Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
gilgalad
Posts: 17
Joined: 18. Apr 2018, 19:03

Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by gilgalad »

VBox crashed (error window appeared in middle of game giving exit as only option) & then was listed on Manager screen as "aborted". After several attempts to re-start, Windows opened to the welcome screen (instead of usual home screen) & requested activation. Each attempt to do so (with/without registration) ended at no internet connectivity. Internet was connected. Why did the game crash? Why can't I get back to the home screen?
Requested Info:
VBox version= 6.1.28
No Guest Additions
Host= Win10/ver 2004/64bit (6GB RAM)
Guest= WinXP (32bit) [memory= 192MB base, 16MB video]
Vbox.log & VboxHardening.log files attached
Attachments
Logs.zip
(46.62 KiB) Downloaded 6 times
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by mpack »

Where did you get the XP? Was it ever activated?

If no to the latter then retail XP usually gives you 30 days of grace before it starts automatically logging you off.

Also, XP was designed for the Internet of 2002, not the Internet of 2022 - so most Internet transactions will fail.
gilgalad
Posts: 17
Joined: 18. Apr 2018, 19:03

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by gilgalad »

mpack wrote:Where did you get the XP? Was it ever activated?

If no to the latter then retail XP usually gives you 30 days of grace before it starts automatically logging you off.

Also, XP was designed for the Internet of 2002, not the Internet of 2022 - so most Internet transactions will fail.
I've used it twice before as a guest on the same system. First use April 2018, for initial Vbox setup; last use was for a complete uninstall/reinstall, january 2019. Maybe it only works on an initial/new setup?
The disk originally came as backup software for a Dell PC.
Last edited by gilgalad on 6. Jan 2022, 01:45, edited 1 time in total.
scottgus1
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Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by scottgus1 »

The following may help getting XP activated at this late date:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 46c86b3f6b

Microsoft Self Service for Mobile activation page) was able to help me activate a couple days ago. It may work for you.

https://microsoft.gointeract.io/interac ... ken=0Yr8Nd

Microsoft may have also shut down the online XP activation servers.

Note that activating XP is not within the scope of the Virtualbox forum.

If you can ping 8.8.8.8 inside your XP VM then the VM has internet, and the connection problems are as Mpack described: from really old internet clients on a modern internet. Virtualbox NAT, NAT Network, and Bridged are the network types to try to get a VM OS connected to the host's internet.
gilgalad
Posts: 17
Joined: 18. Apr 2018, 19:03

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by gilgalad »

scottgus1 wrote:The following may help getting XP activated at this late date:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/win ... 46c86b3f6b

Microsoft Self Service for Mobile activation page) was able to help me activate a couple days ago. It may work for you.

https://microsoft.gointeract.io/interac ... ken=0Yr8Nd

Microsoft may have also shut down the online XP activation servers.

Note that activating XP is not within the scope of the Virtualbox forum.

If you can ping 8.8.8.8 inside your XP VM then the VM has internet, and the connection problems are as Mpack described: from really old internet clients on a modern internet. Virtualbox NAT, NAT Network, and Bridged are the network types to try to get a VM OS connected to the host's internet.
I read the Microsoft link, but the fix seems to require a state that is post-activation. Can I do the ping-thing if I can't get past the activation screen?
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by scottgus1 »

gilgalad wrote:Can I do the ping-thing if I can't get past the activation screen?
Good question. If you can get to a command prompt, then you should be able to ping.

Please note again that fixing activation issues is not part of the Virtualbox forum, and some web-searching may be in order.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by mpack »

gilgalad wrote: Can I do the ping-thing if I can't get past the activation screen?
It may be possible to boot XP in safe mode, I'm not sure.

Pressing the F8 key during boot gets to safe mode, but on a single press you can never be sure if the key was registered. So start the VM, then as soon as the VirtulBox splash panel appears you start hitting F8 at one second intervals. Do not hold down the key, that produces a single missable event. Eventually you should get a boot menu with safe mode as an option.
gilgalad
Posts: 17
Joined: 18. Apr 2018, 19:03

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by gilgalad »

It may be possible to boot XP in safe mode, I'm not sure.

Pressing the F8 key during boot gets to safe mode, but on a single press you can never be sure if the key was registered. So start the VM, then as soon as the VirtulBox splash panel appears you start hitting F8 at one second intervals. Do not hold down the key, that produces a single missable event. Eventually you should get a boot menu with safe mode as an option.
Tried that, it did not work. I assume from the (very much-appreciated) replies from you & scottgus1 that I'm dead in the water. I'll try what has worked x2 before: start from scratch. Thanks for your help!
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by scottgus1 »

Note that if you back up the activated VM (by shutting down the VM then copying the VM folder and the disk file if it is outside the folder) you can simply copy the backup back to the original place and the VM will extremely likely restart fully activated.
gilgalad
Posts: 17
Joined: 18. Apr 2018, 19:03

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by gilgalad »

copying the VM folder and the disk file if it is outside the folder
Thanks, that seems like useful info, except that I do not know what the "disk file" is.
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by scottgus1 »

The disk file is the file that holds all the VM's data and acts as the VM OS's hard drive. Most of the time, with VMs made new in Virtualbox, the disk file will be "vm name.vdi" and will be inside the VM's folder next to the VM's "vm name.vbox" file. Some folks like to put the disk file outside the VM folder, which complicates backups.

If your VM folder has a .vbox file and a .vdi file in it (your host will have to be showing all extensions) then your VM folder is self contained. Just copy the folder to a backup media and you should be good the next time the VM OS deactivates itself.
gilgalad
Posts: 17
Joined: 18. Apr 2018, 19:03

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by gilgalad »

Great! That's just what I need.
Many thanks!
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by mpack »

gilgalad wrote: The disk originally came as backup software for a Dell PC.
XP on Dell machines was usually node locked: no activation is required or possible, it needs to see a Dell BIOS.
gilgalad
Posts: 17
Joined: 18. Apr 2018, 19:03

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by gilgalad »

I was able once again to start from scratch with a uninstall/reinstall of VBox, followed by an install of WinXP as guest. XP did not go to activation screen, but to home page, where on the last 2 occasions I've been able to install my game from the optical drive. (BTW, I followed scottgus1's suggestion for saving/copying VM folder.)
Not so this time, however, as XP did not recognize my optical drive (E:), insisting instead as showing it as D & indicating no disk in the drive. Is this a Windows problem, or Vbox? If Windows, I'll research an answer elsewhere.
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Unable to Activate after VBox crash

Post by scottgus1 »

gilgalad wrote:XP did not recognize my optical drive (E:), insisting instead as showing it as D
Not a problem. The VM's CD drive is not the host's CD drive. It can read from the host's CD drive, but the VM drive letter will not follow the host drive, any more than if you'd installed Linux, which doesn't use drive letters.
gilgalad wrote:indicating no disk in the drive.
Could be the VM CD drive was not pointed at the host CD drive. That is something you have to manually do, in the VM window's Devices menu, Optical Drives, Host Drive.
gilgalad wrote:XP did not go to activation screen, but to home page
This is expected. Around February 10th-ish, (30 days) it'll lock down, unless you activate it.
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