Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

Discussions about using Mac OS X guests (on Apple hardware) in VirtualBox.
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Vinshar
Posts: 2
Joined: 8. Aug 2021, 09:11

Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

Post by Vinshar »

Hello

I am facing this issue in MacBook Air Big Sur 11.5.1 while creating a new virtual machine on virtual box .
tried all the things on the internet but it did not worked.
It is really very annoying to see a vert less support on this subject as apple says contact virtual box dev team .
kindly help

below is the error
Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

Make sure the kernel module has been loaded successfully.

where: suplibOsInit what: 3 VERR_VM_DRIVER_NOT_INSTALLED (-1908) - The support driver is not installed. On linux, open returned ENOENT.
granada29
Volunteer
Posts: 690
Joined: 3. Mar 2015, 07:27
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Linux, macOS, Windows

Re: Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

Post by granada29 »

If yourMacBook Air is an M1 machine then you will not be able to run VirtualBox. See viewtopic.php?f=8&t=100875

If it is an intel machine then you should be able to find a solution in viewtopic.php?f=8&t=84092.

It's a long thread - I suggest starting at the end and working backwards
Vinshar
Posts: 2
Joined: 8. Aug 2021, 09:11

Re: Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

Post by Vinshar »

thanks for your valuable reply !

I understand your point but do we have any alternative .
Does that mean that we cannot create virtual machines on Mac due to this limitations neither by Oracle virtual box and nor by other softwares
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

Post by mpack »

@vinshar:
Granada made two points:
  • VirtualBox will not run VMs on M1 Macs (VirtualBox has never been a CPU simulator).
  • That the same error message can happen on Intel machines too, but for different reasons.
So it would be nice if you confirmed whether you have an M1 or x86 processor (*), so we can continue discussion of that case only!

(*) I'm not a Mac user, but it's my understanding that MacBook Air notebooks running Big Sur could potentially have either processor.
Wardaug51
Posts: 1
Joined: 13. Jan 2022, 23:42

Re: Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

Post by Wardaug51 »

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine Ubuntu 21.10.

The virtual machine 'Ubuntu 21.10' has terminated unexpectedly during startup with exit code 1 (0x1).

Result Code: NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)
Component: MachineWrap
Interface: IMachine {85632c68-b5bb-4316-a900-5eb28d3413df}


///MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015) Monterey v.12.1

I have used VB before, I just update to the latest Version 6.1.30 r148432 (Qt5.6.3)
and wanted to install Ubuntu 21.10 to try it out, after following instructions from VB website, I get the message above.
Tried Posp OS with the same result. Any help appreciated

War
granada29
Volunteer
Posts: 690
Joined: 3. Mar 2015, 07:27
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Linux, macOS, Windows

Re: Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

Post by granada29 »

Please try following the steps in: viewtopic.php?t=101786#p494300
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