Member Avatar for veledrom

How do i copy paste a folder or a file from xp to ubuntu or the other way round? I want to keep everyting in xp because Ubuntu runs in Ms Virtual PC 2007.

Thanks

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Virtual PC 2007 doesn’t provide an integrated “shared folders”/guest‑additions feature for Linux guests, so network transfers or standard file‑transfer tools are the practical options rather than a built‑in host↔guest folder mount. As noted, rely on network sharing; ’s GUI SMB approach is the lowest‑friction route. (learn.microsoft.com)

Fast, reliable method (host = Windows XP, guest = Ubuntu):

  • On XP: create a normal Windows share (set share permissions and allow “File and Printer Sharing” in the XP firewall).
  • On Ubuntu: either use Files → Connect to Server → “Windows share (smb)” and enter the host IP/share name, or install the CIFS client and mount from the shell. Example commands:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cifs-utils
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/xpshare
sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.x.x/ShareName /mnt/xpshare -o username=XPuser,password=XPpass,uid=1000

Allowing SMB ports in the Windows firewall (TCP 445/139) and installing cifs-utils are the usual prerequisites. (learn.microsoft.com)

Alternative (often easier for ad‑hoc backups or single files): run an SSH server in the Ubuntu VM and copy from XP with an SFTP client such as WinSCP, or push from Ubuntu with scp. Example to install SSH on Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install openssh-server
scp /path/to/file user@192.168.x.x:/path/on/host

WinSCP provides a GUI SFTP/SCP client on XP. (ubuntu.com)

Troubleshooting and safety notes: confirm the VM’s networking mode lets host and guest talk (Virtual PC’s shared‑NAT commonly uses 192.168.131.x with gateway 192.168.131.254); test with ping and check firewall rules. Do not copy live database datafiles—create a proper dump (mysqldump/pg_dump or a hot‑backup tool) before moving databases to avoid corruption. If native hardware access or maximum I/O is required, dual‑boot is reasonable but more disruptive. (pjhutchison.org)

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Member Avatar for jbennet

cant. virtual pc addons are not available for linux.

you will have to use samba and share them over a network or something

Member Avatar for veledrom

Then it is bad because i need to backup all my files and database when i am in ubuntu and use them in xp again. If i can't do this i think i should install ubuntu without vistual pc and make dual boot.
Is it logical?

Member Avatar for jbennet

just back them up and send them over the network using SAMBA.

Member Avatar for veledrom

i'll have a look into SAMBA. Thanks

Member Avatar for stephen84s

Well I this is a workaround I had done while using VirtualBox which had Ubuntu (the OS in my Virtual Machine), on my Windows XP laptop.

The folders in Windows XP on which network sharing is enabled, are accessible in Ubuntu.
All you have to do in your Ubuntu box is:-
Go to "Connect to Server", In the first drop down select "Windows Share (smb)", put the IP Address of your Host OS that is IP Address configured for your LAN card in XP, enter the "share name" which should be the name of your shared folder in Windows XP and click on Connect.

So you shouldn't need to take the pains to install and configure the samba server. Also if the architecture of VirtualPC is anywhere near VirtualBox I do not think you will be able to directly access the shares of the Ubuntu machine from Windows

Note: -
Ubuntu 8.04 has a bug which will not allow you to connect to a Windows share unless and until you specify a share name. in Ubuntu 7.10 this bug was fixed, so if you would not enter the share name in the Connect To Server dialog, it would show you all the available shared folders on the given machine. I do not know if it has been fixed in 8.10 .

Member Avatar for stephen84s

Then it is bad because i need to backup all my files and database when i am in ubuntu and use them in xp again. If i can't do this i think i should install ubuntu without vistual pc and make dual boot.
Is it logical?

Also forgot to mention, if you are going to take such a drastic step then instead of Virtual PC you could try VirtualBox, guest additions for virtual box are available for almost all major OSes.

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