Sever perfomance problems when using v4 guest additions on xp host under linux

[stuart]

Having tried both 4.0.0 and 4.0.2 on my Mandriva 2010.2 host my XP guests have severe performance degradation after upgrading to V4 guest additions from V3.2.12. If I leave them running the V3 guest additions they remain usable. I have a log file if needed (and I can find how to attach it).

[stuart]

Machine log file

[stuart]

Log attached ;-)

[sunlover]

Could you please also attach the log for the same guest with guest additions 3.2.12? Thanks.

[stuart]

Machine log file additions 3.2.10

[stuart]

Log file attached, this one used additions 3.2.10 but still worked fine

[sunlover]

The log with 4.0.2 additions shows that some components of additions (VBoxService.exe and VBoxTray.exe) did not start at all.

Have you experienced any problem when the 4.0.2 guest additions were installed? How did you install them? Please try to install 4.0.2 additions again by running:

vboxwindowsadditions-x86.exe /l

from the guest CD drive.

The /l parameter will tell the installer to write the installation log to

C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox Guest Additions

directory.

Please attach both install_ui.log and install.log to the ticket.

[stuart]

Replying to sunlover:

The log with 4.0.2 additions shows that some components of additions (VBoxService.exe and VBoxTray.exe) did not start at all.

Have you experienced any problem when the 4.0.2 guest additions were installed? How did you install them? Please try to install 4.0.2 additions again by running:

vboxwindowsadditions-x86.exe /l

from the guest CD drive.

The /l parameter will tell the installer to write the installation log to

C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox Guest Additions

directory.

Please attach both install_ui.log and install.log to the ticket.

Guest additions was installed by selecting the option form the dropdown menu. No problems were encountered at all when doing the install.

I will do as you request later today and update then.

[stuart]

I have just done the test as asked. Initially I booted the IE7 version of XP with additions 3.2.10 in about 1 minute 13 seconds to a usable gui. I then installed additions as requested with the /l option and rebooted the guest. This second boot took 3 minutes 55 seconds to an accessible (but not really usable) gui. Attached are the two log files form the install and the machine log from the second boot with v4 additions.

[stuart]

machine log after additions v4 installed

[stuart]

Install log for additions v4

[stuart]

Install ui log for v4 additions

[sunlover]

Thanks. When the VM is booting with 4.0.2 additions, does the VM process of any of processes in the guest consume 100% CPU?

[stuart]

Replying to sunlover:

Thanks. When the VM is booting with 4.0.2 additions, does the VM process of any of processes in the guest consume 100% CPU?

System Monitor shows CPU varies from 49% to 51% for the guest task in Virtualbox which probably means 100% of the one core it is allowed to use. I dont see any activity for the other things like the SVC etc. It sits at this level for a while until XP is fully up and then varies as you would expect. At its peak it is using some 1gb of shared memory.

Booting another guest with 3.2.10 this time the CPU is the same but for a much shorter time and once booted sits at 3-4% a lot of the time.

[sunlover]

This is the CPU load on the host, right?

I'd also like to know what does the guest's Task Manager show. In particular it is interesting if any processes in the guest consume much CPU.

[stuart]

Replying to sunlover:

This is the CPU load on the host, right?

I'd also like to know what does the guest's Task Manager show. In particular it is interesting if any processes in the guest consume much CPU.

Yes the load is measured on the Linux Host system monitor.

Once I can get task manager to start it shows 100% cpu and looking at the processes there is not one consuming it all it is spread across taskmgr.exe services.exe explore.exe svchost.exe and a few other ones. Eventually it comes down to about 10-15%. Opening My Computer shows it shoots up to 100% for a while as it searches for the disks and again shows explore.exe services.exe lsass.exe as taking most. Any movement of a window on the guest desktop causes a blip to 100%.

[stuart]

Needed to use my XP guest this evening so un-installed guest additions and the performance is nearly back to normal without any additions, it might be a tad slower but still usable. Is there anything else I can do to help further this issue? Obviously have problems with screen resolution but I could live with that for what I had to do.

[John Felso]

I have two XP guests. One exhibits the symptoms mentioned above when the v4 guest additions are installed. The other works fine with them.

[stuart]

Replying to alphageek007:

I have two XP guests. One exhibits the symptoms mentioned above when the v4 guest additions are installed. The other works fine with them.

Is there a significant difference between the guests in any way? Were they both existing guests prior to V4 being installed as mine were?

[John Felso]

The guest that is having the problem was originally converted from a physical machine to VMWare, and then to VirtualBox. The guest that works fine was originally install as a VirtualBox guest (v3.1.6 OSE on Ubuntu 10.04). They were both working fine on v3.1.6 OSE on Ubuntu 10.04 with the v3.1.6 guest additions.

I uninstalled the v3.1.6 guest additions last night and experience the same performance degradation with no guest additions installed. I haven't had time to do much troubleshooting. The performance is so poor that just checking the event logs can take an hour or more.

[sunlover]

alphageek007, could you please attach VBox.log files of both guests? Thanks.

[John Felso]

vbox.log from an xp machine with severely degraded performance (v4.0.4 guest additions)

[John Felso]

vbox.log from an xp machine with acceptable performance (v4.0.4 guest additions)

[John Felso]

Installed v4.0.4. Same issue. The requested logs have been attached.

[John Felso]

I resolved the problem on my guest by disabling IO ACPI. (NOTE: To anyone who comes across this thread. You should know that you can't just uncheck the box. You HAVE to reconfigure your guest as well. Google it.)

[sdrubble]

@alphageek007:

Not intending to be picky... just to have this issue clearly laid out (I've got a number of Win XP guests pending upgrades from 3.2.4 GA), would you kindly confirm:

• when you stated "disabling IO ACPI" I suppose you'd really mean "disabling IO APIC" under System / Motherboard guest settings ?

• when you say the guest issue is solved would you mean "WITH 4.0.4 GA installed" ?

Thx a lot for your help !!!

[John Felso]

Yes. I disabled IO APIC under System / Motherboard guest settings (after reconfiguring the guest).

Yes. It's working with the 4.0.4 GA installed.

[stuart]

Can anyone please indicate when this will be fixed, as it does not show in the list of fixed bugs for 4.0.6? I have existing XP guests which I want to use, not sure they will boot if I disable IO APIC. I'm still running V3 for now.