64bit guest on 32bit host

[T800]

After downloading the newest 64bit version of Windows 10 (April update), i faced with a serious problem, when i tried to create a fresh install on a new virtual disk (12GB dynamic VDI). Most likely, the cause of the issue, that my host (it has a C2D P8400 CPU) is running the 32bit version of Windows 7. Altought, it'd be not a problem at all, as long, as VT-x is turned on, in both the BIOS and the VM and the CPU has 64bit support. Nonetheless, installing this OS is currently impossible, because guest is always going to hang, shortly after starting (captured wbem file is attached). Anyways, i'm pretty sure, VT-x is enabled system-wide, because when i disable it in BIOS, i get the expected error message:

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine VM_00002.

VT-x is disabled in the BIOS for all CPU modes (VERR_VMX_MSR_ALL_VMX_DISABLED).

Result Code: E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component: ConsoleWrap
Interface: IConsole {872da645-4a9b-1727-bee2-5585105b9eed}

Also i'm sure, the bug is hiding somewhere in Virtualbox's Windows 10 support, since right after this, i successfully managed to install a 64bit Windows 7 system on exactly the same guest and host (screenshot is attached of this).

[Socratis]

• Follow a "start the VM from cold-boot" / "observe error" / "shutdown the VM" cycle.

• With the VM completely shut down (not paused or saved), right-click on the VM in the VirtualBox Manager and select "Show Log".

• Save only the first "VBox.log", ZIP it and attach it to your response.

• You were supposed to follow these steps when you filed the bug and attach the VBox.log, not a webm video in three parts:

  Attach a (full) log file ("Machine" menu/"Show Log" in the main VirtualBox Manager window) straight away to save time for you and for us. The log file contains a lot of useful information about both the host and the guest systems as well as information about what happened during a particular machine run. Please do not cut and paste it.

Finally, may I suggest something? It's usually better and faster, if issues like this one (configuration, question) get first addressed in the ​VirtualBox forums. More than 95% of the issues are resolved over there, which keeps the developers focusing on the bug fixes and enhancements, and there is no need for another ticket to keep track of. For example, yours is most probably not a bug and someone from the developers has to deal with it and close it as "Invalid".

[T800]

Alright, the log file, what you asked for is attached to this ticket now. Thanks for your kind suggestion, but honestly, i don't think, this issue could be resolved on the forums, because - as i already wrote - a Windows 7 64bit system is installing just fine, while Windows 10 hangs (i didn't mention earlier, but the Windows 10 1709 fall creators update version also had serious problems, but at least, i was able to install it, more or less), almost right after the start of the same VM. Anyways, i'm aware of the HyperV error message in line 1100 of the log, but nothing changes, regardless of which paravirtualization interface i try to set (the current is default).

[Socratis]

00:00:02.723833 Host RAM: 3069MB (2.9GB) total, 2241MB (2.1GB) available
00:00:04.103133 RamSize <integer> = 0x0000000040000000 (1 073 741 824, 1 024 MB)

That's extremely low for a 64-bit system, even lower for a Win10-64 system. I'd take it to at least 2048 MB RAM. That's 99.9% why it's hanging! Of course you have a total of 3069 MB with an available amount of 2241 MB, so you're pushing your host to its limits. Try to close all other applications before you try the VM, or buy some more RAM for your host...

00:00:04.103500   ICH9 <integer> = 0x0000000000000001 (1)

ICH9??? WHY??? Do NOT change the template defaults if you don't really understand what their implications are going to be! Change that back to the default PIIX3!!!

In summary, delete your VM, including its files. Create a new VM. Do NOT change the defaults, because you're sabotaging your own VM, you set it up to fail!

And yes, those questions would have been answered to the forums, that's why I suggested it. They would simply have been answered three days ago, because there are a lot more eyes that can spot the mistakes.

[T800]

Yes, maybe it's in fact a bit low, but it still SUPPOSED TO at least launch the installer, isn't it??? Anyways, this case MUST BE the 0.1% of the others, since increasing it to 2048 MB (or even a bit higher) doesn't change anything. Actually, i have 4 GB of RAM in my host, but - as you probably know - a 32bit system, which is my host's system currently, can see only 3 GB of it. So your suggestion of installing more RAM into my host is possible in theory (the supported max. is 8 GB), but the OS won't see any more, than 3 GB!

Yes, ICH9. The less serious reply to this: WHY NOT??? Windows 10 fully supports it and it's totally not my - or the OS's - fault, that it's only an experimental option in VBox, since ages. Don't you think?

But the real answer to this question is, you can imagine, the first installing attempt happened with the default settings and when i saw, those aren't working, i tried others too.

