1) FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

What is Quickstart?

Q: What is Quickstart?
A: Quickstart is a downloadable, virtual machine, that includes a complete set of tools for building and testing Drupal software and websites.

Q: How do I get Quickstart?
A: Follow the instructions here.

Q: What is the password?
A: 'admin' for Drupal user 'admin', 'quickstart' for everything else.

Q: What does it look like?
A: After you import the image, double-click to start it. It will look like a computer is booting in a window on your desktop, and finally show a Ubuntu desktop.

Q: Is this *the* way to make a Drupal development environment?
A: No, this is just *a* way. Different people have different needs. Feel free to customize, and submit issues with suggestions on improving Quickstart.

Downloading and installing Quickstart

Q: i386 or amd64?
A: I don't know, it depends on your hardware :-)

• Use i386 if you have older hardware, a 32-bit OS, or trouble with the amd64 version.
• Requirements for the amd64 version:
  • Computer has a 64-bit CPU (Intel or AMD)
  • Computer has VT-X/AMD-V enabled in your BIOS
  • Computer has a 64-bit OS
  • Quickstart has IO APIC turned on

A: See here, here, and here.

Q: Ok, I got the .ova file, but it's saying "Failed to import:(VERR_TAR_END_OF_FILE)" WTF?
A: Verify the file name hasn't changed e.g. your browser added a "(1)". Check the download links for the correct file names. bug

Q: Ok, I got the .ova file, but it's not importing for some other reason.
A: Check the file sizes:

• Quickstart-1.0-i386.ova - 1156046336 bytes
• Quickstart-1.0-amd64.ova - 1268723712 bytes

Q: I'm trying to download a project with drush, and getting an error about a corrupt md5. What gives?
Version 1.0 of Quickstart caches the results from Drupal.org to save on bandwidth. However, sometimes this cache can get corrupted. Try entering the following in the terminal:

export http_proxy=

and you should be back in business!

Note that this caching functionality is planned to be removed in a future version to prevent this issue.

Using Quickstart

Q: What are the default usernames and passwords ?
A: Unix = quickstart:quickstart
MySQL = root:quickstart
Drupal = admin:admin

Q: Where do I put my websites?
A: In the websites folder on the desktop. See here for more info on setting up new sites. Quickstart provides some powerful tools for this.

Q: WTF?! Ubuntu keeps freezing!
A: Turn off nested paging.
Shut down the VM. Right-click in VBox window -> Settings -> System -> Acceleration -> Un-check "Enable Nested Paging".
A: And/Or use only one CPU. This may be fixed in VBox 4, but for VBox 3, I run with one CPU.

Q: I wish there was an easy way to [blank]. Is there a list of that?
A: Yes, check out the quick tips section.

Q: Sometimes downloads from ftp.drupal.org are cached, sometimes not? What's up with that?
A: Quickstart 0.9 comes configured with squid proxy to cache drush downloads from ftp.drupal.org. Rebooting the virtual machine clears the cache. Instead of rebooting, click "close", and select "save the machine state". This will hibernate the virtual machine.

Q: I keep getting this popup to update the guest additions? What's up with that?
A: This is safe to ignore. The version included are the "Open Source" additions, and they are configured to "re-install" automatically after kernel updates. If you want to use the "most recent" version, run this command to uninstall, but be aware you'll need to re-install after every Linux kernel update. sudo apt-get remove virtualbox-ose-guest-x11

Q: How do I edit files with my favorite windows/mac/non-linux program
A: There isn't an amazing way to do this, but there are some options:
1) use shared folders (this puts files on host computer) and copy files from guest to host and back
2) use version control commits and updates to copy changes between host and guest
3) find alternate software: Top left -> Applications -> Ubuntu Software Center (I haven't found a good dreamweaver replacement)
4) suggestions?
Unfortunately, Virtualbox doesn't support "symbolic links" for shared folders.

Q: How do I view my websites in IE/Safari, or from another computer?
A: Configure Virtualbox to do "Bridged Networking"

Q: Sooooo slooooooooowwwwww!
A: Check out the performance tips.

Q: Shared folders isn't working. What's up with that?
A: If you are sharing a folder under version control, it may take some time for RabbitVCS to display it. Better to copy the folder into the virtual machine.

Q: Can I get my PHP 5.2 back?
A: Yes, you can. Follow these instructions to switch back to PHP 5.2.

Q: How can I debug email?
A: By default, email sent within Quickstart is logged to the filesystem under /home/quickstart/logs/websites/logs/mail/. For more details, see the Debugging Email screencast.

Q: What is the Quickstart user password?
A: quickstart