Error building main Guest Additions Module while installing VirtualBox guest additions

For VirtualBox version 4.2.0 . Oracle's Version.

Install the package virtualbox-guest-x11 and you will be fine.

enter image description here

From terminal (Virtual System)

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-guest-x11

Reboot you Virtual System.


I received the dreaded "The headers for the current running kernel were not found" even though "Complete Generic Linux Kernel and Headers" were installed (Ubuntu 12.10 running under VirtualBox on a Windows Server 2003/Q6600). So I checked out this page...

For clarity's sake, the precise command for you copy-pasters out there (which would include me, hence I found out that a little clarification was in order) is:

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r` dkms

Which further implies under "Devices" first turn "Shared Clipboard" on to "Bi-Directional" (for ease of use)

Then open a terminal window (click on the top "Dash" button, type "terminal" in the search box, click on the terminal icon to open same)

Then copy/paste the above sudo apt-get command in the terminal window by right-clicking in the terminal window

Then enter your root/admin password when prompted

Then Devices/Install Guest Addition via VirtualBox

And, extraneous to the above sequence but still on the subject of Guest Additions, the latest/greatest can always be downloaded/mounted as a CD from

http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/

Additional info for Ubuntu 12.10 as I subsequently found out I had to

  1. apt-get purge xserver-xorg-video-vmware

  2. reinstall guest additions from the 4.6.2 .iso (available from above URL)

  3. add "vboxvideo" in /etc/modules (I

    sudo gedit /etc/modules
    

    but could

    sudo bash -c 'echo vboxvideo >> /etc/modules' 
    

    )

  4. stop the virtual machine

  5. Settings/Display/Enable 3D acceleration

to get better performance. Now I get:

Not software rendered:    yes
Not blacklisted:          yes
GLX fbconfig:             yes
GLX texture from pixmap:  yes
GL npot or rect textures: yes
GL vertex program:        yes
GL fragment program:      yes
GL vertex buffer object:  yes
GL framebuffer object:    yes
GL version is 1.4+:       yes

as well as some not-so-pleasing OpenGL warnings related to the mesa table from the command

/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p

  1. Start a terminal and type:

    sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r` dkms
    
  2. Then reinstall VirtualBox Guest Addition from Devices → Install Guest Addition.

Tested in Windows 7 as host with VirtualBox 2.2.4