How to export files from a Virtual Machine (VirtualBox) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2021, 06:31:42 pm
content: I've installed Oracle VirtualBox on my Win 10 PC to be able to run an old Win95 program. The goal is to recover CAD files created back then by converting them from .TCW to .DXF or .DWG. Recreating them is not really an option. And I'm not going to pay $1000 for a TurboCAD license just for this file recovery. Online converters are not available.Host:Win10VirtualBox 6.1Guest:Windows 95 OSR1TurboCAD for Windows LEWin95 and TurboCad install and run wonderfully in the VM, no problems there. Importing the old CAD files also worked using the .ISO file trick.Opening the files and saving them as .DXF and .DWG also works.But how do I get the modified files out in the real world?Win95 is so old, it does not support shared folders, so that's out.Any idea is highly appreciated.Thank You.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2021, 06:43:54 pm
content: usb stick ?https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=29596

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2021, 06:51:24 pm
content: Wow! What a recipy.But worth a try. I'll check it out. Thanks.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2021, 07:15:00 pm
content: Virtualbox extension pack emulates a network drive, might be worth a try, plus it also does the USB pass through better.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2021, 07:23:28 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on July 01, 2021, 07:15:00 pmYes, I've seen references to a solution by installing an NE2000 network adapter on the Win95 machine. But the descriptions were too vague.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2021, 08:38:25 pm
content: ImDisk Toolkit can mount .vhd, .vdi and .vmdk hard disk image files from VM host software including Oracle Virtualbox, provided the VM in question is in a 'powered down' state. It also mounts .iso files.ImDisk Toolkit is FOSS, available here:https://sourceforge.net/projects/imdisk-toolkit/"ImDisk is a virtual disk driver for Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10 and Windows Server 2003/2003 R2/2008/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2, 32 and 64 bit editions."

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2021, 08:50:39 pm
content: Thank You very much to all of you!I put on my thinking hat and looked at the paper blueprints I need to recover as CAD files (I've inherited this project from a former colleague).They are marked "2008", which kind of makes it improbable that they were created on a Win 95 machine.I created a new VM with Windows XP, and yes, TurboCAD LE can be installed on that as well. (All later Win versions fail on this point: Vista, 7, 8, 10...).But XP rocks (=can run Win 95 programs), and I can now export my files.I apologize for not getting this idea before. Consider this solved.Too early to be happy. Win XP also doesnotsupport folder sharing. This is the most frustrating experience with VMs ever. I just can't believe this. Why does it have to be so hard?Virtualisation is DEAD to me.Had to get that off my chest, sorry.

author: retiredfeline
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2021, 11:24:49 pm
content: I've got an XP VM on Linux which I use to run a couple of old XP programs. I mount a Samba share exported from Linux to share files that way. I think it has to be XP Pro to be able to use file sharing.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 02:53:35 am
content: Quote from: Ian.M on July 01, 2021, 08:38:25 pmYou can open "flat" disk images in 7-zip too, provided they have one of the many supported file systems (including FAT). It will also open ISOs.

author: brucehoult
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 03:22:54 am
content: Quote from: Benta on July 01, 2021, 08:50:39 pmI'm not sure I'd go that far.I have a copy of Server 2003 which I use for such VM use.As far as I know, it's equivalent to XP in most ways, but better.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 04:55:58 am
content: If you are willing to 'turn down' Win10's network security settings a bit, (which you should *ONLY* do on a wired LAN in an area where you control the physical access, with any internet access provided through a router with a decent firewall or other equivalent security appliance) Windows XP and even older windows versions can share folders with, and access shared folders on, Win10.From my notes file:QuoteThat's pretty much seamless sharing between Win10 Pro x64 20H2 and WinXP Home SP3. The workgroup for both should be set toWORKGROUP, not MS's default for XP of MSHOME.If you aren't using OpenShell, 'Programs and Features' is hidden away as a link at the bottom of Settings: Apps: Apps & features.N.B. Win10 (and occasionally XP) can be *VERY* slow to find the other if you attempt to browse the whole network. Manually entering the machine name in UNC path format (prepend \\) then browsing from there is much quicker.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 05:12:34 am
content: Quote from: Benta on July 01, 2021, 08:50:39 pmWell, I may be seen as being just a little biasedbut I think the problem is Windows and not necessarily the virtualization. To answer your original question, you can mount the guest VM file system in the host to act as a removable drive and then access the files from that. No need for USB sticks or pin-holing the VM.Virtualization is a wondrous thing. I'd be saddened if indeed that rotten OS caused you to retain a nasty taste in your mouth.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 11:16:54 am
content: Quoteyou have installed guest additions for xp?https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.html

