VirtualBox

Opened 12 years ago

Closed 8 years ago

#10761 closed defect (obsolete)

(15" Retina) Guest Screen Stop Updating

Reported by: oxoocoffee Owned by:
Component: other Version: VirtualBox 4.1.18
Keywords: rBP Retina Win7 screen update Cc:
Guest type: Windows Host type: Mac OS X

Description

This might be related to bug #10760. After some time working in vbox, entire guest stop updating but it is not frozen. When I minimize and restore window it shows updates. I always noticed this when in full screen more when after some random time stops updating. At this point exiting from full screen to normal windowed mode does not repaint the window. It needs minimize and restore. If I click in Windows on some application to close it I do still see like this app is open. When I min and restore it is asking me to save document. If I click on save same deal. At this point I did not find any way to fix this instead of shutting down vbox. Log file is attached from this machine in #10760 ticket. I only have 2D accel enable and no 3D accel enabled.

Attachments (2)

Corrupt.JPG (261.2 KB ) - added by oxoocoffee 12 years ago.
Corrupt Screen
VirtualBox-4.1.19-79515-OSX.log (210.4 KB ) - added by oxoocoffee 12 years ago.

Download all attachments as: .zip

Change History (26)

comment:1 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Ok This happend every time windowed mode or full screen mode by hitting Command+C (Scale Mode from Full mode) and hitting it back again. Also while writing this post in separate workspace I noticed that when switched to back to workspace where VBox was running and noticed entire screen garbage. I was trying to take a screenshot but while was trying to open capture -> Utilities it repainted it self. but even at this point it does not repaint anymore. Also Just noticed when switching between workspaces it causes repaint. So you do not have to do min/restore to repaint.

comment:2 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Also want to point out that scale mode does not work at all. It is all Black screen all the time.

by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Attachment: Corrupt.JPG added

Corrupt Screen

comment:3 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Michael,

So I try fresh Guest WinXP x32 on Win7 x64 host. And attached screenshot (Corrupt.JPG) is what happens. This is what I did. Started guest in windowed mode (with auto size selected by default). Then pressed Host+C. On first switch all "looks ok". Noticed on this that the vbox menu was gone at top. But window was still updating its contents. So this time I pressed Host+C again and I got blank screen. I am still in windowed mode. I did not go to full screen mode at all during this test. But now trying to resize blank/black window creates the Corrupt.JPG screen. Each time I try to resize window the "skew" lines change for more or less skewed. At this point not matter if I switch to full screen or choose any option I can't fix it. I just have to kill the guest and restart. Let me know if there is anything else.

comment:4 by Michael Thayer, 12 years ago

You seem to be discussing at least two related issues in parallel here. 1) (Completing with what you told me on IRC:) When you enter full screen and go straight to scaled mode (straight after machine start?) your system stops updating (or does it just update very slowly?). 2) When you enter scaled mode from normal mode (again straight after machine start?) you either get a black screen or the corruption you showed, which looks as if VirtualBox and the guest disagree about the current screen resolution. Can you work out under which circumstances you get a black screen and when you get corruption?

Thanks.

comment:5 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Yes Michael. I am talking about two related issues.

My original post was entering on boot into fullscreen mode. After out irc conversation yesterday and your suggestions to start with fresh guest I was able to determine that that entering from full screen or normal mode gets me to same state (sometimes all black screen or garbage, but rather way when I start resizing window it gets garbage all the time) The only difference so it seems is that going from full screen to scaled mode is affected on first try (no updated unless I force with refresh) where in normal on first switch it is ok (with missing menu not sure if that is indication of something but I will leave this to you). Where from normal to scaled in after 2nd try so it seems on my machine.

comment:6 by Michael Thayer, 12 years ago

Would you be able to try this with a Linux guest? The problem with scaled mode sounds like it might be reproducible with a live CD, as scaled mode doesn't depend on the Guest Additions. Ubuntu is generally pretty fast to test (and install if that is necessary).

comment:7 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Sure thing. I will try tonight with CentOS 6.2 and latest Ubuntu

Last edited 12 years ago by oxoocoffee (previous) (diff)

comment:8 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Ok So I booted Ubuntu Live 12.4 x32 on Win7 x64 host and hitting Host+C switches back and first just fine. After about 20 switches I started mixing wilt full screen etc and it all looks good. Then I booted XP on same host and try to do Host+C and on first switch from windowed to Scaled it looks good. I can see desktop fine and I can select icons and start button. But on next Host+C to go back to Windowed mode things gets messed up. Black screen or garbage. This is reproducible every time after XP guest reboot.

Hope this helps

comment:9 by Michael Thayer, 12 years ago

I assume that your XP guest has Guest Additions installed. Would it be possible to try it with a clean XP guest? I understand that you didn't see anything with the Ubuntu live CD. I wonder whether installing it and installing the Additions would trigger it?

comment:10 by Dsen, 12 years ago

Also, please check if pausing VM (in case of guest-screen-update hang) repaints guest screen with grayed-out guest content.

in reply to:  9 comment:11 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Replying to michael:

I assume that your XP guest has Guest Additions installed. Would it be possible to try it with a clean XP guest? I understand that you didn't see anything with the Ubuntu live CD. I wonder whether installing it and installing the Additions would trigger it?

