Sharing Folders in Ubuntu 9.10 using VirtualBox

I just wanted to share a folder in Ubuntu 9.10 which I have installed using VirtualBox. Whenever I tried mounting the shared folder using the mount command, I kept getting the following error:

/sbin/mount.vboxsf: mounting failed with the error: No such file or directory

After wandering through forum after forum and post after post, I finally got to share my folder in Ubuntu 9.10 using VirtualBox. The whole process was a mesh so I thought I should create a simple post, so here goes:

Adding Share Folder to VirtualBox

  1. Start by opening VirtualBox (making sure Ubuntu is Powered Off), right-click the Ubuntu Virtual Machine in the left column and choose Settings
  2. Click Shared Folders option in the left column
  3. Click the Add new shared folder button (its a folder with a + sign) located on the right
  4. A small window pops up asking you the Folder Path (a drop-down) and a Folder Name (no spaces)
  5. Once you are happy with everything, press OK twice to close this pop up and the Settings window. Now start the Ubuntu 9.10 Virtual Machine

Mounting Shared Folder in Ubuntu 9.10

  1. Start the Terminal by going to Applications > Accessories > Terminal
  2. Create a folder under mnt directory by:

    sudo mkdir /mnt/my_shared_folder

    replace my_shared_folder with whatever you want to call the shared folder

  3. Now mount the shared folder by:

    sudo mount -t vboxsf my_folder /mnt/my_shared_folder

    replace my_folder with what you entered in the Folder Name when you added the folder under Settings and replace my_shared_folder with whatever you have called the folder in the previous step

  4. You’re done!

Please do leave a comment if this works for you 🙂

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