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So now you have the Windows 8 Developer Preview installed as a virtual machine using VirtualBox, but you found out that the guest addition of VirtualBox doesn’t work properly in Windows 8 Developer Preview, which means that it won’t auto-adjust the resolution when you resize the window, and have to stick with the resolution available by default.
No worry. There is an alternative solution to force the desired resolution to be available in the VirtualBox guest OS, so if you have done it correctly, you can now run Windows 8 Developer Preview in VirtualBox with your screen native resolution. Instructions after the jump.
How to enable desired resolution in Guest OS
1. Close any running virtual machines and also VirtualBox
2. Run Command Prompt (cmd) as administrator (in your Host OS)
3. Manually enter the command shown below:
First, enter the below text to change the directory:
cd C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox
Then, enter the line:
VBoxManage setextradata global GUI/MaxGuestResolution any
Lastly, manually type to enter this line (don’t copy and paste, and please include the quotation mark):
VBoxManage setextradata “VM name” “CustomVideoMode1” “WidthxHeightxDepth“
VM name have to be replaced with your virtual machine name. If your virtual machine is named Windows 8, then it should be “Windows 8”.
WidthxHeightxDepth have to be replaced with your desired resolution. Say if you want to have it running at your monitor native resolution at 1600x900x32, then it should be “1600x900x32”.
4. If you enter them correctly, your command prompt should more or less look similar to the screenshot above. Double check your spelling especially on your virtual machine name if your encounter issue. Once you done with it, you can close the command prompt.
5. Launch VirtualBox and run your Windows 8 virtual machine.
6. Once you have logged in, change the resolution via the right click menu on the desktop. You should find the resolution entered in the command prompt is available to choose.
7. After the resolution is changed, make it run in full screen by Host+F (Host is Right Ctrl by default). Enjoy!
About ghost301
Biomedical Engineer graduate in Malaysia, currently Software Application Engineer and UI/UX Designer in Materialise. Graphic Design/UI/UX/Tech/Formula 1/Gadget/Android/iOS Enthusiast. Windows Guides writer (www.mintywhite.com) and run Techie Talkz.
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It accepts the last line but doesnt give me the “Oracle VM VirualBoc Command Line” Credentials at the end, instead goes straight to C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox.
Ive checked the spelling, no luck and no option to switch to a widescreen resolution in the Develper Preview :(
It accepts the last line but doesnt give me the “Oracle VM VirualBoc Command Line” Credentials at the end, instead goes straight to C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox.
Ive checked the spelling, no luck and no option to switch to a widescreen resolution in the Develper Preview :(
I’m finding exactly the same – attempting to set it to 1366x768x32 but no output and resolution is not available to me
Hi,
Is it possible for you to try entering the last line ‘manually’? Type from word to word, and include the quotation mark. It should work.
Rgds,
Taylor
I had this problem, until I ran cmd as administrator. Otherwise the commands will *silently* fail….
Hi,
Is it possible for you to try entering the last line ‘manually’? Type from word to word, and include the quotation mark. It should work.
Rgds,
Taylor
It accepts the last line but doesnt give me the “Oracle VM VirualBoc Command Line” Credentials at the end, instead goes straight to C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox.
Ive checked the spelling, no luck and no option to switch to a widescreen resolution in the Develper Preview :(
And how do you do that in clean installation of Win 8?I have the same issue!
Hi,
You have to do this in your Host OS, instead of in Windows 8.
Rgds,
Taylor
Mine is 32 bit
Pay attention to the second command, the last letter of ‘CustomVideoMode1’ is actually number 1, not L.
it’s not working for me can you help me as you advised i entered manually
reply me please
I had some problems when setting this up on my home computer, but I managed to overcome them after some tinkering.
If you are unsure if you get the commands right you can check the VBox config files in a text editor. The “GUI/MaxGuestResolution” setting you should find in the file “C:Users.VirtualBoxVirtualBox.xml” (at least if you run Windows 7). It should be there in the form of a line similar to
The machine specific setting “CustomVideoMode1” you should find in the virtual machines own configurations located in the text file “C:UsersVirtualBox VMs.vbox” in the form of a line similar to
I also had to run VirtualBox as administrator after making the changes to make them stick. If I ran it normally the VM specific settings did not take effect and were in fact cleared after the VM was shut down.
I think the ribbon interface takes up too much room.Need to make the window bigger,less room for other things.U should have the option to switch Metro/non Metro,can’t get used to it.What I want is hardly ever in the ‘Tiles’.
Like look of new task manager.About time they did something with that!
Hi I got this all working fine, but the problem I now have is that my touchscreen calibration is way off. I dont see any way to do alter or re-calibrate in the control panel. I am using a Thinkpad x220t.
VBoxManage is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
Why doesn’t mine work?
Hi Joe,
Have you point to your VirtualBox folder before execute the VBoxManage command?
Yes I did. However I uninstalled the Guest Additions and then reinstalled them now that I’m updated to a later version of VirtualBox, and now I can get my widescreen resolutions without having to use this command line.
Great stuff! Thanks for sharing the information!
Thank you very much!
Thank you SO MUCH! It works perfect!
You don’t need the command line. You are just 3 clcik away from the solution. Just click on “Windows Explorer” on the start screen, right click on the empty screen, click on “Screen resolution” and choose what you prefer. I don’t know if guest additions is needed for this, I had them installed anyway.
That might work for you, but my normal screen resolutions are not available without the above command line hack.
Did you install guest additions?
Guest Additions doesn’t work properly even in Consumer Preview. You probably have 1024×768 or 800×600. (If you have 640×480, time for a new monitor XD)
The commands went through without any errors. However when I start up the VM and enter windows 8 I still have the old resolutions and missing the new ones I tried to add. Anyone know what’s the problem is?
Thank you very much, it was very helpful! Worked for me to bring the resolution to 1920×1080
If anyone is still having issues, the new resolution wouldn’t show for me until I switched to full screen.
Thanks! I had the same problem. Full screen did the job.
Thank you.
Worked like a charm
I had troubles with the manual entry in step 3. The error message was “Could not find a registered machine named …”. I’ve solved it by registering the machine that I’d like to increase the screen resolution. See blog info at
http://karim-ouda.blogspot.de/2011/07/errors-solutions-19.html
for details on how to register the vmBox
After that the manually entered command worked and the resolution can be increased. Thanks for the great instruction here.
Excellent post! Tried several things to get this resolution thing sorted! Thanks!