windows vista has Serious issues

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
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Jarbicyte
Posts: 3
Joined: 9. Apr 2023, 17:57

windows vista has Serious issues

Post by Jarbicyte »

hello, yesterday i tried to install vista on my vm and i think im having some serious issues with many things but the major one has got to be the installation of guest additions.

Windows 11 22H2 host, 12gb ram (11.4gb usable), intel graphics HD 620 with 128mb vram
guest is running vista ultimate sp1 64-bit with 2048mb ram and 128mb vram as well

so basically, i first tried installing sp2 but had an issue with the installation (supposed "missing components" which i later managed to fix an installed to a different guest (which had Worse problems so i deleted it like an absolute fool)) So due to these technical difficulties, i ended up installing sp1.
however, problems arise when installing guest additions (for screen resizing, drag and drop etc which i deem ultimately necessary). before partially "fixing" the issue, i was running virtualbox 6.1.10, and when attempting to install GAs an error occurs when trying to execute VABoxDrvInst.exe. problem persisted until i downgraded to 6.1.0 thanks to a suggestion from someone with the same issue. now it Was able to complete the installation, prompting me to restart, however when i do, it gets stuck in a boot loop where after the microsoft loading bar disappears, in a black screen a white text shows up and says
"Checking file system on c:
The volume is clear
Windows has finished checking the disk"
then after this, it either casually bluescreens for a split second, or straight up restarts all over again. after this happens, the windows recovery screen pops up giving me the option to start in safe mode, which i then have to do to remove guest additions, then after i do it just starts up normally.

i want to clarify that the chkdsk issue is a persistent one (happened in both vms where i installed sp1 and sp2 respectively, even before the installation of guest additions), and i was able to bypass it when entering "chkntfs /x c:" on cmd (it then just shows "Windows has finished checking the disk."), however i was not able to bypass the bluescreen after GAs installed. i have been prompted to "start windows with last known good configuration", where it did start up, however GAs didnt work for some reason

i just want to know what the issue here is. i am frustrated enough so it seems vista really is that unstable after all if i cant even get it to work right on my vm.

i also have an additional problem i would very much like to fix regarding the "windows experience index" for windows aero, which keeps giving me only up to 1.0. i would like to increase this so i can get rid of the vista basic theme and see the theme for what its intended to be in all its glory (which i dont understand why itd be turned off, if my other win8.1 vm runs just fine with aero borders by default). ive heard i had to turn "3d acceleration on", however i think this is really unnecessary since VBoxSVGA technically runs with 3d acceleration. then i also heard i should increase the vram beyond 128mb, however it seems impossible as long as VBoxSVGA is on and though my laptop has only 128mb of vram, would anything happen if i exceeded that amount? i heard somewhere that this uses the normal ram rather than your actual vram so im confused is that really possible at all?
i need answers.
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: windows vista has Serious issues

Post by scottgus1 »

If you're trying 7.0 Virtualbox and Guest Additions, you won't get Vista Aero.

First:
Jarbicyte wrote: ive heard i had to turn "3d acceleration on", however i think this is really unnecessary since VBoxSVGA technically runs with 3d acceleration.
As Mad Dog Tannen said to Marty Mcfly in "Back to the Future 3",
"You thought wrong, dude."
:lol:

Aero requires 3D acceleration. 3D does not come automatically with VboxSVGA or either of the other two cards. 3D requires the setting to be turned on and Guest Additions running in the VM.

However, due to a security hole big enough to fly a Space-X Starship through, 3D acceleration was reprogrammed starting in 6.1. Only Windows 7 & later have access to 3D acceleration now, and only with the VboxSVGA (possibly VMSVGA, which is really for Linux) video card.

To get Aero in Vista, you'd have to run 6.0 or 5.2 Virtualbox and Guest Additions, and use the old-school VboxVGA video card (note no S). 6.0 started introducing the new video cards and theoretically did not change anything about the old video card you need. I'd try 5.2.44 as the last relatively-for-certain setup.

