Boxes

On this blog, I have written a few times about configuring a virtual machine with Ubuntu on Windows host. It was not a straightforward process. Nowadays, You have two options for creating Ubuntu virtual machine on hyper-v:

• manual way
• wizard

Only using wizard, I had satisfying performance of a virtual machine. Even when using a wizard, there are some configuration steps to be done, after creating a virtual machine.

When using GNOME 3 it is completely different! When using Boxes app, You simply use a wizard and it creates a virtual machine without the fuss! Copying files to the virtual machine is as simple as dragging them from files explorer on the host system and dropping onto virtual machine window! Development on Linux is really so much easier!

Windows 10 Pro

I have bought my laptop with Windows 8 Home upgraded to Pro edition, but I haven't got upgrade key from a shop (or it was hidden in the receipt and I forgot where the receipt was). Years have passed, Windows was upgraded to Windows 10 and then Visual Studio stopped working. I have fought bravely, to avoid Windows reinstallation, but MS help said that it was the only way to fix Visual Studio. Reluctantly, I have reinstalled Windows with the help of Media Creation Tool. Then, my Windows was reverted to Home edition and lost the ability to execute virtual machines! Few days with Google lead me to the page with a solution, and I have learned that:

If you performed a clean install using the Media Creation Tool it installs the specific edition based on the OEM Marker in the BIOS. So if the computer originally came preinstalled with Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium or Windows 8/8.1 Core/Single Language Windows 10 Home will be installed.

Workaround:
Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro using the following default product key:

VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T

So, if You bought PC with Home edition of Windows and have upgraded it to Pro version after Windows reinstallation, You should use key VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T!

My adventures with Ubuntu on Hyper-V. Part 3.

As I was forced to revisit my Hyper-V and Ubuntu configuration earlier this week, today I have decided to try run Ubuntu in fullscreen one more time. After searching the Internet I have found working solution on Ask Ubuntu. On my configuration it required two steps:

1. Installing linux-image-extra-virtual package
   

   sudo apt-get install linux-image-extra-virtual

2. Updating GRUB's configuration file (/etc/default/grub) by changing one line:
   

   GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash video=hyperv_fb:1680x1050" 

3. Updating GRUB' configuration by executing the command:
   

   sudo update-grub

After rebooting Ubuntu I can finally use it in fullscreen mode!

My adventures with Ubuntu on Hyper-V. Part 2.

Yesterday I upgraded Windows 8 and installed Visual Studio Express 2013 Update 2 RC. Today I tried to run Ubuntu on Hyper-V. It worked but without an Internet connection... The first thing which I have done, it was to search the Internet to see if upgrading Windows could break something with Hyper-V. I have found nothing...

Searching for problems with Hyper-V itself and changing network setting also was no good. I was ready to give up when I have remembered that I have also installed Visual Studio with Windows Phone Emulator. Running Emulator for the first time created a virtual network adapter and after its creation, I was able to reconfigure Hyper-V and restore Internet connection in Ubuntu. Why without running the emulator it was impossible to configure networking in Hyper-V is still a mystery for me... The installer could have created a network adapter during the installation process and not delay this step to first execution of emulator...

My adventures with Ubuntu on Hyper-V. Part 1.

I really like Windows 8. I like Metro Modern UI, tiles and the new Start Screen. And I like playing games. That's why I use Windows on my personal hardware. But in my workplace I use Ubuntu. On my old laptop, I have used the dual boot. But it was annoying to constantly synchronise mails, chats, login data and files... And I always had a slow Internet connection, so downloading two copies of everything was painfully slow...

When I was buying a new machine, I have decided it has to be powerful enough to run a virtual machine. I've bought a laptop with 32GBs of RAM and a Core i7 processor. And I wanted to tinker with Windows Phone apps, so I have upgraded Windows 8 to Pro version to use Hyper-V. I have followed instructions on how to install Ubuntu on Hyper-V and it worked. Almost. When I have used "external virtual switch" my host Windows 8 system lost Internet connection. Even, if I have checked the checkbox for sharing the connection. But it was half of a success: guest systems could connect to the Internet.

I have played with settings for some time and finally using "internal virtual switch" with setting sharing my Wi-Fi from Control Panel worked. If only I could use Ubuntu in full screen with utilising all my monitor's pixels...