unity does not work in VirtualBox guest

[Pim Schellart]

Binary package hint: unity

Currently when running Ubuntu (11.04) as a VirtualBox guest OS unity is disabled by default because 3D support is not detected.
This happens even though 3D acceleration is enabled in the virtual machine settings and the guest additions are installed.

This bug prevents users and developers from test driving Ubuntu's new GUI in a controlled environment.

[Daniel Letzeisen (dtl131)]

It's inconvenient, but I don't think the Ubuntu devs are going to do anything about it. You should report this to virtualbox forums, though I don't know how good it will do because a beta of VirtualBox just came out and it doesn't have a lot of new features in its video driver: http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=36748

[Daniel Letzeisen (dtl131)]

Here's a relevant thread in the virtualbox forums: http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=36673

[Pim Schellart (pschella)]

I agree, if its a bug in VirtualBox it should be reported there and this bug can be closed.
After reading several fora I have to conclude however that it is unclear (at least to me) if this is a bug in VirtualBox or a bug in detecting the available 3D acceleration on the unity side.
Perhaps you could add a comment to this bug specifying what functions are lacking in VirtualBox' 3D support to run unity and then mark this bugs as "wont_fix" until these issues are solved upstream.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

does compiz work without unity plugin enabled for anyone in Natty in VirtualBox? I tried and failed to start compiz even without unity

[Pim Schellart (pschella)]

Reported as bug #7835 in the VirtualBox bugtracker.

[FM (frederic-meynadier)]

Link in comment #5 is wrong, as it heads back to launchpad. Correct link to the bug in virtualbox bug tracker is :

http://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/7835

[Alex Launi (alexlauni)]

Just so everyone knows, this is certainly an issue with VirtualBox (or Unity's graphics requirements depending on how you see it). Unity requires a graphics feature called Frame Buffer Objects, which virtual box does not support.

[Pim Schellart (pschella)]

I have just tested it with the new VirtualBox 4.0.0 release which contains fixes specifically for this problem and Unity now works.
Just enable 3D acceleration, install the guest editions and you are good to go.
This bug can be closed.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

virtualbox 4 is not yet in Natty so we cant close this bug just yet.

[Flames_in_Paradise (ellisistfroh-deactivatedaccount)]

In the meantime Virtualbox has arrived in Natty as OSE, if you'd like to have PUEL just install the Extensionpack from http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads

Keep in mind to update the Guest-additions every time as well

Upstream bug is closed...

[Flames_in_Paradise (ellisistfroh-deactivatedaccount)]

Probably tis bug should be associated here too:

http://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/8122 (closed 25.1.2011)

[Felix Geyer (debfx)]

Looks like this has been fixed in VirtualBox 4.
Feel free to re-open the bug if that's not the case.