file you have created including the path where you saved the file.
   
   -->   -rawdisk \\.\PhysicalDrive1  :  This raw disk represent USB thumb drive because the disk number for physical drive is 1. You got this number when perform the step 2 in the previous section (Before The Procedures).
    
   
   
6. Now you will notice special VMDK image file named, usbdrive.vmdk has been saved in drive C:\
   
   
   
   
   
7. This step is optional but I think it is good to be done. You can move the usbdrive.vmdk file from C:\ drive into the folder which contains vmdk file you created during setup process of virtual machine.
   
   

After The Procedures

When you reach this section, it means you now owned the special VMDK file (eg: usbdrive.vmdk). This section will guide you how to add this file as the virtual disk storage inside virtual machine.

It is VERY IMPORTANT to advice that you MUST ATTACH THE USB THUMB DRIVE INTO THE COMPUTER USB PORT before you start to perform the steps below

1. Right click VirtualBox icon on your desktop –-> click Run as administrator –-> click Yes to run the virtual machine using administrator privilege.
   
   
   
2. When VirtualBox manager’s interface appears, click Storage –-> the Settings’ box will pop-up on your screen
   
   
   
   
   
3. Click --> the Question’s box will displayed –-> click
   
   
   
   
   
4. In this step, you need to choose and click the special VMDK file that you had created in the previous section (The Procedures) –-> click
   
   
   
   
   
5. Now, you will see the special VMDK file had been added to the virtual machine as a virtual hard disk. You can notice it has been assigned as an IDE primary master –-> click
   
   
   
   
   
6. Now, you need to assign the boot order and a hard disk will be placed on the first order. So, click System –-> the Settings’ box will appear.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Inside the section boot order, click Hard Disk –-> click the upper arrow until Hard Disk is place at the top of boot order’s list –-> click
   
     
   
          
                 
   
              
   
   
   
   
     
   
   

Copy Or Move Data Reside In Host OS From Guest OS In Virtual Machine

In my opinion, virtual machine or virtual computer is separated from the host machine (the real computer that we can touch). It means, although virtual machine is installed inside the host computer, but the link or connection between them seem not exist.

This can be proved when you cannot copy or move the data directly from the host OS (installed into host machine) into the guest OS (installed into virtual machine) and vice versa. See below



Anyhow, the data transfer between both entities can possibly be performed using the certain technique that will be presented to you in this article.



What You Need

1. VBoxGuestAdditions.iso, the ISO image file.
   
   
   
2. Shared folder.

Before The Procedures

1. You must install VBoxGuestAddition into guest OS (Windows XP). To do so, please follow the steps below:
   
   
   Start you virtual machine –-> ignore any information (if appears) by click OK
   
   
   
   Based on above, click Devices –-> click Install Guest Additions… –-> the box below will appears and prompt you to download VBoxGuestAdditions ISO image file, click Yes
   
   
   
   Another box will appears and you need to click Download to start the download process. See below
   
   
   
   Just after you click Download, you will notice the download indicator place at the bottom left of your virtual machine’s interface. See below
   
   
   
   When the indicator reach 100%, another box will appears which prompt you to mount the ISO image file that you had downloaded. Click Mount
   
   
   
   After you click Mount, the setup wizard for VirtualBox Guest Additions will appears like below
   
   
   
   From here you can start the installation of VirtualBox Guest Additions software until it complete. If you see the box below during installation, just click Continue Anyway
   
   
   
   The installation process will considered finish when you see the box below. To complete the installation, click Finish. The guest OS will reboot itself
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. You have to create the share folder in host OS (Windows 7). To do so, you need to perform the steps below:
   
   
   Create a new folder and name it with suitable name. Right click on the folder that you just created –-> click Properties –-> the Properties’ box will appears like below
   
   
   
   Inside Properties’ box, click tab Sharing –-> click Share… –-> the File Sharing’s wizard will appears. 
   
   
   
   Based on above, choose Everyone as a type of people to share –-> click Add –-> let its Permission Level as Read –-> click .
   
   Click Yes, turn on network discovery and file sharing for all public networks when you see the message below
   
   
   
   Click Done to complete the sharing process –-> click Close.
    
   
   Note:
   Now, you can save you data such as software or device driver into the shared folder you had created.
   
   
   
   
3. You need to list the shared folder you created inside the host OS. The adding process should be done in the guest OS. See the steps below: 
   
   
   
   
   Click Devices –-> click Shared Folders… –-> the settings’ box like below will appears
   
   
   
   Based on above click to add the shared folder –-> the box below will appears 
   
    
   
   Tick all check boxes under the input box Folder Name: --> click drop-down menu that represent Folder Path: –-> click --> you will be redirected to the browser box below
   
   
   
   Highlight the name of shared folder you had created –-> click OK –-> click OK –-> click OK

The Procedures

Now, let say you want to copy data reside in the host OS (Windows 7) into guest OS (Windows XP). What you need to do is you must retrieve the share folder you had created inside the host OS from the guest OS. You can do it using the following steps:

1. Inside the guest OS, press to display the Run’s box like below
   
   
   
   
   
2. Type explorer –-> click OK –-> you will see My Documents’ folder like below
   
   
   
   
   
3. Expand My Network Places –-> expand Entire Network –-> expand VirtualBox Shared Folders –-> expand \\Vboxsvr –-> double click \\VBOXSVR\vboxshare
   
   
   
   
   
4. Finally you will see the contents of shared folder in the right pane of My Documents’ folder. Now, you can copy and paste the contents directly into the guest OS.  
   

Install Operating System Into Virtual Machine Using ISO Image File

My previous article that related to virtual machine had show you how to install an operating system (OS) into it. The installer of an OS was come in form of setup file burned into CD/DVD disc.

But, if you have the ISO image file for the OS you want to install, you also can install it into virtual machine.



What You Need

1. ISO image file of an OS you want to install. Eg: ubuntu-11.10-desktop-i386.iso 
   
   
2. Virtual machine. You can created it using VirtualBox software. 

Before The Procedures

1. You need to install and create the virtual machine in your computer. Click here for the complete guide to perform this process.
   
   
   
2. After you finish create the virtual machine in your computer, you need to perform a little modification on its IDE controller’s.
   
   Click --> the setting’s box like below will appears 
   
   
   
   Based on above, highlight the word under IDE Controller –-> click to show the context menu.
   
   Choose the ISO image file of an OS you want to install, eg: ubuntu-11.10-desktop-i386.iso –-> click .
   
   Now, you will see the result below under section Storage. 
   
   

The Procedures

In this section, I will show you how to install Ubuntu OS into virtual machine.

1. Right click on Ubuntu’s virtual machine –-> click Start.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Ignore warning message like below (if appears) by click button OK.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Please wait until you see the message below. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. Based on above, choose the language version of an OS you want to install and click . You will see the interface below. 
   
   
   
   
   
5. Based on picture above, click  --> the message below will appears.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Now, we want to create a single disk partition. So, based on above click radio button Erase disk and install Ubuntu –-> click .
   
   
   
   
   
7. When you see the message above, click --> setup will begin to install and copy the files.
   
   
   
   
   
8. Based on above, determine your location and click .
   
   
   
   
   
9. When you see the interface above, determine your keyboard layout and click .
   
   
   
   
   
10. Now, based on above, fill your information and please wait until setup finish copying the files.  Click . 
    
    
    
    
    
11. The setup now continue installing the Ubuntu OS. Wait until the installation process is finish.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Click when you see the message above. After you click, wait until you see the message below.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Press to proceed the reboot’s process. Finally you will see the Ubuntu’s interface like below.