[vbox-dev] VirtualBox 7.0 doesn't work on my Windows 7 host

[Klaus Espenlaub]

VirtualBox 6.1 definitely works on Windows 7, as long as you have an 
install which will pass the hardening checks (essentially all system 
DLLs have to be validly signed), which have been in place for many years 
to ensure that there isn't random untrusted code inside a VM process.

If the issue is tampered system DLLs, then that is usually repaired by 
running "sfc.exe /scannow".

For VirtualBox 7 we certainly won't care, because Microsoft's support 
for Windows 7 ended years ago. If it works for anyone that's of course 
something we're fine with, but we'll neither actively work towards 
having it running or non-running.

In general the host packages are supported on Windows versions which are 
still supported by Microsoft, which right now means Windows 8.1 and later.

Running Windows 7 in a VM is a different story, there we're intending to 
keep old Windows versions including Guest Additions usable.

Klaus

On 2022-08-27 12:42, Alexey Eromenko wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> Since VBox hardening, all VirtualBox versions refuse to work on my
> Windows 7 host.
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/zkf3lcxpme8rp2o/VBoxHardening_20220827.log?dl=0
> 
> ... so I am forced to keep using VirtualBox 4.1.6 on it.
> All v6.x doesn't work here either.  It can be installed, but VMs
> refuse to start, like there is a vboxdrv kernel issue.
> Is there any solution ?
> 
> This bug seems to happen only on some large-disk >2 TB systems with
> Windows 7, legacy BIOS, and GPT-formatted disks.
> 
> Regards,