DKMS missing on Kubuntu netbook / Virtualbox not working

[KubuntuTrouble]

Hey Guys!

I`m running a Kubuntu Netbook (Precise Pangolin) 64-bits. I want to run Windows XP using a Virtual Machine (Virtualbox is my favorite) but everytime I try it, is says that something like my "DKMS archive" is missing.
I am pretty new to Linux, but I am not a computer noob, I have an averange amount of knowledge on how to handle my machine and the terminal, but I`d like an as clear as possible explanation on how to fix this.

I need Windows XP to do some basic needs on my netbook, and also to have the little game "Maplestory" installed for times when I am bored, any help is greatly appriciated!

Thanks!

[oshunluvr]

Did you install VirtualBox from the repos? It should have brought in all it dependencies including DKMS. It's possible that you don't have your kernel headers installed which is required for dkms. Open a terminal and type:

dkms status

This should tell you what DKMS modules are installed and what their status is.

Then verify you have your kernel headers installed. In the terminal again, type:

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

This should install your headers if they are missing.

[KubuntuTrouble]

Did you install VirtualBox from the repos? It should have brought in all it dependencies including DKMS. It's possible that you don't have your kernel headers installed which is required for dkms. Open a terminal and type:

dkms status

This should tell you what DKMS modules are installed and what their status is.

Then verify you have your kernel headers installed. In the terminal again, type:

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

This should install your headers if they are missing.

Thanks for the effort, however when I enter : "dkms status", I only get "Virualbox 4.2.2" in the terminal, even after I uninstalled it, and rebooted :/

And when I enter : sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r) I get:
E: Unable to locate package linux-headers-3.4.0
E: Couldn't find any package by regex 'linux-headers-3.4.0'

Any help there?

[oshunluvr]

Both results are odd. From the dkms status you should get something more like:

virtualbox, 4.2.10, 3.4.0, x86_64: built

or something similar. The header install failure means headers aren't available That makes no sense. Do this command:

sudo apt-get update

This will update your file lists. Then try the headers install command again.

[KubuntuTrouble]

Both results are odd. From the dkms status you should get something more like:

virtualbox, 4.2.10, 3.4.0, x86_64: built

or something similar. The header install failure means headers aren't available That makes no sense. Do this command:

sudo apt-get update

This will update your file lists. Then try the headers install command again.

I did as you said, but still nothing. also, I have tried different versions of Virtualbox, the one from the software centre, the offical 4.1 from their main site, and 4.2 from their main site, all give the same error.

Please take a look at the screenshots I made with Ksnapshot...

[oshunluvr]

What's the output of

dpkg -l |grep linux

[KubuntuTrouble]

What's the output of

dpkg -l |grep linux

A big lap of text, also "linux" marked in red

Here goes:
ii libselinux1 2.1.0-4.1ubuntu1 SELinux runtime shared libraries
ii libselinux1:i386 2.1.0-4.1ubuntu1 SELinux runtime shared libraries
ii libv4l-0 0.8.6-1ubuntu2 Collection of video4linux support libraries
ii libv4l-0:i386 0.8.6-1ubuntu2 Collection of video4linux support libraries
ii libv4lconvert0 0.8.6-1ubuntu2 Video4linux frame format conversion library
ii libv4lconvert0:i386 0.8.6-1ubuntu2 Video4linux frame format conversion library
ii linux-firmware 1.79.1 Firmware for Linux kernel drivers
ii linux-generic 3.2.0.40.48 Complete Generic Linux kernel
ii linux-headers-3.2.0-23 3.2.0-23.36 Header files related to Linux kernel version 3.2.0
ii linux-headers-3.2.0-23-generic 3.2.0-23.36 Linux kernel headers for version 3.2.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-headers-3.2.0-24 3.2.0-24.39 Header files related to Linux kernel version 3.2.0
ii linux-headers-3.2.0-24-generic 3.2.0-24.39 Linux kernel headers for version 3.2.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-headers-3.2.0-39 3.2.0-39.62 Header files related to Linux kernel version 3.2.0
ii linux-headers-3.2.0-39-generic 3.2.0-39.62 Linux kernel headers for version 3.2.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-headers-3.2.0-40 3.2.0-40.64 Header files related to Linux kernel version 3.2.0
ii linux-headers-3.2.0-40-generic 3.2.0-40.64 Linux kernel headers for version 3.2.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-headers-3.5.0-23 3.5.0-23.35~precise1 Header files related to Linux kernel version 3.5.0
ii linux-headers-3.5.0-23-generic 3.5.0-23.35~precise1 Linux kernel headers for version 3.5.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-headers-generic 3.2.0.40.48 Generic Linux kernel headers
ii linux-image-3.2.0-23-generic 3.2.0-23.36 Linux kernel image for version 3.2.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-3.2.0-24-generic 3.2.0-24.39 Linux kernel image for version 3.2.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-3.2.0-39-generic 3.2.0-39.62 Linux kernel image for version 3.2.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-3.2.0-40-generic 3.2.0-40.64 Linux kernel image for version 3.2.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii linux-image-generic 3.2.0.40.48 Generic Linux kernel image
ii linux-libc-dev 3.2.0-40.64 Linux Kernel Headers for development
ii linux-sound-base 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu1.1 base package for ALSA and OSS sound systems
ii pptp-linux 1.7.2-6 Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) Client
ii syslinux 2:4.05+dfsg-2 collection of boot loaders
ii syslinux-common 2:4.05+dfsg-2 collection of boot loaders (common files)
ii syslinux-legacy 2:3.63+dfsg-2ubuntu5 Bootloader for Linux/i386 using MS-DOS floppies
ii util-linux 2.20.1-1ubuntu3 Miscellaneous system utilities

[oshunluvr]

Weird that your uname -r output says 3.4.0 and you have no kernels like that.

