Tell me more ×
Super User is a question and answer site for computer enthusiasts and power users. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 4 down vote favorite
1

Is there any way to have a guest machine have a huge resolution (like 3000x2000 or something) in VirtualBox? I'd like to be able to move around the desktop by scrolling around. It seems like it would be possible. Most importantly, I don't want the windows that are not currently being shown in the guest machine to think they are being hidden. I just want to support a very large virtual desktop.

share|improve this question
It probably is; it's been possible on real machines for quite a while--but personally I think it's a complete load of crap and a terrible feature. Can I ask why you think it would be so nice? – STW Aug 13 '09 at 2:42

3 Answers

up vote 4 down vote

Yes it's possible. My old machine was only capable of 1024x768 as it was a 15" LCD. Fedora worked fine on max resolution under VirtualBox (much higher than 1024x768), albeit I had to scroll the window over a lot to view things.

I would think this has to do with VirtualBox somewhat emulating a graphics adapter using your existing video memory. You will see the adapter labeled "VirtualBox graphics adapter".

share|improve this answer
where can i change the resolution past my screen's resolution? the guest machine doesn't let me do it – Claudiu Aug 13 '09 at 5:39
Make sure dynamic resizing is turned on in the settings menu. You could also just drag the guest window larger instead of setting the resolution manually. – John T Aug 13 '09 at 5:42
You can't make a window larger than your screen by dragging at the corners. – Joey Aug 13 '09 at 11:39
3  
yes you can. – John T Aug 13 '09 at 14:36
up vote 0 down vote

It's possible, but why would you want this? You are going to spend more time scrolling the desktop around to find windows than anything else.

share|improve this answer
Could be for testing, to see how software behaves in a large screen, to test web layouts, etc... – zildjohn01 Aug 14 '09 at 2:57
up vote 0 down vote

I did not find a way to get a higher resolution on a Linux host with a Windows XP guest - using VirtualBox only.

What I did was the following:

  1. I started a virtual X server with a huge resolution: xinit -- /usr/bin/Xvfb :1 -cc 4 -screen 0 4000x3000x16
  2. I made the virtual X server available via VNC: x11vnc -display :1
  3. Connecting to VNC server: xtightvncviewer localhost:0
  4. After connecting to the virtual X server, I started VirtualBox and my machine, and set it to fullscreen.

That way I can set the screen resolution as high as I need it.

About the use case:

We use proprietary software to make a photo book. It costs quite some money to get the book printed - and the software does not offer PDF export of course.

So to get multiple cheap copies, I could buy the photo book once, disassemble it, scan all pages and print them as often as I need them. Alternatively, I could set the virtual box screen resolution really high and make screenshots of each page and print them :)

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.