[Steve303]

Fenichel, I had a similar problem with the top menu not showing. I had to

1. Open a terminal window by typing "Ctrl" + "Home" in the Ubuntu Desktop after closing PathPilot
2. Then type "/usr/bin/gnome-panel" the menu bar across the top should appear. Then look under Places for the Guest Additions Disk.




Also do not forget to turn the auto start of PathPilot by going to the System Preferences Startup Applications and unchecking PathPilot.

[Fenichel]

@Steve303
I followed your instructions, but now things are worse. When I start PathPilot now, it gets past the splash screen, but it never gets to the PP desktop. Instead, it stops at

and holding left-Alt/left-shift during this boot has no effect, so I can't get back to the Applications/Places/System menu. Ctrl/Alt/X gets me to the File/Edit/View/Terminal/Help menu, but I have no idea of what I might do there to move forward.

[Steve303]

My mistake it should be "Ctrl" + "Home" to bring up the Ubuntu menu. See post #9.

[Fenichel]

@Steve303
I can't find an opportunity to use Ctl/Home now. The candidate times are

• before the appearance of the Tormach splash screen (Ctl/Home --> freeze with splash screen),
• after the appearance (and stasis) of the ghostly explosion drawing (Ctl/Home --> no effect)
• after Crl/Alt/X --> the File/Edit/View/Terminal/Help menu (Ctl/Home --> no effect).

I don't know what it might do if I tried it from the PP desktop, because I can't get there any more.

[rdsi]

Members, I have been putting together a document to help explain how to do this. Kind of a how-to-for-dummies. Not that any of us are really dummies but this is a forum about CNC machines – not software.

Tormach has done a pretty good job of insulating us from the software aspect of it, but some of us just want more. So if there’s enough interest in this I’ll try & finish it up & make it available.

[Fenichel]

Good for you. Thanks in advance.

[RTP_Burnsville]

Members, I have been putting together a document to help explain how to do this. Kind of a how-to-for-dummies. Not that any of us are really dummies but this is a forum about CNC machines – not software.

Tormach has done a pretty good job of insulating us from the software aspect of it, but some of us just want more. So if there’s enough interest in this I’ll try & finish it up & make it available.

I for one would be interested....... I have messed with Vituralbox and others a few years back but Linux is fairly new to me.

Thanks,
Robert

[GLCarlson]

Wow! RDSI, many thanks for the pointer to Virtual Box.

I know I'll be the weird one here...but has anyone tried this with the Mac OS (VB says it runs there) and PP? Sounds as if it should work, just set up the virtual Linux machine and off you go.

[GLCarlson]

I for one would be interested....... I have messed with Vituralbox and others a few years back but Linux is fairly new to me.

Thanks,
Robert

Second that!

[Steve303]

@Steve303
I can't find an opportunity to use Ctl/Home now. The candidate times are

• before the appearance of the Tormach splash screen (Ctl/Home --> freeze with splash screen),
• after the appearance (and stasis) of the ghostly explosion drawing (Ctl/Home --> no effect)
• after Crl/Alt/X --> the File/Edit/View/Terminal/Help menu (Ctl/Home --> no effect).

I don't know what it might do if I tried it from the PP desktop, because I can't get there any more.

Remember, breaking this install will not damage anything. Worst case a simple reinstall and start from scratch. I had to do this twice before I got it working. It is worth it in the end!

I am looking forward to rdsi's documented install. It will certainly clear the steps needed for everyone.

Steve

[TurboStep]

Wow! RDSI, many thanks for the pointer to Virtual Box.

I know I'll be the weird one here...but has anyone tried this with the Mac OS (VB says it runs there) and PP? Sounds as if it should work, just set up the virtual Linux machine and off you go.

Yes, PP on VB works on OSX.
Step


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[draper-ballou]

I agree, thanks RDSI!!!

I do have this up and running on MAC OSX, but am using Parallels instead of Virtual Box. I had to create a "keyboard shortcut" in order to send Alt+LeftShift during the boot sequence. Works great, I was able to test out my subroutines / subprograms without spending a bunch of time standing in front of the machine.

[sharmstr]

THIS IS AWESOME. Its exactly 95 steps from my desk to my machine. Sometimes its too loud in the factory for me to think. I've been hacking PP so this will definitely save me some time. Thank you!

[Fenichel]

Members, I have been putting together a document to help explain how to do this. Kind of a how-to-for-dummies. Not that any of us are really dummies but this is a forum about CNC machines – not software.

Tormach has done a pretty good job of insulating us from the software aspect of it, but some of us just want more. So if there’s enough interest in this I’ll try & finish it up & make it available.

How are you doing with your document? As noted earlier in this thread, I had no trouble getting PathPilot running within VirtualBox, but I couldn't establish a shared directory between PathPilot & my Windows host, despite trying various magical hotkeys as suggested by you & others.

Having the PP working effectively (that is, with a shared directory) would nicely complement other tools that I am now making available, as described on my Web site here.

[sharmstr]

In VirtualBox Manager, select your client in the left, then click on the settings gear in the upper menu. Go to shared folders and click the folder with the plus sign. For folder path, select "other" and browse to the folder you want to share with the client. Name it and select auto mount. Its important to note that you can share folders on the host, not on the client. Chapter

[Fenichel]

@sharmstr:

I'm stuck.

I have

• dowloaded the latest version of VirtualBox
• running it, created a new PathPilot VM, following @rdsi's instructions from post #5, and using my PP 1.9.8 CDROM
• following your instructions 1 post ago, created a shared folder.

Now when I run the PathPilot VM, it looks & feels like PathPilot. If I pull down VB's Devices/SharedFolders\SharedFoldersSettings menu in the PathPilot VM, I see the shared folder.

That's all fine. But I don't know how to access that folder from within the simulated PP itself. I had expected that the shared folder would show up in the PP file system, perhaps under media (it is empty) or as a new top-level folder.

When you have this working, where do you see the shared folder?

[sharmstr]

The PP file explorer is hard coded to only look in one location. I recall seeing it the other day when I was adding new probing buttons to PP. Hold tight and let me see if I can sort out a hack.

In the meantime, you can bring up terminal by clicking crtl+alt+x. In terminal type in 'nautilus'. That will bring up a file explorer window and you should see your shares. Copy your files into Operator\gcode (that's where PP is looking)

[sharmstr]

I just checked and PP can see my shares. I'm on v1.9.13. I remember something changing in the last update with mounted drives so upgrade to v1.9.13

Edit: here's a screen grab. The first in the list is my usb attached to the host (you can enable that in vb manager), the second two are my shares.

[Fenichel]

I just checked and PP can see my shares. I'm on v1.9.13. I remember something changing in the last update with mounted drives so upgrade to v1.9.13

Easier said than done. The only way I know how to upgrade Pathpilot is through tgp files on USB devices, but my virtual PathPilot can't see any of my USB devices.

In the Devices/USB/USB Settings menu, I have a match-all USB filter, but it still doesn't see anything.

[sharmstr]

use the ctrl-alt-x method i outlined below. copy your upgrade file into Operator/updates. Go into PP, status, update. Click on previous versions. Its how I did it from 1.9.3