Please try that if you still want to proceed.

https://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/
https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Download_Old_Builds
Jarbicyte
Posts: 3
Joined: 9. Apr 2023, 17:57

Re: windows vista has Serious issues

Post by Jarbicyte »

scottgus1 wrote:If you're trying 7.0 Virtualbox and Guest Additions, you won't get Vista Aero.

First:
Jarbicyte wrote: ive heard i had to turn "3d acceleration on", however i think this is really unnecessary since VBoxSVGA technically runs with 3d acceleration.
As Mad Dog Tannen said to Marty Mcfly in "Back to the Future 3",
"You thought wrong, dude."
:lol:

Aero requires 3D acceleration. 3D does not come automatically with VboxSVGA or either of the other two cards. 3D requires the setting to be turned on and Guest Additions running in the VM.

However, due to a security hole big enough to fly a Space-X Starship through, 3D acceleration was reprogrammed starting in 6.1. Only Windows 7 & later have access to 3D acceleration now, and only with the VboxSVGA (possibly VMSVGA, which is really for Linux) video card.

To get Aero in Vista, you'd have to run 6.0 or 5.2 Virtualbox and Guest Additions, and use the old-school VboxVGA video card (note no S). 6.0 started introducing the new video cards and theoretically did not change anything about the old video card you need. I'd try 5.2.44 as the last relatively-for-certain setup.

Please try that if you still want to proceed.

Currently running the same vista guest with 3d acceleration on in virtualbox 5.2.44 with the extension pack installed. having worse complications regarding the installation of guest additions as it now aborts the installation entirely (ERROR 800b0100: No signature was present in the subject), even though it did the same thing when i ran it on 6.1.10. i didnt even get around to installing it in the first try and restarted the vm anyway and when i did it bluescreened for no reason. kept bluescreening until i started windows with "last good configuration" even though i didnt even install the guest additions in the first place. Odd.
i also tried the same installation process in safe mode and it keeps giving me the same error.
something i noticed however is that the guest additions folder is actually present in program files but the only thing that fails to run is VBoxDrvInstall.exe. theres a bunch of sys files in there, that i assume are related to the drivers themselves, and i think thats what might be causing the bluescreening ....?
anyways. i think as long as im unable to get the guest additions to work properly i cant get to aero. i want to know if this is just a general issue with vista itself or if id have to roll back even more virtualbox versions.

edit (but not good news): i just deleted the oracle folder with the guest additions files from program files and it stopped bluescreening. i think it was that folder that was causing the issue. i want to know whats so wrong with guest additions and vista :|
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
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Re: windows vista has Serious issues

Post by scottgus1 »

Please try a fresh new install of Vista in a new VM, then try the 5.2.44 Guest Additions in the new Vista VM. Could be that something got bunged in the old VM.
Jarbicyte
Posts: 3
Joined: 9. Apr 2023, 17:57

Re: windows vista has Serious issues

Post by Jarbicyte »

scottgus1 wrote:Please try a fresh new install of Vista in a new VM, then try the 5.2.44 Guest Additions in the new Vista VM. Could be that something got bunged in the old VM.
okay i think i just fixed it. it seems there was something really wrong (and suspicious even) about both ISO files i had previously installed. i did a clean install as you said, then i ran a command that disables integrity checks on cmd ("bcdedit /set nointegritychecks on") based on a tutorial i watched. i then restarted and was able to install the guest additions normally without any errors. restarted again, giving the machine 4096mb of ram just in case, and now the auto-resize and aero and everything work perfectly. i even got a score of 2.9 for desktop performance for windows aero.
thanks for this suggestion! i am happy with this result :D
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: windows vista has Serious issues

Post by scottgus1 »

Glad you got things going!
javispedro
Posts: 58
Joined: 29. Jan 2022, 15:31
Primary OS: openSUSE
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Old & New Windows, Linux

Re: windows vista has Serious issues

Post by javispedro »

It looks that since 7.0.x the Vista signature/SHA1 problems have been fixed and you can now install the additions (instead of having to use the 6.1.0 ones).
Also, since 7.0.8 3D/Aero on Vista works a bit better than before.

Your mileage may vary and I of course encourage you to keep backups of the 5.x.x/6.x.x VMs before you try.
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