Forgotten VHD support in VirtualBox 4.0.4 ?

[Bobbix]

On the 3.2.12 version (build 68302) i was able to apen a VHD disk image.
I've upgrated to the 4.0.4 version.

After upgrading i've started a VM based on a VHD Disk and this result in a black screen with no messages and no boot.
I've tried to boot with a bootable cd-rom and i've run a disk scan finding errors and fixing them.
At the new startup the system freeze again not starting and with an error on the hal.dll file missing.

I'have an old image of the vhd file so i've restored this image backup and i've tried to startup again, but i've again the same error (black screen, no boot, no messages).
I've tried to convert the VHD in VDI format usig vboxmanage but i obtain a no bootable image, i've read on the internet about this problem and i dno't have found solutions.


I think that in this version there is a serious problem with the VHD support.

While writing i've uninstalled the 4.0.4 version and i've installed again the 3.2.12 version, i've tried to startup the VM with the VHD image file and all work fine, this support my theory about a BAD support to the VHD format (or other kinds of problems oh this).

Anyone have this kind of problems? Any suggestion?

Note.
Pheraps exporting the application from VB 3.2.12 and importing in the 4.0.4 version can solve the issue (i will try this, but not now).

[mpack]

If you suspect that VBox does not properly support VHD format then ISTM that using the same faulty tool to convert to VDI is not a sensible step. Try using CloneVDI instead, as this does not rely on VBox code and will definitely be able to convert the VHD, if it is not damaged. I am not guaranteeing that this will fix your original problem, because I'm not convinced by your assumption that being in .VHD format is the cause.

[Bobbix]

Thanks for your response.

My suspect that VBox does not properly support VHD format it's based on a scientific test.
I've simply upgrated from 3.2.12 at the 4.0.4, i've started my old VM and i've obtained the black screen with no message (testing the disk result in a damaged content).
A copy of the same VHD disk was on another PC (a previous backup copy) i've first used this VHD with Virtualbox 3.2.12 on this second PC and all worked fine.
After this, i've transferred this VHD on the first PC with Virtual Box 4.0.4 and i've done another try with this VHD... same problem!
So i suspect (but i am convinced) that this new version have (OR CAN HAVE in some particular cases) serious problems using VHD images, compromising the data on this type of virtual disk.

Now i use the same VHD that had problems with the 4.0.4 and... it work perfectly on the 3.2.12! (draw the conclusions yourself).
After this, i've also converted the VHD in a VDI file cloning the content on another virtual disk (vdi) using external tools (clonezilla).
But now i stay with the 3.2.12 version, the new version scares me, even if i've now all vdi images, i will wait a more stable and succefull used version.
In addition i don't like the new interface, and now it's not possible to add disks from the disk manager interface (was comfortable), another reason to delay upgrading.

Thanks for all replies and suggestions.
Bye.

[Sasquatch]

Ever thought that the changes in 4.0 compared to 3.2 might have to do more than the actual VHD support? It's perfectly possible that some settings changed and the VM now fails to boot because of that. For example, you have EHCI USB enabled, but don't have the extpack installed. Windows is very picky when hardware changes and the results are just as strange. Some have no problems, others get BSODs, yet another group get black screens, unable to boot, bood disk errors, things like that. It has absolutely nothing to do with VHD support, because if it would, a lot more users would be complaining. And if you're so sure that VHD is the problem, get your 3.2.12 and clone it to VMDK or VDI format. Get the same problem? Then you're talking rubbish.

[Bobbix]

I had 2 virtual HD, a VDI and a VHD, no problems on both VM just using this 2 kind of virtual disks on VirtualBox 3.2.12.
After Upgrading all work fine on the VM that use VDI, but on the VM that was using the VHD i've lost data (fortunately I had copies).
I've also suspected that the VHD was previously damaged (previous upgrading VB version) so i've restored an old copy of the VHD obtaining the same problem.

