The headless startup attempt didn’t work as expected, so I’m switching back to a more stable approach.
Instead of trying to force the VM to run completely headless, I’m going back into the system directly through the VirtualBox console.
The focus here is stability first — automation comes later once the system is reliable.
I start the virtual machine manually and log in through the VirtualBox window. This gives me direct access to the system so I can fix anything that might be preventing proper background operation.
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The next step is installing Guest Additions inside Ubuntu.
This is important because it improves how the VM interacts with VirtualBox itself.
I install the required packages:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)
Then I mount the Guest Additions ISO from the VirtualBox menu and run:
sudo mkdir /mnt/cdrom
sudo mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
sudo /mnt/cdrom/VBoxLinuxAdditions.run
After installation completes, I reboot the VM:
sudo reboot
This ensures all kernel modules and integration features are properly loaded.
This step is important because it helps with:
Better VM stability inside VirtualBox
Improved networking behaviour
Better compatibility with headless or background operation later
Reduced issues with display or session dependencies
It essentially makes the VM behave more like a real server environment rather than a basic emulated machine.
After stabilising the system, I will revisit the idea of headless startup.
If it still fails, I will consider:
adjusting VM display settings
removing GUI dependencies
or switching to a more server-lean configuration of Ubuntu
But for now, the priority is stability over automation.
At the end of this stage: