windows 8 as guest to windows 7 VM box installs fails

[mikb76]

I am using VM box 4.2.4 r81684 under windows 7 Pro Processor setting is for NX bit to be set. Running Microsofts "Windows 8 upgrade assistant" on W7 host shows the NX bit is set i.e. turned on in the bios. The VM box has windows 7 Premium installed which is working ok. Running Microsofts "Windows 8 upgrade assistant" in the guest box under W7 Premium shows that NX bit is not set. This means that when I try to install windows 8 Pro it fails after loading all the stuff from dvd and the key is accepted. windows 8 will not install unless the NX bit is set.

[Perry G]

I don't believe the 4400 series of the Intel Core 2 supports Hardware Virtualization.

[Grayghost]

I have the same problem .... can't install or update to windows 8 . Windows 7 work fine ... windows 8 will not update ... goes through complete install then will not boot and reverts back to windows 7.

I have added two log files ... the DVD will sometimes boot and go through the install and sometimes it will not boot ... when I attache window8.iso file will never boot .. it will hang or sometime it will end with a block of error and the instruction to turn off the power switch the second log file it just hung untill I powered off.

[Frank Mehnert]

mikb76, as correctly stated by Perry, your CPU does not support VT-x. And in non-VT-x mode, the PAE mode does not work correctly IIRC. Grayhost, please attach a VBox.log file of your VM session, it sounds like you have the same problem.

[Grayghost]

Grayghost log file windows 8 attempt to install

[Grayghost]

this was an attempt to boot the window 8 update disk

[mikb76]

Hi Looking at the vbox logs one can see that the host has NX=1 and guest NX=0 hence windows 8 will not install as a guest. The check box in VM is ticked for NX bit. Surely this is a bug!

[mikb76]

Hi Opps, Ive just googled VT-x. So its a new mother for me then! and while Iam at it add another hard drive. By the way the bi-directional clipboard feature from w7 guest to w7 host does not work. Must look into dual boot scenario.

[Frank Mehnert]

Grayghost, in your case it looks like you didn't enable 'PAE' in the VM settings. Please do and try again.

[Grayghost]

Replying to frank:

I did enable PAE ... and still will not boot I will add another log. I also tried to boot a DVD ... and it will not boot.

I have tried it in both Suse 12.2 and Mint LMDE hosts .. same results in both.

Why would PAE not be enabled when you set up a new guest with windows 8 selected as the guest ? I would think that it should be set to run windows 8.

I am beginning to think windows 8 (final release) was designed not to work in a virtual machine. I know many people are running the trial version.

[Grayghost]

this is with PAE enabled trying to boot a attached .iso file of windows 8 update

[Frank Mehnert]

Grayghost, I don't see any problem in your log file and yes, PAE is indeed enabled. What does exactly happen when you try to boot Windows 8 now?

[Grayghost]

I get a black screen with a "window" on it and an infinate hang ...or an error message to reboot. This is the same with host of Suse or Mint LMDE ... so it must be my HP laptop. I have also install a modified bios. ... same results.

[aeichner]

Please reopen if still relevant with a recent VirtualBox release.