I know that the problem can be generated by other conditions (not known)... but i still find it very dangerous for a version upgrade to cause loss of data on a virtual disk, whatever the reason.

Now i'm working with the 3.2.12 version and all disks converted in the VDI format.
I will try to upgrade again to the 4.0.4 version to assure that the problem isn't depended from the VHD format (in this case the problem will repeat even with the VDI version of the virtual HD, it's right?).

Thanks for all suggestions.

[mpack]

I know that the problem can be generated by other conditions (not known)... but i still find it very dangerous for a version upgrade to cause loss of data on a virtual disk, whatever the reason.

From your original post, I see evidence that the VM failed to boot (black screen), I see no evidence that the cause was disk failure, or that any data was lost from the VHD. I do see that you jumped to that conclusion, so hopefully you didn't damage data on the drive yourself by running inappropriate repair tools. Alternatively, I hope you made backups before messing about at that level.

A black screen on boot is usually caused by some motherboard incompatibility: e.g. IO APIC set the wrong way, perhaps VT-x set wrong. The puzzle is that these settings would not normally be altered by a mere VBox upgrade, so I've been meaning to ask if you did anything else besides install the new VBox version, for example did you try to manually recreate the VM?

[Bobbix]

I had 2 virtual HD, a VDI and a VHD, no problems on both VM just using this 2 kind of virtual disks on VirtualBox 3.2.12.
After Upgrading all work fine on the VM that use VDI, but on the VM that was using the VHD i've lost data (fortunately I had copies).
I've also suspected that the VHD was previously damaged (previous upgrading VB version) so i've restored an old copy of the VHD obtaining the same problem.

I know that the problem can be generated by other conditions (not known)... but i still find it very dangerous for a version upgrade to cause loss of data on a virtual disk, whatever the reason.

Now i'm working with the 3.2.12 version and all disks converted in the VDI format.
I will try to upgrade again to the 4.0.4 version to assure that the problem isn't depended from the VHD format (in this case the problem will repeat even with the VDI version of the virtual HD, it's right?).

Thanks for all suggestions.

I don't like to jump, even less to hasty conclusions. and you can say the same?

Just the previous day before the software upgrade, i had used succefully both the VM on the two differents Virtual Supports.
Just after Upgrading VB from the 3.2.12 at the 4.0.4 i've started the VM based on the VDI disk without problems, but starting the VM based on the VHD disk i had the black screen (no error messages).
I've made NO CHANGES to the configuration of the VM (i'm not crazy).
After this i've done a a clean boot with a live XP (Bart PE) and i've done a simple CHKDSK finding a lot of problems on disk.
So i've done a CHKDSK /F to fix errors, thinking about a casuality, but at the reboot i had again the black screen and a new message about the file HAL.dll lost.
I've rebooted again with Bart PE to check again, and the file system was completely lost, inaccessible device.
Note that the configuration of the VM was the same of the other VM based on the VDI.
I've restored the VHD from a previous backup, but i've obtained the same problem (note that using the same restored VHD with the same configuration, i was able to start the VM on another PC using VB. 3.2.12).

I'm a technician with a 25years of experience and i say "there is too much connection between the software upgrade and data loss on the VHD".
I don't have touched anything, only upgrated the VB version.
The only trouble I like to do ... are in the kitchen.