Yes latest are installed :) Would uninstalling guest told would work? This XP is a fresh install with latest MS patches and guest tools. I will try to look for my XP CD and try to install it again and see what happens (this time with out installing tools?)

comment:12 by Michael Thayer, 12 years ago

That would be great thanks. And you might also try out Sergey (Dsen)'s suggestion with pausing the VM.

comment:13 by Michael Thayer, 12 years ago

Obviously the pausing suggestion would be with your current guests which show the problem.

comment:14 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

michael,

I think I missed your above statement "I understand that you didn't see anything with the Ubuntu live CD." Are you asking I do not see anything as no problems? Or I do not see anything like blank screen? I did not see any problems with live CD period. Just to be clear ....

comment:15 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Ok so I installed fresh XP x32 SP3 (guest) on Win7 x64 (host) same machine where I have other WinXPx32 with tools installed. Now switching to scale mode on fresh install with out tools I do not see this problem. I tried multiple of times and trying to go to fullscreen mode (well full screen window with guest still low res since no tools). So I can't reproduce this on fresh install. The earlier XP that I was trying it is also fresh install with out anything except tools.

in reply to:  10 comment:16 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Replying to Dsen:

Also, please check if pausing VM (in case of guest-screen-update hang) repaints guest screen with grayed-out guest content.

So I tried on guest VM that (fresh XP SP3 with just tools installed) and after screen got corrupted I paused running VM. This forced repaint is grayed out mode. Pressing Pause again this time did not repaint the screen and it stayed grayed out. I know that the vm is running since I see network and drive activity indicators. After trying to resize VM windows it was repainted but totally corrupted. Also when I was trying to shutdown corrupted guest by just closing the window I was prompted with three options. I selected left alone the middle option to send shutdown signal to guest. And here is something interesting. While guest main window was not updated and still stayed corupted the little preview window in main VM app was updating with readable shutdown XP messages and it looked list it should while shutting down. Main VM guest window did not update at all until it was closed on shutdown.

Last edited 12 years ago by oxoocoffee (previous) (diff)

in reply to:  14 comment:17 by Michael Thayer, 12 years ago

When the Guest Additions are installed the guest explicitly tells VirtualBox when something changes on-screen. However, when you minimise and restore the guest VirtualBox repaints the whole screen. It sounds to me as if the update information is no longer getting exchanged, with the result that VirtualBox thinks that nothing is changing on-screen and sees no need to update things while the guest is running except when something happens like a minimise and restore, when the VirtualBox window loses the whole screen contents temporarily and has to update everything even if it thinks that nothing has changed.

So the next thing would be to look for a way of monitoring the exchange of update information between the two to see where it falls down.

Replying to OxOOCOFFEE:

michael,

I think I missed your above statement "I understand that you didn't see anything with the Ubuntu live CD." Are you asking I do not see anything as no problems? Or I do not see anything like blank screen? I did not see any problems with live CD period. Just to be clear ....

Sorry, that was a bit confusing, wasn't it? I did indeed mean that you don't see any problems.

Version 0, edited 12 years ago by Michael Thayer (next)

comment:18 by Michael Thayer, 12 years ago

I have create a test build of VirtualBox which does additional logging to the log file on the host. If you wish, you can download it as

https://www.virtualbox.org/download/testcase/VirtualBox-4.1.19-79515-OSX.dmg

Please run it with the environment variable "VBOX_RELEASE_LOG=+dev_vga.e.l.l2.l3.f" set and reproduce your issue, noting the timestamp in the log file as close to the point where the issue started as you can (it doesn't matter if it is a little bit later). Then do things which ought to trigger screen updates. Perhaps that will provide more insight.

Last edited 12 years ago by Michael Thayer (previous) (diff)

comment:19 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

I am getting page not found... for above link :)

michael> Fixed the mis-type.

Last edited 12 years ago by Michael Thayer (previous) (diff)

comment:20 by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

Ok I am attaching .log file that I run with exported VBOX_RELEASE_LOG=+dev_vga.e.l.l2.l3.f and fresh clean Log (VirtualBox-4.1.19-79515-OSX.log). The event started around 11:28:05 Central Time. Guest tools were also updated. After booting in windowed mode I switched to scale mode and back and again and on third switch I got black screen. resizing window at this point repaints window but it is all curputed

Last edited 12 years ago by oxoocoffee (previous) (diff)

by oxoocoffee, 12 years ago

comment:21 by oxoocoffee, 11 years ago

Michael,

This is still a problem with 4.1.23

comment:22 by Michael Thayer, 11 years ago

From the log you sent it doesn't look like this is a guest-side issue, but rather a front-end issue, so I would rather wait for someone with more front-end experience to find time to take a look.

comment:23 by DanCaseley, 11 years ago

I've observed the same behaviour with a Win 7 x64 host running v4.2.4 and a Mint 13 x64 guest (installed using the "Ubuntu (x64)" as the Type. After a few seconds, the on-screen display stops updating. The best work-around I've found is to remain in Auto Resize Guest Display mode and keep nudging the edge by a pixel here & there. Having "Enable 3D Acceleration" disabled "fixes" problem, but leads to a degraded experience. I've tried updating the GAs using the menu option, but it hasn't helped.

Last edited 11 years ago by DanCaseley (previous) (diff)

comment:24 by aeichner, 8 years ago

Resolution: obsolete
Status: newclosed

Please reopen if still relevant with a recent VirtualBox release.

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