Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
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bnemec
Posts: 3
Joined: 28. Feb 2020, 16:18

Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Post by bnemec »

Hello,
I have been running Vbox for years, thank you for it. I had been using Seamless, although something about win 10 doesn't work as nicely as win 7 guest would in seamless, but it was still a good tool. I don't know what updated or if I changed a setting absentmindedly, but now my win 10 guest will not go to full 4k, it's limited to 1600x1200. I use a 43" TV for monitor, so my host display settings are 3840 x 2160 no (100%)scaling. This had been working well with seamless mode as I stated and the win 10 guest could use the entire display, minus the Host's task bar.

Host: Win 10 19042.746
Guest: Win 10 1909
Vbox: Version 6.1.18 r142142 (Qt5.6.2)
I attached the GA iso from 6.1.18 installation directory and installed.
I was on older version of Vbox when this started happening, 6.1.10 I believe, updated to 6.1.18 attempting to fix.

Guest display settings: (I've tried a bunch based on reading threads here that I searched for)
mem: 128 (max for 3d disabled) or 256 for 3d enabled.
count: 1 ( I only have one monitor)
scale: 100%
Controller: I've tried both VBoxSVGA and VMSCGA
Acceleration: I've tried both enabled and not for both of the controllers. Something I noticed here. I set mem to max allowed in GUI but that changes based on this setting, so I have had 3d disabled at 128MB, then switch to 3d enabled, but unless I close the settings dialog after enabling then open up again I cannot get up to the new limit of 256 with 3d enabled. So I inadvertently ran 3d enabled at 128. Then I set to 256. Then turned 3d off but since the GUI doesn't update the mem limit I've also ran 3d disabled at 256MB. Well, I think I did, unless VBox adjusts settings after the dialog is closed based on programmed limits, I don't know.

I'm not getting any crashing or bad scaling behavior, just cannot get the host above 1600 x 1200. Based on similar threads I have a bad setting or some incompatibility between windows updates and the version of VBox.

If I set guest to full screen it is still only 1600 x 1200 centered on a background of black. If I use windowed mode and maximize the window it is still 1600 x 1200 and centered on a background of gray. The display settings on guest go down to 800 x 600 and max of 1600 x 1200.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Post by mpack »

I believe your problem is that you somehow convinced windows you have a 4:3 display, so it won't allow you to select anything but 4:3 display sizes (e.g. 1600x1200), and then only those that will fit inside the host desktop area.

The solution is to (a) in the VM manager change File|Preferences|Maximum Guest Screen Size to None. Then (b) in the running guest, switch to a windowed graphics mode (i.e. not fullscreen or seamless) with a moderate window size and manually drag the window border to a widescreen (16:9 or 16:10) aspect ratio. Then shut down the VM. When the VM starts up it should have the same window size and aspect ratio as before, and now Windows should be convinced that you have a widescreen monitor.

p.s. After that the easiest way to change display sizes will be to use View|Virtual screen 1|Resize to xxx by yyy. I'm assuming in all this that a longtime VBox user knows that all of the above requires up to date Guest Additions to be installed.

4K display sizes are a stretch for a virtual graphics card. You definitely want to enable 3D acceleration for that, and max out the graphics memory too: one 4K frame requires 31.6MB RAM, so you can't fit many of those into 128MB.
bnemec
Posts: 3
Joined: 28. Feb 2020, 16:18

Re: Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Post by bnemec »

File|Preferences|Maximum Guest Screen Size to None
That was the problem. Thanks for pointing out a simple setting for me! Bit of a "duh" moment when I went there and saw it was set to hint and 1600x1200. To be honest, I had forgotten about checking host settings. I don't really fiddle with settings much, I just use it and it works well for me. I have Solidworks installed on the VM and will have a graphics area about the same as a 21" monitor, works well enough, no more erratic behavior than running SW on the host. I use the VM for add-in development so I run Visual Studio on one half of the TV. Over all I'm pleased, so glad to have full resolution back. BTW the guest OS display settings now offers 3840x2038.

I do miss how seamless was with a win 7 guest, I have not found a way to get windows 10 guest to have transparent desktop. So the guest desktop overlays the host in seamless similar to windowed with the window maximized. I looked into this a year ago or so when I updated the guest to win 10 with no success. I'm still hopeful some update will fix that.
edit: I'm wrong about the guest background overlaying, that was a problem for a bit and some setting fixed that I think, but when in seamless if one guest window is activated all of the guest windows (that aren't minimized) come to top covering the host windows. Anyway, it's still a good tool for me.

Thanks again!

Ben
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Post by mpack »

bnemec wrote:but when in seamless if one guest window is activated all of the guest windows (that aren't minimized) come to top covering the host windows.
The only way that behaviour could change was if guest and host run a single GUI with a single window manager with independant z-order for each window. Seamless, on the other hand, is definitely not that, it is simply a transparent guest desktop. Since it's really all one host window it only has one slot in the host z-order.

Personally, I don't enjoy the seamless illusion. I don't think it's helpful to imagine that these are individual programs running on the host, because that only leads to confusion such as you describe. I prefer to think of it as more akin to remote desktop, so I view my VM in a window - which I can make fullscreen for a more immersive experience.
bnemec
Posts: 3
Joined: 28. Feb 2020, 16:18

Re: Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Post by bnemec »

Thank you for that explanation, makes sense to me. If I weren't using both the host and guest back and forth I wouldn't go for seamless mode either. Like you say, it's not the ideal first choice. I have run windowed mode, like remote desktop would be, and that works well. I'm just spoiled and there are times when I like more space so I wind up wanting all the screen for the guest sometimes but I just haven't gotten comfortable with full screen, and maximized guest window is similar to seamless except start menu works and the guest desktop shows. Well, start menu, search and right click in task bar work as long as the guest has a window under them.

All in all, having the guest for development and the host working together on the 43" 4k works really well considering all the complexities MS has in the UI and trying to buffer 4k as you mentioned.
Adrian4
Posts: 2
Joined: 13. Aug 2021, 10:52

Re: Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Post by Adrian4 »

Hi,

sorry that I reply on a old post. I'm heaving the exact same issue, but can't solve it with mpacks answer.
I can't change Windows 10 guests to a resolution of more than 1600x1200. The host is also windows 10. On Ubuntu guests everything is fine. I'm using Virtualbox 6.1.26 with same version of extension pack. The guest uses VBoxVGA and has GuestAdditions installed. There is no max resolution configured in the settings.

Does or did anybody face the same problem?

regards
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Post by mpack »

Adrian4 wrote:The guest uses VBoxVGA and has GuestAdditions installed.
If you use the VBoxVGA controller then I wouldn't bother looking for higher resolutions because you don't have hardware graphics acceleration. The correct one to use with a Win10 guest is the VBoxSVGA controller.

Fix that, then if you still have problems then start your own topic in which you provide a zipped VM log.
Adrian4
Posts: 2
Joined: 13. Aug 2021, 10:52

Re: Win 10 Host with Win 10 guest, resolution max 1600 x 1200

Post by Adrian4 »

That was a typo, it is using VBoxSVGA.
OK I'll start a new post with a log attached.
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