[ilLeo]

Hello to everybody!
A my collegue have the same problem reported by Bobbix.
Today he has upgraded the virtualbox to version 4.0.4 from 3.2.12.
Before do that operation he has stopped all virtual machine.
With the previous version of the VirtualBox the virtual machine, that are saved on vhd files, worked well. After this upgrade the virtual machine has stopped to work. Exactly as Bobbix has reported on his post.
At this point i think that the problem is this upgrade for windows client of virtualbox that not work correctly with vhd files.
Is it possible to downgrade to the previous version? Is it supported?
Regards
ilLeo

[Bobbix]

Hello to everybody!
A my collegue have the same problem reported by Bobbix.
Today he has upgraded the virtualbox to version 4.0.4 from 3.2.12.
Before do that operation he has stopped all virtual machine.
With the previous version of the VirtualBox the virtual machine, that are saved on vhd files, worked well. After this upgrade the virtual machine has stopped to work. Exactly as Bobbix has reported on his post.
At this point i think that the problem is this upgrade for windows client of virtualbox that not work correctly with vhd files.
Is it possible to downgrade to the previous version? Is it supported?
Regards
ilLeo

Hi ilLeo, i want to answer to your question about the downgrade of VirtualBox.
YES You Can !
I've downgraded without problems from 4.0.4 to the previous 3.2.12 (i don't remember if i've unistalled the 4.0.4 version first, but i think yes to do a clean install).
If the VHD files are corrupted, the only way to restore is from a previous backup! Your collegue know the importance of backups? otherwise there aren't solutions.

Good Luck!

[Linus.Alnervik]

Hi.
I can confirm the problem with vhd files and relaseases of virtualbox after 4.0.
It does not have to do with VirtualBox Extension Pack because i have the same problem on two computers (one with extantion pack and one without).

The interesting part is that one of my vhd (windows 2003) is still working, but onother one with windows 2008 is not.

Both vhd images have exacly the same configuration in virtualbox. One works one does not.

[Linus.Alnervik]

And i can also confirm that converting the vhd to vdi with CloneVDI does the trick!

After the convertion the vdi started again with VirtualBox 4.04.

link to CloneVDI
http://forums.virtualbox.org/download/file.php?id=3225

(thread for new releases http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=22422)

[mpack]

A small problem with your theory is that CloneVDI-GUI is simply a shell for VirtualBox features, it does nothing itself. So if VirtualBox itself does not like VHD, then how could CloneVDI-GUI possibly work? And the other side of the coin: given that CloneVDI-GUI worked, how can you possibly suggest that VirtualBox support for VHD is broken?

Something in there does not compute...

The suggestion earlier in this thread was to use CloneVDI (see sticky at top of "Windows Hosts" forum), not CloneVDI-GUI. These are two different programs with similar sounding names, the crucial difference being that CloneVDI does not use VirtualBox for the actual work.

[codebender]

Another confirmation that .vhd files cause black screen on 4.0.4. I tried all combinations of System switches to no avail. I’m dropping back to earlier version. Hope someone finds a fix for this, but it's not a high priority for me.

[Linus.Alnervik]

Oh my bad, I wrote the wrong program in my previos post, but i have changed it now.

Thnks mpack for pointing that out.
Chears

[ilLeo]

Hello to everybody!
A my collegue have the same problem reported by Bobbix.
Today he has upgraded the virtualbox to version 4.0.4 from 3.2.12.
Before do that operation he has stopped all virtual machine.
With the previous version of the VirtualBox the virtual machine, that are saved on vhd files, worked well. After this upgrade the virtual machine has stopped to work. Exactly as Bobbix has reported on his post.
At this point i think that the problem is this upgrade for windows client of virtualbox that not work correctly with vhd files.
Is it possible to downgrade to the previous version? Is it supported?
Regards
ilLeo

Hi ilLeo, i want to answer to your question about the downgrade of VirtualBox.
YES You Can !
I've downgraded without problems from 4.0.4 to the previous 3.2.12 (i don't remember if i've unistalled the 4.0.4 version first, but i think yes to do a clean install).
If the VHD files are corrupted, the only way to restore is from a previous backup! Your collegue know the importance of backups? otherwise there aren't solutions.

Good Luck!

Hi Bobbix, thanks for your reply!
Yes, we know the importance of backups
We have done downgrade VirtualBox to 3.2.12 version and all work fine.
Maybe the problem is in previous virtal box addiction?

Regards
ilLeo