The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
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nvtc
Posts: 25
Joined: 3. Mar 2021, 11:41

The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by nvtc »

Hi guys,

on my Win 10 host I've installed a Win 10 guest VM with Virtualbox 6.13 that I use to connect to the VPNs of various customers. In one case I need to use a Java tool to service their on-premise-hardware and that's been working just fine since I created this VM a few months ago. However, since a couple of days I'm getting this error

Code: Select all

---------------------------
VirtualBoxVM.exe - Fehler in Anwendung
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Die Anweisung in 0x00007FFBEB20C317 verwies auf Arbeitsspeicher bei 0x0000000000000010. Der Vorgang read konnte im Arbeitsspeicher nicht durchgeführt werden.

Klicken Sie auf "OK", um das Programm zu beenden.
---------------------------
OK   
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or in English: Instruction at 0x... referenced memory at 0x.. The memory could not be read

when starting the tool. The system locks up and I have to close the VM. Everything else is just working fine so I don't know why all of a sudden the tool should be acting out but it is reproducable. Any idea on how to fix this?
RSPC1-2022-01-03-09-49-53.ZIP
(37.47 KiB) Downloaded 11 times
mpack
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Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by mpack »

Test: verify that you can reproduce the error reliably, then try it with 3D acceleration disabled.

I suspect that a host graphics driver was updated a few days ago, and the new DLL has a hardening problem, e.g. an invalid certificate. The test should confirm that. If it does then a solution might be to manually download uptodate drivers from the graphics vendor's website.
nvtc
Posts: 25
Joined: 3. Mar 2021, 11:41

Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by nvtc »

Nice find. I've disabled 3D accelaration and could start the tool just fine. After enabling 3D acceleration the bug would appear again. I've checked the Dell homepage for drivers on my laptop but they were all up to date. I then checked the intel page for drivers and installed the latest graphics driver for the integrated Iris Xe Graphics but that didn't help either. As long as 3D acceleration is enabled, I can't use the tool.
mpack
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Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by mpack »

If you post the zipped hardening log (VBoxHardening.log) done during a session in which 3D acceleration is enabled - you don't need to run the tool that causes the crash - then we may be able to pinpoint which DLLs cause the problem, and what precisely the problem is (e.g. driver not signed at all, or perhaps an outdated signature).

I should mention that Intel graphics and drivers have a poor reputation. It's one reason why NVidia and AMD have a market for add-in GPUs. So this could be a straight up driver bug rather than just a signing problem. But, this is all speculation since I have no specific knowledge of the chipset you mention or their drivers. What you could do is Google for some OpenGL test apps and see how well they run on your host (VM 3D acceleration communicates with the host GPU using OpenGL, hence relies on the quality of the host OpenGL implementation - the one provided by the graphics vendor, not the stub provided by Windows).
nvtc
Posts: 25
Joined: 3. Mar 2021, 11:41

Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by nvtc »

So, if I'm only doing office stuff do I actually need 3D acceleration? I guess this is different from hardware acceleration in Firefox?
Attachments
VBoxHardening.zip
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mpack
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Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by mpack »

Despite the name, 3D acceleration does not just accelerate 3D CAD. It provides hardware accelerated OpenGL and DirectX APIs to the guest OS. Lots of apps which are not 3D CAD can benefit. This comes into play especially when handling large (2K+) display sizes, and video playback on YouTube (say).

As to "hardware acceleration in Firefox". That either means what I'm talking about, or it means nothing. Virtual hardware is simulated, so VM apps can't access host hardware except indirectly through APIs provided by VirtualBox.

By all means test: see if you can live with 3D acceleration being turned off.

