.VBOX or .OVA Workshop Manuals Installation Guide

If your workshop manual is in either .vbox or .OVA format then you will be using the free VirtualBox player (made by the same guys who invented Java so it’s a good platform) to run your manual.

Quick Start Check List

For PC’s you will need:

  • 7Zip (To extract your download) – from here.
  • VirtualBox for PC’s – download the latest version from here.

For Mac’s you will need:

  • Keka (To extract your download) – from here. Or The Unarchiver for free from the Appstore here.
  • VirtualBox for Macs – download it from here.

Your workshop manual application has been pre-installed for you on a virtual copy of Windows XP or Windows 7 depending on the workshop manual. This makes it very easy to run on any windows operating systems including 64 Bit machines plus Apple Macs and saves you the bother of a complicated installation process.

To “play” the manual you need to install VirtualBox. You can download it for the PC from our servers here:

PC Virtual Box Player

You can download it for the Mac from our servers here:

Mac Virtual Box Player

Download: If you have purchased a download, once it has completed you need to extract the download using 7Zip if you are on a PC or Keka or The Unarchiver if you are on a Mac (links to download them are above). Once installed to extract the .rar file (or files) double click it (or part 1 if there are multiple rar files) and choose to extract it to a convenient location.

DVD: If you have purchased discs, then create a folder on your desktop and copy the entire contents of each disc to the folder you have just created andย then extract the .rar files using 7Zip if you are on a PC or The Unarchiverย if you are on a Mac (links to download them are above), to extract the .rar file (or files) double click it (or part 1 if there are multiple rar files) and choose to extract it to a convenient location.

Once you have installed your version of VirtualBox close it and then you need to open your workshop manual with it to get your manual running.

For .vbox Manuals:

All you need to do, once you have installed Virtualbox is to close it, then navigate to your workshop manual folder and open the file that ends .vbox and your manual will run. There will be a quick start guide on the desktop of your virtual machine manual to get you going.

For .OVA Manuals:

If you haven’t already, open the VirtualBox player by double clicking the “VirtualBox” icon on the desktop or in your Applications folder, once open click File > Import Appliance:

A dialog box will open, click the folder with a green triangle on it (as seen below with the red circle around it):

Navigate to where you downloaded the .OVA file (usually your downloads folder or desktop), and select it:

Double click the .OVA file and the Appliance to import box will appear, click “Next”:

The Appliance settings box will appear. You must ensure “Reinitialize MAC address” is UNTICKED, and then click “Import”:

The import process will now take this. This can take a while dependant on how large the manual is and the machine you are using:

Once the import has completed the “virtual machine” (your workshop manual) will appear in the VirtualBox main window:

You are now ready to run your manual. To open it just double click the name on the left hand side. And your workshop manual will load.ย Once running you will find there is a “Quick Start Guide” notepad located on the desktop. This gives you full instructions on how to use your new manual.

If you have any issues please raise a support ticket by clicking here.