Inconsistent guest performance with identical host conditions

[xaho]

Performance is *sometimes* extremely slow during the entire XP guest run, while the host conditions are strictly the same, i.o.w. running the guest twice consecutively, will give very different performances.

When running in very slow performance, XP guest is really unusable. This can be recognized just by looking at XP booting screen: from the initial XP white/black progress bar, which takes maybe 15 seconds to complete, then during the loading screen with XP logo where the "3d-styled" progress bar animation itself is slower, the boot time itself, and finally within a User session, where both Windows login and logout sounds, are very slow and choppy. Even displaying the start menu is extremely slow, several seconds (with XP classic interface!).

But then, typically, shutting down guest/VM entirely, then just booting it again, "solves" the issue entirely. Sometimes, a third boot may have been necessary (I *think*, but if so, it has been a while and I'm used to only need a second boot). So, better not be in a rush to get the guest up and ready :)

Once the guest is running with the correct performance, it will *always* remain so, even during successive reboots, as long as the VM isn't powered off.

Attaching an archive with configuration xml files, and both VBox/VBoxSvc logs for each performance case. I collected them today, just running the guest twice consecutively, collecting logs while the XP session login/pwd dialogue was ready, and disk activity idle (i.e. before to login User session in guest). Timings are obvious : first boot was about twice slower.

This is happening with VirtualBox-4.2-4.2.2_81494_fedora16-1.x86_64 but, also (I think) with all releases I tested, since I started evaluating VirtualBox almost two years ago.

( NB. and this is one of my last "blockers", as far as I consider adopting VirtualBox fully i.e. relying on it "in production" )

[xaho]

VBox and VM configuration plus a pair of logs for each case

[Frank Mehnert]

Wild guess is some interrupt conflict for the guest. You don't have the I/O APIC enabled and use three PCnet network cards, all running in NAT mode. Any difference if you configure only one network adapter for the guest?

[Frank Mehnert]

No response, closing. Please reopen if you can provide the requested information. And please set CPU execution cap to 100%!