VirtualBox 3.1.0 Beta - Branching Snapshots

[Technologov]

Host: Windows 7, x64, Core 2 Q6600, VBox 3.1.0-BETA2.

VBox crashes when trying to save state of Win2000 guest (hibernate). (this also happens with XP VM, if I enabled 2D acceleration)

update: It turned out to crash Only when 2D acceleration is enabled.
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VirtualBox GUI has stopped working

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: VirtualBox.exe
Application Version: 3.1.0.0
Application Timestamp: 4b05770d
Fault Module Name: VirtualBox.exe
Fault Module Version: 3.1.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 4b05770d
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 000000000021bb8e
OS Version: 6.1.7100.2.0.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 2385
Additional Information 2: 2385d2debcaab2ff209f12501e591c31
Additional Information 3: 41fc
Additional Information 4: 41fc6cce1acef618102af50040472c93

[Sasquatch]

With all these Windows 2000 issues that you have, I'm seriously doubting it's VB that's the problem. Do you get the same results with Windows XP, Vista and 7? Maybe your whole 2000 installation is messed up.

[Technologov]

Sasquatch: Yes, it also happens with XP guests, if you enable 2D acceleration and try to "save state".

[Sasquatch]

I see, happens for me too. It's not the fault of snapshots, it's the saved state that is broken with 2D acceleration.

[Technologov]

Yes true, the problem is in saved states. But it prevents snapshots from working too...

[misha]

Thanks for reporting the problem. The issue should NOT happen with Win XP or later guests having 3.1 Beta 1 or later additions installed.
So, as a temporary workaround please have the latest additions installed for your XP and later guests.

[Sasquatch]

Thanks for reporting the problem. The issue should NOT happen with Win XP or later guests having 3.1 Beta 1 or later additions installed.
So, as a temporary workaround please have the latest additions installed for your XP and later guests.

You say it shouldn't happen, but if I save the state at the boot splash, it also happens. So something, outside the actual OS, is the problem.

[misha]

You say it shouldn't happen, but if I save the state at the boot splash, it also happens. So something, outside the actual OS, is the problem.

That's true. The XP (or later) guest should be fully booted for the save state to work when 2D is enabled.

[Sasquatch]

Well, fully loaded XP, no new GA installed, crash.
Updated the GA, installed them in safe mode. Rebooted the VM to normal mode, let it sit idle, save it's state, all fine. Then wanted to resume, immediate crash. I've attached the log so you can see what goes wrong.

Another thing with 2D, when you don't have enough VRAM for full screen, it's noted first and when you fix that, the next error goes up for 2D. Why not give just one error for the feature that needs the most VRAM, in this case 2D?

[misha]

Well, fully loaded XP, no new GA installed, crash.
Updated the GA, installed them in safe mode. Rebooted the VM to normal mode, let it sit idle, save it's state, all fine. Then wanted to resume, immediate crash. I've attached the log so you can see what goes wrong.

Another thing with 2D, when you don't have enough VRAM for full screen, it's noted first and when you fix that, the next error goes up for 2D. Why not give just one error for the feature that needs the most VRAM, in this case 2D?

Both saved state restore and warning messages should be fixed with 3.1 Beta2. Are you using Beta2 ?

[Sasquatch]

That is what the log showed, didn't it? Yes, I'm running beta 2. And I installed the beta 2 GA.

[misha]

That is what the log showed, didn't it? Yes, I'm running beta 2. And I installed the beta 2 GA.

Ok, found the issue.. The fix will be included in the forthcoming release. Thanks for spotting the problem.

[Sasquatch]

Great. Does it mean that saved state also works outside the OS? Else it should be mentioned in the manual or known limitations. That should avoid users posting here with questions about why their VM aborts.

[misha]

Great. Does it mean that saved state also works outside the OS? Else it should be mentioned in the manual or known limitations. That should avoid users posting here with questions about why their VM aborts.

The saved state save/restore works purely on the host, and the guest OS (additions) is not involved in it directly.
The reason it failed with 2D enabled is a bug in the 2D functionality that prevented some internal functionality state to be properly treated before it gets actually enabled, which is done(requested) by the guest Video Driver, i.e. after the guest OS load.

[Sasquatch]

So in other words, it doesn't matter when you send it to saved state, it will always work, or only when the full OS is loaded with the new GA?