Discuss the 4.3.16 release

[BartonC]

My system is:
* Arch Linux host
* Windows 7 Pro guest (aero enabled)
* Core i5 with 8GB RAM
* Using a raw host hard disk from a guest
* UEFI running a VM that was created on an MBR machine back in Feb. 2013.
* $ uname -a
Linux Bridger 3.16.2-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Sat Sep 6 13:12:51 CEST 2014 x86_64 GNU/Linux

After upgrading to 4.3.16 from 4.3.14 Aero has very glitchy behavior:
* Most noticeable when hovering over items in the task bar where icons are drawn over with large blank spaces.
* Also seen loading some OS windows where lots of redraw and flashing can be seen.
I've reverted to 4.3.14 front end components, but host-modules remain at 4.3.16 (saved 1 reboot) and everone is very happy.
Thanks, all, for such awesome work!

[misha]

...
After upgrading to 4.3.16 from 4.3.14 Aero has very glitchy behavior:
* Most noticeable when hovering over items in the task bar where icons are drawn over with large blank spaces.
* Also seen loading some OS windows where lots of redraw and flashing can be seen.

Could you post a VM log here please?

I've reverted to 4.3.14 front end components, but host-modules remain at 4.3.16 (saved 1 reboot) and everone is very happy.
Thanks, all, for such awesome work!

Just to dobule-check, you mean the issue is gone when you use guest with 4.3.14 Guest Additions with 4.3.16 VBox host installation, right?
Could you attach a VM log for this case as well please?

[misha]

I find that with 4.3.16 my 32 bit Windows VMs (One Windows 7, One XP) (with 3D enabled) will not shut down or restart.

Could you elaborate on what happens to them, i.e. do they halt? if so, does the host VM window remain responsive? Can you shut down a VM by pressing the "x" button and selecting "power off"? etc.
Could you attach a VM log for VM session exposing this issue?
Does this issue go away if you disable the 3D Acceleration for your VM?

[parn]

Host: Arch Linux 3.16.2-1-ARCH on x86_64
Guest: Windows 2012 (64)

System: Dell Studio XPS 1537 (Intel Centrino 2, AMD Mobility HD3450, 8GB RAM)

Issue: The moment I switch to fullscreen/seamless mode the guest os screen freezes and persist on all my workspaces like a "foreground wallpaper". I notice that the Guest OS is still being updated though because I notice that the clock there is still ticking.

Pressing (sometimes multiple times) HOST+P to pause the VM will return desktop control to me allowing me to power off the VM.

I also tried the VBoxGuestAdditions_4.3.17 posted by Frank in an earlier post in this thread hoping that it is simply a X11 driver issue but it didnt work for me as well.

I reverted my VirtualBox back to 4.3.14 and things went back to usual.

[michael]

Host: Arch Linux 3.16.2-1-ARCH on x86_64
Guest: Windows 2012 (64)

System: Dell Studio XPS 1537 (Intel Centrino 2, AMD Mobility HD3450, 8GB RAM)

Issue: The moment I switch to fullscreen/seamless mode the guest os screen freezes and persist on all my workspaces like a "foreground wallpaper". I notice that the Guest OS is still being updated though because I notice that the clock there is still ticking.

Does "freezes" here mean that it does not accept any input then? Perhaps you could investigate a bit more what is still working and what not. I assume exiting full-screen is not working.

[parn]

Host: Arch Linux 3.16.2-1-ARCH on x86_64
Guest: Windows 2012 (64)

System: Dell Studio XPS 1537 (Intel Centrino 2, AMD Mobility HD3450, 8GB RAM)

Issue: The moment I switch to fullscreen/seamless mode the guest os screen freezes and persist on all my workspaces like a "foreground wallpaper". I notice that the Guest OS is still being updated though because I notice that the clock there is still ticking.

Does "freezes" here mean that it does not accept any input then? Perhaps you could investigate a bit more what is still working and what not. I assume exiting full-screen is not working.

The VM accepts inputs because I managed to HOST-P to pause it but the Guest OS does not. The only way to exit the Guest OS is to pause the VM first.

I am currently running virtualbox-4.3.14 with virtualbox-host-modules-4.3.16 and guest additions VBoxGuestAdditions_4.3.17-96003.iso. It actually runs smoother graphically than it did before

[EDIT]
When I said the Guest OS does not accept inputs I might be wrong. The thing is, all I can see are the windows from the guest os being painted on my screen across all workspaces and they cover everything and I might have been able to exit fullscreen mode but I could not see it because it was covered.

[michael]

Host: Arch Linux 3.16.2-1-ARCH on x86_64
Guest: Windows 2012 (64)

System: Dell Studio XPS 1537 (Intel Centrino 2, AMD Mobility HD3450, 8GB RAM)

Issue: The moment I switch to fullscreen/seamless mode the guest os screen freezes and persist on all my workspaces like a "foreground wallpaper". I notice that the Guest OS is still being updated though because I notice that the clock there is still ticking.

Does "freezes" here mean that it does not accept any input then? Perhaps you could investigate a bit more what is still working and what not. I assume exiting full-screen is not working.

The VM accepts inputs because I managed to HOST-P to pause it but the Guest OS does not. The only way to exit the Guest OS is to pause the VM first.

I am currently running virtualbox-4.3.14 with virtualbox-host-modules-4.3.16 and guest additions VBoxGuestAdditions_4.3.17-96003.iso. It actually runs smoother graphically than it did before

Does the mouse cursor get updated when you move it around the guest? I wonder whether Windows has anything that will show you the keyboard state - caps lock and things - which you could start before going full-screen to see if it is still updated.

