XP Guest Install In Linux Host Fails

[otta]

Hello all,

I am currently experiencing an XP guest install failure on my Ubuntu 7.1 host. The laptop is a toshiba M200 Portege with 2 gig of ram and Virtualbox 1.5.4. the xp image is an iso on the hard disk which the Virtual box can find and initialize. The XP install they tries to format the partition, hangs at 20% with 100% cpu utilization and eventually aborts. Has anyone else experienced this and found a solution?

The log file shows the following:

4772:22:25.446 TM: cTSCTicksPerSecond=0x6af8c9dc (1794689500) fTSCVirtualized=true fTSCUseRealTSC=false fMaybeUseOffsettedHostTSC=false
4772:22:25.447 CoreCode: R3=b35b1000 R0=f8cfa000 GC=a039a000 Phys=000000002bf48000 cb=0x2000
4772:22:25.455 VMMR0.r0 module loaded. VMMR0Entry located at f8ea32f0.
4772:22:25.463 Activating Local APIC
4772:22:25.463 PIT: mode=3 count=0x10000 (65536) - 18.20 Hz (ch=0)
4772:22:25.464 Shared Folders service loaded.
4772:22:25.531 PIIX3 ATA: LUN#0: disk, CHS=16644/16/63, total number of sectors 16777216
4772:22:25.531 PIIX3 ATA: LUN#1: no unit
4772:22:25.531 PIIX3 ATA: LUN#2: CD/DVD, total number of sectors 297900, passthrough disabled
4772:22:25.531 PIIX3 ATA: LUN#3: no unit
4772:22:25.531 PIIX3 ATA: Ctl#0: finished processing RESET
4772:22:25.631 PIIX3 ATA: Ctl#1: finished processing RESET
4772:22:25.732 NAT: passing domain name cac.ad.gov.on.ca
4772:22:25.732 NAT: DNS address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
4772:22:25.732 NAT: ignored DNS address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
4772:22:25.732 NAT: ignored DNS address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
4772:22:25.817 Changing the VM state from 'CREATING' to 'CREATED'.
4772:22:25.817 Changing the VM state from 'CREATED' to 'RUNNING'.
4772:22:25.828 Guest Log: BIOS: VirtualBox 1.5.4
4772:22:25.828 PIT: mode=2 count=0x10000 (65536) - 18.20 Hz (ch=0)
4772:22:25.841 Display::handleDisplayResize(): uScreenId = 0, pvVRAM=00000000 w=720 h=400 bpp=0 cbLine=0x0
4772:22:25.846 PIT: mode=2 count=0x48d3 (18643) - 64.00 Hz (ch=0)
4772:22:26.107 Display::handleDisplayResize(): uScreenId = 0, pvVRAM=b0ca2000 w=640 h=480 bpp=8 cbLine=0x280
4772:22:27.947 Display::handleDisplayResize(): uScreenId = 0, pvVRAM=00000000 w=720 h=400 bpp=0 cbLine=0x0
4772:22:27.950 PIT: mode=2 count=0x10000 (65536) - 18.20 Hz (ch=0)
4772:22:27.951 PIIX3 ATA: Ctl#0: RESET, DevSel=0 AIOIf=0 CmdIf0=0x00 (-1 usec ago) CmdIf1=0x00 (-1 usec ago)
4772:22:28.000 PIIX3 ATA: Ctl#0: finished processing RESET
4772:22:28.001 Guest Log: BIOS: ata0-0: PCHS=16383/16/63 translation=lba LCHS=1024/255/63
4772:22:28.001 PIIX3 ATA: Ctl#1: RESET, DevSel=0 AIOIf=0 CmdIf0=0x00 (-1 usec ago) CmdIf1=0x00 (-1 usec ago)
4772:22:28.001 PIIX3 ATA: Ctl#1: finished processing RESET
4772:22:28.003 Guest Log: BIOS: Boot from Floppy 0 failed
4772:22:28.004 Guest Log: BIOS: Booting from Hard Disk...
4772:22:28.765 Guest Log: BIOS: int13_harddisk: function 15, unmapped device for ELDL=81
4772:22:55.834 PIT: mode=2 count=0x2ead (11949) - 99.85 Hz (ch=0)
4772:22:59.593 PIIX3 ATA: LUN#0: IDLE IMMEDIATE, CmdIf=0xc4 (-1 usec ago)
4772:22:59.593 PIIX3 ATA: LUN#0: aborting current command
4772:23:02.597 PATM: Disable block at 86794acc - write 86794b7a-86794b7e
4772:23:03.971 Display::handleDisplayResize(): uScreenId = 0, pvVRAM=00000000 w=720 h=396 bpp=0 cbLine=0x0
4772:25:16.863 TM: Giving up catch-up attempt at a 71444234975 ns lag; new total: 71444234975 ns
4772:26:02.092 PATM: Disable block at 8678e394 - write 8678e453-8678e457
4772:26:37.557 TM: Giving up catch-up attempt at a 79208008839 ns lag; new total: 150652243814 ns
4772:27:26.221 PIIX3 ATA: execution time for ATA command 0xca was 10 seconds
4772:28:07.286 TM: Giving up catch-up attempt at a 90224483815 ns lag; new total: 240876727629 ns
4772:29:23.426 TM: Giving up catch-up attempt at a 73231542213 ns lag; new total: 314108269842 ns
4772:30:25.952 TM: Giving up catch-up attempt at a 63656748934 ns lag; new total: 377765018776 ns
4772:33:00.169 TM: Giving up catch-up attempt at a 154198028039 ns lag; new total: 531963046815 ns
4772:34:32.007 TM: Giving up catch-up attempt at a 84750487831 ns lag; new total: 616713534646 ns

Thanks in advance

[arfsoftware]

Hi Otta

Had similar problems installing Ubuntu, Mint and Vista on an XP Pro host. With each install the process would hang trying to format the virtual disk. With Linux it was usually with the swap disk. You don't say whether you are using a fixed or dynamic sized disk.

Reply from Innotek was as follows "Are you using a fixed-size image? If so, please try again with a variable-sized image. If you are using a fixed-size image, the first write access from the guest to the disk might take a very long time which confuses the guest."

Even so I eventally got to successfully install each one in a fixed size partition. Took 3 or 4 goes. I never verified the solution but somewhere along the line I partitioned and formatted the virtual disk outside of the normal install process by bailing out of the installer and using a command line driven process. Rebooted the VM and tried again. Told the installer to use the existing partition(s) that were already formatted.

Currently have a Mint and Vista Home Premium VM running happily on an XP pro host, talking to each other, and seeing my shared printers. Don't use NAT if you want to do this, use bridged virtual adaptors with a DHCP server - in my case in my ASDL modem/router. Puts everything on the same subnet. NAT will reliably provide internet access only it seems at this point.

Cheers