Symptom:
VMWare Workstation/Player Windows XP virtual machine converted to OVF and imported into VirtualBox does not boot, displaying "error loading operating system" on black screen.
Summary:
VirtualBox does not correctly set the disk geometry in certain imported VDI files.
A simple fix to the VirtualBox VDI disk geometry solves the problem, using CHS data from original VMDK file:
Code: Select all
vbox-img geometry --filename <diskimage>.vdi --format VDI --cylinders <C> --heads <H> --sectors <S>- No obvious issues with disk controller setting or MBR.
- Several threads (listed at end) referenced.
Many dealt with issues related to P2V process.
Common issues were Windows XP drivers and MBR.
These are not applicable in this case. - Several unsolved threads seem to be like this case.
- One or two of the referenced threads mentioned disk geometry issues in converted VirtualBox virtual machines.
VirtualBox conversion of VDMK disk during OVF import does not correctly set the CHS (cylinder/head/sector) values in the VDI file for the imported VMDK disk under certain conditions. I think from reading the various threads that the developers have stated that only standard geometry of 255 heads and 63 sectors is expected, and that the VMDK CHS information is ignored. When this expectation is not met, the VDI file will have the wrong information. - Check the original VMDK and converted VDI disk geometry in VBox.log.
- Manually set correct geometry using vbox-img command.
Two original VMWare VMs, both clones of the same Windows XP Home VM, using VMWare, probably VMWare Workstation 9.x on Debian GNU/linux 32-bit or 64-bit, sometime around 2010-2014.
Current hardware (Intel Core2Duo motherboard) too old for latest VMWare Workstation, while Debian GNU/linux kernel too new for old VMWare workstation 9 or 10 to build necessary modules.
So, I converted the VMWare virtual machines (both with VMWare workstation 9 hardware compatibility) to OVF and attempted to import into VirtualBox 6.1.4, during which the VMDK disk is imported as a VDI file (this is where the problem arises).
One of them worked fine, the other did not, with the error mentioned.
The results was the same whether performing conversion and import on my 64-bit Debian GNU/linux machine or on 64-bit Windows 10.
Despite reading of numerous threads about this error, and trying to fix from the OS level, it turned out that the problem was incompatible disk geometry in the VMDK file, and VirtualBox import does not correctly use the data in the VDI disk file.
So, the solution I found was to change the geometry of the VDI disk file.
After importing and attempting to boot the imported VMs in VirtualBox, I could see In the VBox.log file the original VMWare VMDK file CHS information and the converted result.
First (working) Windows XP Home:
Checking VMDK:
VBox.log file after importing OVF (which converts VMDK to VDI file):SCSI capacity: 83886080
logical sector size 512
geometry (CHS): 5221/255/63
vbox-img shows 1024/255/63 in VDI diskCHS = 1024/255/63
VMWare was 5221/255/63
Code: Select all
vbox-img info --filename <diskimage>.vdmkVBox.log:Header: Geometry PCHS=16383/16/63 LCHS=1024/255/63 cbSector=83886080
Second (problematic) Windows XP Home:00:00:01.326888 PcBios: SCSI LUN#0 LCHS=1024/255/63
00:00:01.378575 VMMDev: Guest Log: BIOS: SCSI 0-ID#0: LCHS=1024/255/63 0x0000000005000000 sectors
Checking VMDK:
VBox.log file after importing OVF (which converts VMDK to VDI file):SCSI capacity: 83886080
logical sector size 512
geometry (CHS): 5874/255/56
vbox-img shows 0/0/0 in VDI diskCHS = 5220/255/63
VMWare was 5874/255/56
Code: Select all
vbox-img info --filename <diskimage>.vdmk results:VBox.log:Header: Geometry PCHS=0/16/63 LCHS=0/0/0 cbSector=83886080
Correction00:00:01.191130 PcBios: SCSI LUN#0 LCHS not provided
00:00:01.230446 VMMDev: Guest Log: BIOS: SCSI 0-ID#0: LCHS=5220/255/63 0x0000000005000000 sectors
Solution was to use vbox-img, included with VirtualBox, to change the geometry of the VDI disk:
Code: Select all
vbox-img geometry --filename <diskimage>.vdi --format VDI --cylinders 5874 --heads 255 --sectors 56VBox.log entries:
I have no explanation why one clone had a geometry which was compatible with Virtualbox expectations, and the other one had a different geometry.00:00:01.140001 PcBios: SCSI LUN#0 LCHS=5874/255/56
00:00:01.187537 VMMDev: Guest Log: BIOS: SCSI 0-ID#0: LCHS=1024/255/56 0x0000000005000000 sectors
Referenced threads:
- Oct 2019: current discussion (latest discussion)
Error loading operating System error when loading a XP Guest on a W10 Host.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=95312&p=461562 - July 2018: no solution
error loading operating system
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=88923&p=426436 - July 2015: no solution
Yosemite using a bootcamp as a VM
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=68756&p=327375 - Sep 2014: same issue - led me to solution
Geometry of imported disk images
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=63454&p=297969 - Sep 2014: possibly same issue
Vmware vmdk to virtualbox
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=63861&p=300061 - Feb 2014: possibly similar issue
error loading operating system XP
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=60208&p=280213 - Jan 2014: different issue
Mac OS as host, Ubuntu 12.04 (64b) guest as dual-boot on VB
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=59529&p=276902 - July 2013: possibly different issue
Discussion: MacOS Bootcamp Partition as a VBox Guest
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=48704&p=318314 - July 2013: different issue
[Solved] vboxmanage - resized to 50TB instead of 50GB
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=56261&p=260448 - June 2013: same issue no doubt, discussion but no solution
Windows XP vmdk "ERROR LOADING OPERATING SYSTEM"
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=56195&p=260535 - Jan 2013: likely same issue
VMWare VM
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=53533&p=245620 - Dec 2012: likely same issue
vmdk file fails to load in Vbox
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=52924&p=242640 - Aug 2012: different issue
[FIXED] Existing Windows 7x64 machine do not run
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=51049&p=233826 - April 2011: different issue
Raw Disk Access for existing Windows XP with host opensuse
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=41018&p=184445 - Feb 2011: could be same issue
Using VMWare SCSI Image in VB 4.0.2
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=38776&p=242645 - Oct 2010: different issue
"Error loading operating system" after host reinstall
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=35416&p=158679 - Mar 2010: could be same issue
Problem using VMWare vmdk images with Virtualbox
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28611&p=127642 - Feb 2010: possibly related
Importing Xen virtual appliance?
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28354&p=126281 - Aug 2009: related issues discussed here
Howto: Windows XP in both VM and native - DISCUSSION
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9700&p=95231 - Dec 2008: different issue
Cant install windows xp on VM
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=12101&p=49311 - Sep 2008: different issue
how to use vmdk files with XP host
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9360&p=36143 - Dec 2007: migrating windows XP (different issue)
How to disable LBA on Raw disk non-LBA partition
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3408&p=11947 - Nov 2007: different issue
Error loading operating system (Win XP raw guest on Gutsy)
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2776&p=9734