I wasn't quite sure where this should go - here because I'm installing and trying to configure the graphics drivers or the main section because it's running in Windows :D

I've got Sun VirtualBox running and have got versions of Ubuntu running - v9.04 (32bit) and v9.10 (64bit)

My graphics card is a GeForce 9400GT and in both systems I can only have 640x480 or 800x600.

If anyone is able to run through how (if possible) I can get a larger display setting (preferably like 1680x1050 which is what I'm running Windows at) I'd be most grateful.

I'm pretty much a total noob when it comes to Linux so if saying "do this" please explain in braille as I've spent (no exaggeration!) about 3 hours buried in Google reading posts in forums where people have had similar problems (just not through VirtualBox) and even tried YouTube videos and I'm still stuck at the beginning.

I've even killed one version of 9.04 already and had to delete it and make it again.

I've tried install EnvyNG through Synaptic Package Manager and all the NVIDIA drivers show with red "X"s

I've seen on this site that the 180 package supports my graphics card but I can't get it to work :(

If you install the virtualbox additions then that should be sorted. Let me see if I can remember how, I don't have it install at the moment...
In the drop down menu where you mount CDs and images, at the bottom, there's one for the additions. Click that to mount the image.
Then open a terminal and type cd /media/cdrom this may not work. in which case you'll have to put cd /media/*name of the cd image here* I can't remember the name of it at the moment
then type sudo sh VirtualBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run
You'll be asked for your password then it will install. Restart ubuntu and you should be set.

By the way, installing anything for your GFX card (drivers etc.) won't work because operating systems inside virtualbox don't use your GFX acrd.

I've no idea how to CD to the CD - I've mounted it but I don't know what to put after the CD command!

EDIT: only way i can find it is by dragging the icon from the "Places" menu into the terminal otherwise I've have no idea what to type!

I've run that and rebooted and got this...

The name of the image should be something like "VirtualboxAdditions" then a version number. Like I say, I can't remember what the current one is. If you find out where it is in the virtualbox installation folder you can find out what it is that way. then type this to cd to it:

cd /media/VirtualBoxAdditions*version number*

Once you know the name of the iso image, replace the "VirtualBoxAdditions*version number*" with the name of it.

OK the progress so far - thanks for your help - I was almost there having almost done that but didn't quite do it like you mentioned.

I did something to that verion of Ubuntu so I "rolled back" to a snapshot of right after I downloaded the updates after a fresh install.

Booted back up, opened the terminal and sudo'd the VBoxLinuxAdditions-amd64.run file, rebooted and I'm presented with a much higher resolution.

Can the compiz be enabled in VBox or is it restricted to standard use?

Ah, 64 bit. I think compiz can be enabled, I never tried. I wouldn't expect it to perform very well though.

My very first attempt at Linux a few months ago was met with a lot of frustration. I've been playing with computers since I was 7, now 36 and I'm starting to feel the same way now.

I know this is inside a VBox and is different but there doesn't seem to be any user friendly aspect to Ubuntu at all. It still seems to me to be very much a "complete geek OS"

Nothing is easy to do. Look how many hours I've wasted trying to get the screen resolution changed. I remember my very first attempt at Linux was the same. Hours in Google trying to just install the display drivers when I had Ubuntu installed as a secondary OS. Even then I managed to kill the OS and couldn't get it back (found my topic on page 2 of this forum)

Trust me when I say that Ubuntu is very much a "user friendly" linux distribution. If you want to know what one at the other end of the scale is like, try installing, um, arch linux (I think it was arch linux) in a virtualbox. I got fed up of it and gave up

When I first wanted to give Linux a try I did a little research and settled on Ubuntu because of how user friendly it claimed to be.

Just feel I was lied to.

The terms "User friendly Linux" and "User friendly operating system" are VERY different.

lol so it seem :)

I think I'm going to scrap Linux - seems 64bit support is so backwards Adobe's Flash payer is still in beta (!) and by the looks of it a pig to install.

Thanks for your help and patience, I'm off to bed as it's 4am and I'm currently wanting to click "delete" right away and I might feel different about it in the morning...

You're welcome