Running SpinRite within a virtual FreeDOS environment on VirtualBox, with physical USB drive access from a Lubuntu 24.04 host

 Running SpinRite within a virtual FreeDOS environment on VirtualBox, with physical USB drive access from a Lubuntu 24.04 host, requires a combination of VirtualBox configuration and understanding of how FreeDOS interacts with hardware. Here's a breakdown of the steps and considerations:

1. VirtualBox Setup (Raw Disk Access):

• Identifying the USB Drive:
  • In Lubuntu, use the lsblk or sudo fdisk -l commands to identify the specific device name of your USB drive (e.g., /dev/sdb, /dev/sdc). Be absolutely certain you have the correct device, as incorrect selection can lead to data loss.
• Creating a Raw Disk VMDK:
  • VirtualBox needs a virtual disk file (VMDK) that points directly to your physical USB drive. This is done using the VBoxManage command:
    Bash

    sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename /path/to/your/usb.vmdk -rawdisk /dev/sdX
    

    • Replace /path/to/your/usb.vmdk with the desired path and filename for your VMDK file.
    • Replace /dev/sdX with the actual device name of your USB drive.
    • Example:
    Bash

    sudo VBoxManage internalcommands createrawvmdk -filename ~/USB_Drive.vmdk -rawdisk /dev/sdb
    

• VirtualBox Permissions:
  • VirtualBox needs permissions to access the raw disk. Add your user to the disk group:
    Bash

    sudo usermod -aG disk $USER
    

    • Log out and back in for the group change to take effect.
• Creating the FreeDOS Virtual Machine:
  • Create a new virtual machine in VirtualBox.
  • Select "Other" and "DOS" or "Other/Unknown" as the operating system.
  • Allocate minimal RAM (e.g., 64MB or 128MB).
  • When prompted to add a virtual hard disk, choose "Use an existing virtual hard disk file" and select the usb.vmdk file you created.
  • Add a second virtual hard drive. This will be the drive that freedos boots from. It should be a small virtual hard drive that you install freedos onto.
  • Install FreeDOS onto the newly created virtual hard drive.

2. FreeDOS and SpinRite:

• Booting FreeDOS:
  • Boot the FreeDOS virtual machine.
  • Ensure that the boot order in the virtual machines settings has the virtual hard drive that freedos is installed on as the first boot device.
• Accessing the USB Drive:
  • FreeDOS might recognize the USB drive as a hard disk (e.g., C:, D:, etc.). Use the fdisk command within FreeDOS to identify the drive.
  • SpinRite should then be able to access the drive using its assigned drive letter.
• SpinRite Considerations:
  • SpinRite is designed to work with physical drives. While raw disk access in VirtualBox provides a close approximation, there might be subtle differences in how FreeDOS and SpinRite interact with the emulated hardware.
  • Be extremely cautious when using SpinRite on a physical drive through a virtual machine. Double-check the drive selection to avoid accidental data loss.
  • Spinrite may have issues with modern large capacity usb drives.
  • Because you are running spinrite in a virtual machine, the timing of the drive analysis may be skewed.

Important Notes:

• Data Loss Risk: Directly accessing physical drives from a virtual machine carries a risk of data loss if not done correctly. Be absolutely sure you understand the steps and have backups of any critical data.
• USB Device Passthrough (Alternative, but less ideal for SpinRite):
  • VirtualBox also offers USB device passthrough, where you can directly connect a USB device to the virtual machine. However, this method is generally less reliable for SpinRite, as SpinRite needs direct low-level access to the drive, which might be restricted by the VirtualBox USB emulation layer.
• AHCI/IDE:
  • Ensure that the virtual machines storage controller is set to IDE for best freedos compatibility.
• Testing:
  • Before running SpinRite on a critical drive, test the setup with a spare USB drive to ensure everything is working as expected.

By following these steps, you should be able to run SpinRite within a FreeDOS virtual machine and access your physical USB drives. Remember to exercise caution and double-check all drive selections to avoid data loss.