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How to install Virtual Box 5.2 ubuntu 16.04

I am predominantly a Linux and MacOS in my home office and usually make use of Windows Virtual Machines for my Windows based development. I have always made use of Oracle VM VirtualBox over the years.

I recently ran into an issue whereby Windows 10 VMS just wouldn't update. They would download the update which would require a restart and then the VM's would just hang. I tried this several times and it always end with the same result.

After a little research it appears that there seemed to be some kind of issue with Windows 10 and the Virtual Box 5.1. It seemed I needed to upgrade VirtualBox 5.2.

I decided to upgrade but the process didn't go as smooth as it should, so I thought I would make a note in an effort to help anyone facing a similar problem.

How to install VirtualBox 5.2 on Ubuntu

Open your Terminal Window (Ctrl + Alt + t) and remove Virtual box 5.1.

Shell

Add a new repository

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Set Up the Keyring to enable a trust relationship with the new repository

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We can now update the repository listings and install virtualbox 5.2

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At this point, you may be able to open the new VirtualBox UI but in my case, I was not able to start any of my Old VM's.   

After struggling and panicking for 10 minutes I found that I needed to run the below command twice then everything just started working

Shell

Summary

VirtualBox 5.2 is a major upgrade and the UI takes on a more polished and modern feel. There are a few additional features available;

  • New ability to enable export VM to Oracle Cloud
  • Unattended guest installation
  • Virtual Media Manager and Snapshot Pane re-work

So far I have been playing around with it and not as yet found any issues.

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