This is a small shell script to create a new VirtualBox VM and Raw Disk from an external drive with a bootable OS on it. Because the external drive's UUID changes, you need to recreate the VM every time you plug it in. This script makes that process simpler.
I am in no way affiliated with VirtualBox. I just wanted to eliminate something that was annoying to me.
Running this script could cause damage to your data or your drives. Use it at your own risk. I take no responsibility and cannot help you if something goes wrong.
I have only used this script on OS X 10.8. It may work on other versions of OS X and Linux, it has not been tested. I make no guarantees.
I use this to launch a VirtualBox VM from a bootable USB thumb drive with Ubuntu 14.04 installed on it. It may work for other operating systems on different types of bootable media.
The list of settings applied by this script and their defaults work for me. They may not work for you. You might want to change them.
Refer to the Virtualbox manual for information: http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch08.html#vboxmanage-modifyvm
Just download the script. You'll need to update the permissions to make it executable.
Execute the script from the terminal. You must use sudo to run it as root.
On OS X you might get some notifications about your bootable drive not being readable. Just click ignore. What ever you do, DO NOT initialize the disk.
Note: Avoid installing VirtualBox Guest Additions on your bootable OS if you wish to be able to boot directly from it on a physical computer.