[Solved] ubuntu 12.04 guest crashes in vbox 5.2.8

Discussions about using Linux guests in VirtualBox.
Post Reply
jdbosma
Posts: 2
Joined: 29. Mar 2018, 00:48

[Solved] ubuntu 12.04 guest crashes in vbox 5.2.8

Post by jdbosma »

Host: Win7 64-bit 16 GB RAM, vbox 5.2.8 without extension pack
Guest: Kubuntu 12.04 32-bit, 3083 MB, without guest additions

Problem: VM crashes shortly after login, every time.

Tested:
1) Guest runs OK in vbox 5.2.6 with guest additions. Use this running configuration to uninstall vbox guest additions from guest.
2) Restart guest and verify that guest without guest additions runs OK under vbox 5.2.6 without extension pack.
3) Uninstall vbox 5.2.6, reboot Windows host
4) Install vbox 5.2.8, extension pack not installed, reboot Windows host.
5) Start guest under 5.2.8 (no guest additions). Guest boots normally but VM crashes with memory access error shortly after login.

Conclusion: VM runs OK under vbox 5.2.6 with or without extension pack and guest additions.
VM (guest additions uninstalled) does not run under 5.2.8 (no extension pack).

Additional comments:
1) The VM with guest additions installed also crashed under vbox 5.2.8 with extension pack. I uninstalled the extension pack from the host and the guest extensions from the VM in an attempt to isolate the problem.

2) A different VM, Kubuntu 16.04 64-bit, runs fine on the same Win7 host under either version of vbox, with extension pack and guest additions.

Attached: vbox.log, vboxhardening.log from vbox 5.2.8 showing crash of Kubuntu 12.04 32-bit.
Attachments
VBoxHardening.zip
(21.46 KiB) Downloaded 20 times
VBoxLog.zip
(23.99 KiB) Downloaded 19 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: ubuntu 12.04 guest crashes in vbox 5.2.8

Post by mpack »

It looks like it might be your host audio drivers crashing, probably because it relies on some unsigned DLL that got ejected. The crash occurs milliseconds after the audio line in is initialized, though the crash IP in the current process looks like VBoxDD.DLL.

Does the crash still happen when audio is disabled?
jdbosma
Posts: 2
Joined: 29. Mar 2018, 00:48

Re: ubuntu 12.04 guest crashes in vbox 5.2.8

Post by jdbosma »

Good call, thank you!
After disabling the audio device in the vbox "machine tools" for this VM, I can load the VM and run it normally under vbox 5.2.8. I could also install the extension pack and guest additions in the VM.

I can also enable the audio device as long as the emulated controller is ICH AC97. It is only the Intel HD Audio controller that causes a crash. The SoundBlaster 16 controller does not crash, although it does not work - perhaps it is not supported in the guest OS, I am not sure.

Anyway, thank you for the tip, very helpful.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: ubuntu 12.04 guest crashes in vbox 5.2.8

Post by mpack »

Thanks for reporting back.

SoundBlaster is an ancient (DOS era) device, so you don't want that in a modern OS. I would keep an eye out for audio related fixes in new releases, and in the meantime AC'97 should be a decent workaround.
Post Reply