Just FYI, i'm using VBox since several years, just like for my IT-related job, as for my hobby projects, development testing and so on. So, believe it, or not, most of the time, i clearly know, what i'm doing. All in all, please, don't treat me like a complete idiot anymore and show some general respect, as far, as i do the same. Thank you.

Incidentally, i already tried every single, possible VM configurations, i even tried to preformat the virtual disk, with a Windows 7 installer, but the results are still the same. Even though, i created a new log file, with the settings claimed by you, just to make you calm and happy. All in all, based on all of these, i'm still sure, this must be caused by a bug and this ticket is totally valid.

[Socratis]

Replying to T800:

Yes, maybe it's in fact a bit low, but it still SUPPOSED TO at least launch the installer, isn't it???

Not really, why are you making that assumption?

but the OS won't see any more, than 3 GB''

You can always reinstall your OS to something with more power. You can't have a Yugo and expect to participate in the F1 race in Monaco. You can't have a 3.5 GB accessible RAM and expect to run a VM with a minimum requirement of 2.2+ GB. It doesn't compute...

Yes, ICH9. The less serious reply to this: WHY NOT??? Windows 10 fully supports it and it's totally not my - or the OS's - fault, that it's only an experimental option in VBox, since ages. Don't you think?

No, I don't. At all actually! I don't think so, neither do the developers that have slapped a big warning over there. I assume you read the manual and/or the tooltip, so, your only option of taking the ICH9 out of its EXPERIMENTAL status is to provide the patches to address that. Other than that, if a user chooses to ignore the warnings, there's nothing a sane person can to do prevent it.

you can imagine, the first installing attempt happened with the default settings and when i saw, those aren't working, i tried others too.

I have a big imagination, so no, I don't want to be guessing on what weird combinations people might try or not. All I know is the evidence that I'm presented with, and what you presented was not the defaults. If you wanted to show a failure with the defaults, you should have posted the logs from a default run, not a random log.

please, don't treat me like a complete idiot anymore and show some general respect, as far, as i do the same.

I honestly fail to see the disrespect here, I'm drawing a blank, if you would like to point me to something more specific, please...

But,

• if you feel disrespected, because you were told to first address the issue to the forums and avoid opening a ticket for a non-bug,
• if you feel disrespected because I questioned your non-explainable choice to ignore all the warnings and sabotage your VM by choosing to ignore the proposed defaults,
• if you feel disrespected because I "questioned" (?) your IT knowledge (I didn't even know you're in IT, neither do I particularly care, it's completely irrelevant, I've seen a *lot* of clueless "IT people"),

then I'm afraid I'll let someone else handle both you and your issues (not an issue at all in my eyes). I'm just a poor Chem. Eng., so I should know better my reactions than my computers, right?

As they say in my neighbor Italy: Buona fortuna!

I'm done here...

[T800]

It'd be really nice, if a developer could have a look on this ticket, because today i downloaded ​a preinstalled Win 10 Enterprise VM directly from ​MS's dev center, which was prepared explicitly for Virtualbox. I tried to run it on the same host/VM environment, what was substancially discussed above. This attempt was followed by success, this preinstalled 64bit system booted flawlessly (even with 1 GB of guest RAM). For the sake of system detailes (version, build, etc.) i attached a VM screenshot to the ticket. Additionally, if it's required, i'll attach the log file too later.

After all of these, i tried to install the OS from scratch again, but the same VM still just hanged, once a few seconds elapsed.

[michaln]

General comment 1: The time I have to spend downloading, uncompressing, and cleaning up old attachments is time I can't spend investigating actual problems. You can choose whether to compress or not, just be aware it affects the chance your ticket has of being looked at.

General comment 2: Screenshots alone are not very useful, videos even less so. The VBox.log file is always the most important piece of information. So we can say that the last screenshot is nice, but beyond that it means nothing. Again, you can attach screenshots or videos and skip the logs, but be aware that it affects the chance of your ticket being looked at.

General comment 3: Defaults for VMs are not chosen randomly. The further one strays from defaults, the higher risk that something will break.

General comment 4: There's only so much one can expect from a 10-year old CPU. There is much less one can expect from a 10-year old CPU when running the latest, fattest, slowest, highest requirements OS on it.

General comment 5: Running 64-bit guests on a 32-bit host is not recommended for general use. The biggest issue from a user's perspective is that if something doesn't work, we're not all that interested. Compared to other problems it's very low priority.

To the actual ticket: I well believe there is some kind of a problem. Running a Windows 10 VM on such an old CPU and with a 32-bit OS, giving it 2 VCPUs on a dual-core system, that is really pushing things, so if it worked well, *that* would be surprising.

It might be possible to say something more specific if we could see the VBox.log for the VM which came from Microsoft. There is unfortunately no real clue in the logs from the hung Windows 10 VM.