error when I try to update virtual box guest addition: Running update file "/bin/sh" on guest failed: VERR_INTERNAL_ERROR 5

Question

My host is windows 11 and running linux on virtual machine. When I try to update my virtual box guest addition i get this error below.

Name: C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox/VBoxGuestAdditions.iso

Running update file "/bin/sh" on guest failed: VERR_INTERNAL_ERROR_5.
Result Code:
VBOX_E_IPRT_ERROR (0X80BB0005)
Component:
GuestSessionWrap
Interface:
IGuestSession {234f0627-866d-48c2-91a5-4c9d50f04928}

Answer 1

Maybe you can solve the issue by installing the guest additions from within the guest system. The answer is largely based on https://askubuntu.com/questions/22743/how-do-i-install-guest-additions-in-a-virtualbox-vm. I am attaching a how-to for the installation of Poseidon 9 in which the procedure is covered.

1. Install the Microsoft Visual C++ 2019 Redistributable Package ( https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe, https://www.debugpoint.com/virtualbox-needs-microsoft-visual-c/)
2. Install the Oracle VM Virtual Box 7.0.8 (https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads)
3. Download Poseidon 9 (https://sites.google.com/site/poseidonlinux/download)
4. Open the Virtual Box, create a new VM, select the ISO of Poseidon 9 for installation, install the Ubuntu version in the VM.
5. Restart the VM with Poseidon 9 and open up a terminal:
   • update the system: sudo apt-get update
   • upgrade the system: sudo apt-get upgrade
   • get the build-essential and dkms tools: sudo apt install build-essential dkms
   • get the guest additions from the repository (not the standard ones, they destroy everything): sudo apt-get install virtualbox-guest-additions-iso
   • make a new folder to mount the guest additions: sudo mkdir /mnt/iso
   • mount the iso file: sudo mount -o loop /usr/share/virtualbox/VBoxGuestAdditions.iso /mnt/iso
   • go to the mounted iso file: cd /mnt/iso
   • install: sh autorun.sh (maybe sudo?)
   • unmount the iso: sudo umount /mnt/iso/
6. Close the terminal and shut off the VM
7. Go the the settings in the Virtual Box and add a shared folder
8. Start the VM. Most likely you do not have user rights to work in the shared folder yet. So, open a terminal
   • Install a command line editor: sudo apt install vim
   • Edit the /etc/group file
   • go to directory: cd /etc/
   • open in editor: sudo vim group
   • press "i" to go to edit mode, search for the line "vboxsf:x:999" (at the end most likely") and alternate to "vboxsf:x:999:username" (replace username with your ubuntu user name).
   • press "ESC" to leave edit mode, type ":wq" to write the changes and quit.
9. Log off and on again.
10. Do what ever you want.

Answer 2

I have met the same error and solved by doing the steps indicated here.

In particular, the "paragraph 3":

NOTE: your guest additions must be the same version as your virtualbox.

• in your VM: cd /media/<MY_USER>/VBox_GAs_<VERSION_NUMBER>/

• in your "mother OS": virtualbox "mother window" top bar > help > about virtualbox

3 - retrying installing Virtualbox Guest Additions

sudo apt update

which returns no more warings, then

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)

then restart the VM via sudo reboot.

Then, from the VirtualBox topbar "Device" menu -> Click "Insert guest additions CD" (it does not seem like it does anything, but it does indeed)

finally

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/cdrom
sudo mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
cd /mnt/cdrom
sudo ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run 

go on when it asks if you want to install the guest additions even if they are already on the OS, and again restart the VM via sudo reboot.