What's uname -a show and how about ls /boot

[KubuntuTrouble]

Weird that your uname -r output says 3.4.0 and you have no kernels like that.

What's uname -a show and how about ls /boot

Hmmm, that would explain why my commands alway give "can`t find 3.4.0 headers" back.

uname -a = Linux Trouble 3.4.0 #1 SMP Mon Aug 27 02:12:50 EDT 2012 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

ls /boot =

abi-3.2.0-23-generic config-3.2.0-39-generic initrd.img-3.2.0-40-generic System.map-3.2.0-40-generic
abi-3.2.0-24-generic config-3.2.0-40-generic memtest86+.bin vmlinuz-3.2.0-23-generic
abi-3.2.0-39-generic grub memtest86+_multiboot.bin vmlinuz-3.2.0-24-generic
abi-3.2.0-40-generic initrd.img-3.2.0-23-generic System.map-3.2.0-23-generic vmlinuz-3.2.0-39-generic
config-3.2.0-23-generic initrd.img-3.2.0-24-generic System.map-3.2.0-24-generic vmlinuz-3.2.0-40-generic
config-3.2.0-24-generic initrd.img-3.2.0-39-generic System.map-3.2.0-39-generic

I guess I have 3.2.0 headers as it looks like this...

[oshunluvr]

Well, the only thing I can think of that would cause this is you have somehow gotten a copy of the kernel version 3.4 but didn't install it. Grub has detected is and is booting to it. It's not in your /boot folder.

Let's try this:

sudo update-grub

you should see a list of all the kernel images GRUB finds. Then, reboot and select a kernel other than 3.4. Hopefully, 3.2.0-40 will be available. Once you're running that (or any other kernel than 3.4) look for the errant kernel image and delete it.

Another oddity is you've got the headers for 3.5 but no image. You might want to install the 3.5 image using muon before you do the above. GRUB should default to the newest kernel when booting so 3.5 would boot rather than 3.2 or 3.4.

[KubuntuTrouble]

Well, the only thing I can think of that would cause this is you have somehow gotten a copy of the kernel version 3.4 but didn't install it. Grub has detected is and is booting to it. It's not in your /boot folder.

Let's try this:

sudo update-grub



you should see a list of all the kernel images GRUB finds. Then, reboot and select a kernel other than 3.4. Hopefully, 3.2.0-40 will be available. Once you're running that (or any other kernel than 3.4) look for the errant kernel image and delete it.

Another oddity is you've got the headers for 3.5 but no image. You might want to install the 3.5 image using muon before you do the above. GRUB should default to the newest kernel when booting so 3.5 would boot rather than 3.2 or 3.4.

Okay.. I ran into a wall here, I did the update GRUB part.. but I don`t understand the image 3.5 part, and I can`t seem to access Grub, when I boot my netbook, It always boots to an error message ( I am on a Chromebook) and I have to Cntrl+D it, then Kubuntu starts to boot, when I get past the error screen I tried pressing Shift, and tapping esc, but to no avail.

so the main question now: how to get the 3.5 image? and how to access grub? is there a command to force grub to boot?

[oshunluvr]

That explains a lot. The Chromebooks came with 3.4 kernel. (K)Ubuntu never did.

The "image" part is: kernels for Ubuntu exist in three parts; Image - what you boot and run from, Headers - files needed by some drivers and programs (like virtualbox and dkms), and Source - actual kernel data needed to compile the kernel.

You have the Headers for 3.5 installed, but not the Image. Therefore, you cannot boot to 3.5 because you don't have the Image. Open Muon, search for linux-image and install.

However, I don't think this will help much because it sounds like your install is a mess. Did you leave the Chrome OS on it and then install without formatting? What error message? How did you do your install? It's really hard to offer any advice without any details.

[KubuntuTrouble]

That explains a lot. The Chromebooks came with 3.4 kernel. (K)Ubuntu never did.

The "image" part is: kernels for Ubuntu exist in three parts; Image - what you boot and run from, Headers - files needed by some drivers and programs (like virtualbox and dkms), and Source - actual kernel data needed to compile the kernel.

You have the Headers for 3.5 installed, but not the Image. Therefore, you cannot boot to 3.5 because you don't have the Image. Open Muon, search for linux-image and install.

However, I don't think this will help much because it sounds like your install is a mess. Did you leave the Chrome OS on it and then install without formatting? What error message? How did you do your install? It's really hard to offer any advice without any details.

I managed to do the 3.5 part..
Hah, it may be true my install is a mess. I partitioned my harddrive so Chrome OS is still on it, but has only 1 GB of movement space, ( I recall it being on /dev/sda3 or something) and Kubuntu on /dev/sda7. and on dev/sda8 sits OEM.

I did not know how to remove Chrome OS that time, and I didn`t want to format it because it had that scary "ROOT-A" label. is it okay if I format sda3? furthermore I have a lot of other dev/sda`s all taking up spaces as big as 16mb`s... I`ll post a screenshot after I rebooted. (To get 3.5 in effect I guess.)

Also, sorry for not mentioning it earlier, I did not really think it was relevant.

Cheers

[KubuntuTrouble]

Also, what I did WAS messy. because using the terminal that was built in my chromebook, I downloaded and installed ChrUbuntu, but as I did not like it, I switched to the regular Ubuntu with KDE (Kubuntu) and deleted the previous version. and here I am....

After I rebooted and used: Sudo apt-get autoremove I saw all the old packages from the 3.2 kernel, so that did a trick atleast!

[KubuntuTrouble]

1st my partition manager

2nd is the install log from virtualbox.