Regarding your hardening log:
  • You have superfluous third party AV installed (Avast). Superfluous because Win10 is very capable of protecting itself without third party help, which will usually do a very poor job in comparison (MS are the Win10 internals experts, not Avast). And two suits of armour doesn't make you twice as safe, it just makes you twice as heavy and more likely to collapse.
  • I see a large number of Intel Graphics drivers being loaded - I don't see any being rejected though.
nvtc
Posts: 25
Joined: 3. Mar 2021, 11:41

Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by nvtc »

Yeah, but since this is my work machine I have very little say in what can be installed and what can't. So, Avast is here to stay (it does not seem to impact performance to much) and I have to live with a laptop that's using "inferior" Intel graphics. And since our IT department seems to be huge fans of Dell, the laptop came pre-loaded with Dell software like Dell Optimizer, Power Manager, Digital Delivery and Command. The last of which keeps drivers updated with Dell's approved ones but for the 3D acceleration issue I overwrote them with the latest Intel drivers. You say you see a lot of them being loaded but none rejected. Does this mean your initial diagnose of the cause is valid or not? I mean, I would prefer having 3D acceleration enabled to building a new (maybe even Win 11) VM but I will certainly test the VM for a few days running without.
mpack
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Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by mpack »

nvtc wrote:You say you see a lot of them being loaded but none rejected. Does this mean your initial diagnose of the cause is valid or not?
It means that I'm either missing the problem (it's a big log), or the problem isn't being caused by a bad signature.

My original diagnosis was "hardening problem or driver bug". So I'd say that the weight of evidence has shifted a bit towards the latter.

See if you can get the IT team to disable Avast as a test, or add an exclusion for VirtualBox (everthing in the "Program Files\Oracle" folder).
scottgus1
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Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by scottgus1 »

nvtc wrote: since this is my work machine
Make the case to your boss that Virtualbox is necessary to your work and there needs to be some experiments to try to fix this glitch. If the boss is convinced, IT will be convinced.
fth0
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Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by fth0 »

FWIW, I've seen a similar crash in another (unsolved) case, probably without Avast being involved: Memory could not be written error.

In your case, the crash happened in igdumdim64.dll, which is part of the Intel graphics drivers, and which were accepted by the VirtualBox hardening code. Since I also have a notebook with the Intel graphics drivers, is the Java tool available for an attempt to reproduce the issue?
nvtc
Posts: 25
Joined: 3. Mar 2021, 11:41

Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by nvtc »

mpack wrote:See if you can get the IT team to disable Avast as a test, or add an exclusion for VirtualBox (everthing in the "Program Files\Oracle" folder).
Mmh, so the Avast on the host interferes somehow with the guest; it's not more likely an issue with the Intel drivers as fth0 suggests? Sorry for my stupid questions but I don't know the first thing about host/guest interactions/dependencies (or virtualization :?).
fth0 wrote:Since I also have a notebook with the Intel graphics drivers, is the Java tool available for an attempt to reproduce the issue?
I'm sorry, that's proprietary software from the hardware manufacturer that I'm not allowed to share.
scottgus1 wrote:If the boss is convinced, IT will be convinced.
Well, I wish it were that easy but both boss and IT tend to be a bit difficult at times. Since I already mentioned that it appears to be working fine without 3D acceleration enabled, I guess that'll be the end of it. I was just wondering what could have caused this all of a sudden but it's likely I didn't use the VM on that day the graphics drivers were updated by the Dell Optimizer software so I didn't make the connection. In any case, I appreciate you guys' input.
mpack
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Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by mpack »

nvtc wrote:
mpack wrote:See if you can get the IT team to disable Avast as a test, or add an exclusion for VirtualBox (everthing in the "Program Files\Oracle" folder).
Mmh, so the Avast on the host interferes somehow with the guest
In fact I did not say that. I gave my diagnosis at the beginning (graphics driver problem), and have not changed it. I mentioned Avast as an aside since I saw it in the hardening log. It may be having an effect on the problem, that what the suggested test is about. On general principles I believe it is best to get rid of superfluous third party snake oil products (and the IT people who keep the vendors in business).
nvtc
Posts: 25
Joined: 3. Mar 2021, 11:41

Re: The memory could not be read when starting Java tool

Post by nvtc »

Agreed but I think you won't get rid of this kind of a$$ covering: "but we even had an extra layer of protection, it's not our fault the network got compromised" (<-hypothetical).
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