[parn]

The VM accepts inputs because I managed to HOST-P to pause it but the Guest OS does not. The only way to exit the Guest OS is to pause the VM first.

I am currently running virtualbox-4.3.14 with virtualbox-host-modules-4.3.16 and guest additions VBoxGuestAdditions_4.3.17-96003.iso. It actually runs smoother graphically than it did before

Does the mouse cursor get updated when you move it around the guest? I wonder whether Windows has anything that will show you the keyboard state - caps lock and things - which you could start before going full-screen to see if it is still updated.

I can see the mouse cursor moving but it will not get updated when I move it to a border as it should.

When I said the Guest OS does not accept inputs I might be wrong. The thing is, all I can see are the windows from the guest os being painted on my screen across all workspaces and they cover everything and I might have been able to exit fullscreen mode but I could not see it because it was covered.

My guess is that the Guest OS is not being painted and updated properly.

[michael]

Host: Arch Linux 3.16.2-1-ARCH on x86_64
Guest: Windows 2012 (64)

System: Dell Studio XPS 1537 (Intel Centrino 2, AMD Mobility HD3450, 8GB RAM)

Issue: The moment I switch to fullscreen/seamless mode the guest os screen freezes and persist on all my workspaces like a "foreground wallpaper". I notice that the Guest OS is still being updated though because I notice that the clock there is still ticking.

Which window manager are you using?

[parn]

Host: Arch Linux 3.16.2-1-ARCH on x86_64
Guest: Windows 2012 (64)

System: Dell Studio XPS 1537 (Intel Centrino 2, AMD Mobility HD3450, 8GB RAM)

Issue: The moment I switch to fullscreen/seamless mode the guest os screen freezes and persist on all my workspaces like a "foreground wallpaper". I notice that the Guest OS is still being updated though because I notice that the clock there is still ticking.

Which window manager are you using?

I am using openbox without any DE. Just openbox and xcompmgr; which I have switched off while trying to troubleshoot.

[michael]

Host: Arch Linux 3.16.2-1-ARCH on x86_64
Guest: Windows 2012 (64)

System: Dell Studio XPS 1537 (Intel Centrino 2, AMD Mobility HD3450, 8GB RAM)

Issue: The moment I switch to fullscreen/seamless mode the guest os screen freezes and persist on all my workspaces like a "foreground wallpaper". I notice that the Guest OS is still being updated though because I notice that the clock there is still ticking.

Which window manager are you using?

I am using openbox without any DE. Just openbox and xcompmgr; which I have switched off while trying to troubleshoot.

I did a quick test by starting openbox ("openbox --replace") on my Ubuntu 14.10 host with two screens (laptop built-in and external) and starting a dual monitor Ubuntu 14.04 guest with Additions - admittedly development code, not 4.3.16. I did not observe any problems except for the mouse position being wrongly reported (known problem, known cause, but sadly the fix is not quite obvious. I presume this is not what you are seeing...?)

Can you think of any reasons I might not be seeing what you are?

[mikewse]

I have another problem with the mini-toolbar. With my dual monitor setup, my fullscreen VMs appear on one monitor and the mini-toolbar menu on the other. If I switch monitor for the VM (View > Virtual Screen 1 > Use host monitor X) they trade places so they are still on opposite monitors.

Host: Xubuntu 14.04
Guests: Windows 7, Xubuntu 14.04
Main Monitor: VGA 1920x1200
Second Monitor: HDMI2 1920x1200

[michael]

I have another problem with the mini-toolbar. With my dual monitor setup, my fullscreen VMs appear on one monitor and the mini-toolbar menu on the other. If I switch monitor for the VM (View > Virtual Screen 1 > Use host monitor X) they trade places so they are still on opposite monitors.

Host: Xubuntu 14.04
Guests: Windows 7, Xubuntu 14.04
Main Monitor: VGA 1920x1200
Second Monitor: HDMI2 1920x1200

Does disabling the mini-toolbar make a difference?

[mikewse]

I hope I understand you correctly, but yes, if I disable the mini-toolbar in Settings on the running VM it will disappear, and when i re-enable it will come back on the wrong monitor.

[parn]

Which window manager are you using?

I am using openbox without any DE. Just openbox and xcompmgr; which I have switched off while trying to troubleshoot.

I did a quick test by starting openbox ("openbox --replace") on my Ubuntu 14.10 host with two screens (laptop built-in and external) and starting a dual monitor Ubuntu 14.04 guest with Additions - admittedly development code, not 4.3.16. I did not observe any problems except for the mouse position being wrongly reported (known problem, known cause, but sadly the fix is not quite obvious. I presume this is not what you are seeing...?)

Can you think of any reasons I might not be seeing what you are?

Attached is a screenshot of what I am seeing after I manage to escape from fullscreen mode. It seems that a region of my screen is not being updated and it cannot be updated. The screen is not being updated in fullscreen mode as well. It is as if a region of my screen has been blocked off.

When I then press HOST+DELETE after focusing the VM, the Preview Panel in the VM correctly shows the blue windows option screen. Which means, Virtual Box is actually working because the Preview Panel reflects that. Also, after more testing, The mouse cursor bug you mentioned too has been observed at the edges of the VM where the GUI is not blocked.

Since I am experiencing this only in 4.3.16, I think it should be related to the X11 native full-screen multi-screen mapping API.

Running Xorg 1.16 + xf86-video-ati 1:7.4.0-3 on a Radeon Mobility HD3450