Screen size in FreeBSD in VirtualBox

Question

I am installing FreeBSD 10.0 on VirtualBox, and I can't figure out how to change the size of my screan, in the virtualbox?

The freebsd in the virtualbox treats my screen like it's 1/4th the size of my actual screen?

I want it to fill my screen without the text and images expanding.

Solution 1

use vidcontrol MODE_xxx

For example to have a screen 1024x768x24, in the console :

# vidcontrol MODE_280

To know which mode you can be interested in, in the console :

# vidcontrol -i mode

The left column gives you the number you have to put after MODE_

Solution 2

To make the console mode permanent, add a line to /etc/rc.conf:

allscreens_flags="MODE_332"

(substitute your desired mode number for 332 of course.)

Comments

[eyoung100]

Have you installed the guest additions?

[Flux]

@eyoung100 The VirtualBox Guest Additions is only relevant for increasing the screen size when using Xorg. Guest Additions does not resize the virtual console.

[Raphael Ahrens]

The OP said "I want it to fill my screen without the text and images expanding. " , your answer sounds like it will exactly do that.

[Marcin Komor]

Using just vidcontrol is not enough, you should combine setting screen mode and changing to Scaled Mode - it will give a desirable effect.

[Edward Torvalds]

is there a way to make this setting permanent?

[Mateusz Piotrowski]

@edwardtorvalds See unix.stackexchange.com/a/274979/128489

[Flux]

For vidcontrol -i mode to list any modes, one must be using the sc console driver instead of vt. To use sc instead of vt, add kern.vty=sc to /boot/loader.conf and reboot.