extremely slow start for vista x64

[umeca74]

I am using the latest virtualbox on a 32 bit windows 7 PC
one of the VMs is a vista x64, and every now and then it causes me trouble

after some windows update causes a VM to reboot, it takes very long to restart. It looks like the machine is showing some messages in the pre-windows-boot console window, which look like this (something about updating the registry)

(I cannot upload pics so here's a draft)

Code: Select all

CONSOLE WINDOW
8313/17470 (\Registry\machine\schema\wcm: ....
...
8315/17470 (\Registry\machine\schema\wcm: ....

these printouts take around a second for EACH line and if you imagine that there are 17470 such messages to show, this takes ages.

Is there any setting I can use to speed this startup up?
thanks

[umeca74]

here is the screenshot of the console window causing the delay


once all these messages are printed and windows boot, then the VM runs normally
it has a problem only with the "console" window printouts

[rpmurray]

Have you tried running the System File Checker tool in the guest? See Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files for more information.

[umeca74]

thanks, I will try that although I don't believe it will find any problems
whatever is the console display driver, it works, albeit extremely slowly!

[umeca74]

it's doing it again... waiting 2 hours now to boot the VM
Here's a demo video how it is going slowly, it is almost in real time (painfully slow console)
www.zabkat.com/test/vbox.htm

[loukingjr]

Attach the vbox.log (compressed) for your Vista guest here. I will say running a 64bit guest on a 32bit host is bound to be slow. Someone else recently posted about slow performance and he just had to switch to a 32bit version.

[umeca74]

sadly I rebooted so I don't think the log is relevant. But next time it does it I will give it to you
ok, I can understand being a little slower, but this is something else. And it gets very nice speed, once the windows start (!)
only the boot console is slow

[loukingjr]

the log could be relevant.

[umeca74]

you are right, there are some older log files that could be relevant, see attached. The run that "took ages" was abandoned

[mpack]

00:00:02.063526 Host RAM: 3036MB total, 1316MB available
...
00:00:02.511001 RamSize <integer> = 0x0000000058b00000 (1 487 929 344, 1 419 MB)
00:00:02.512065 VRamSize <integer> = 0x0000000001800000 (25 165 824, 24 MB)

Not enough host memory available to run this VM. A VM can't use paged memory. Try to free up host memory: look at your task list and find out who the memory hogs are.