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 09:17:19 pm
content: SUCCESS!Thanks to all for your good advice, but it unfortunately didn't lead to succes, as Win XP doesn't support folder sharing, and trying to get USB working or other workarounds failed.As a desperate last attempt, I set up a new VM with Win2000. The old W95 software could (surprisingly, as this failed earlier on a real PC) be installed, and as W2000 supports folder sharing, I now have my CAD files.A Happy End.Cheers to All.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 10:24:29 pm
content: Wow, you were really doing things the hard way. Shared Folders would have worked fine as mentioned, but VirtualBox also has a guest file manager built in: Machine -> File Manager.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 10:45:22 pm
content: Quote from: edavid on July 02, 2021, 10:24:29 pmYou may be right.10 posts earlier it could have been a helpful response. At this point it's just gloating.I have my CAD files, all the virtualization cr*p is now deleted and I won't ever work with it again.To quote Murtaugh: "I'm too old for this sh.."

author: retiredfeline
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2021, 11:53:13 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on July 02, 2021, 10:45:22 pmYou are blaming the wrong software. You would have had the same issues with real machines too, plus all the hassles of dealing with physical machines.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2021, 04:41:48 am
content: Quoteum. I've got a bunch of WXP VBox VMs (on a Mac), and they do the "shared folder" thing just fine. Even "MicroXP" works.Did you install the VBox extension pack (on the host) AND the "Guest additions" (on the client)?

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2021, 04:14:43 pm
content: Quote from: westfw on July 03, 2021, 04:41:48 amI think he meant that Windows XP Home Edition doesn't support full SMB export, only "Simple File Sharing". I don't know why that didn't work for him though, or why he didn't use WinXP Pro.

author: eti
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 07, 2021, 11:45:25 pm
content: Quote from: edavid on July 02, 2021, 10:24:29 pm"Let me go back in time and show you how to do it the 'correct' way, even though you have achieved what you needed"The net is full of these silly posts. It doesn't matter now, he achieved the goal.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2021, 05:01:59 am
content: Quote from: eti on July 07, 2021, 11:45:25 pmBut the next person might find it useful.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2021, 08:56:13 am
content: Note that 'Machine -> File Manager' works from within a running (normally)VM which IIRC also requires the VirtualBox extensions (which should always match the VirtualBox version) to be correctly installed and operating. However its not uncommon to need to retrieve files from an old VM that either has seriously outdated VirtualBox extensions, or is otherwise brokene.g. anything that triggers XP activation will leave you stuck in a login loop now the activation servers have gone away.Therefore offline methods of data retrieval are *IMPORTANT*. In addition to using ImDisk as I mentioned earlier, one can mount VirtualBox .vhd files from Windows Disk Manager (diskmgmt.msc Action: Attach VHD).Seehttps://www.raymond.cc/blog/access-virtual-hard-disks-easily-in-windows-7/for more methods.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2021, 02:39:29 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on July 08, 2021, 08:56:13 amThat's a great article, no question. But, in the scenario you describe where the VM can't be booted, it would be easy enough to create a new VM, install the desired OS, then attach the storage from the old VM to it for access.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2021, 02:46:15 pm
content: Quote from: edavid on July 08, 2021, 02:39:29 pmYep, BTDTGTTS, back in my VMware using days, usually to wrangle data onto or off-of a virtual disk for an OS with no integration support from the VM software + a filesystem my host OS cant mount.