Windows Update KB3161606 breaks Virtual Box 4.3.18

[Chuck79]

I'm on Windows 8.1 and running VirtualBox version 4.3.18.
Today I installed new Windows Updates and then when I tried to run virtualbox it gave me the error "virtualbox terminated unexpectedly during startup".

After some investigation I found that Windows Update KB3161606 caused the problem. Uninstalling KB3161606 and rebooting allowed VirtualBox to work again. Hopefully this info will help someone else.

[towo2099]

And what you want to say?
Vbox 4.x is EOL and 4.3.18 is ancient old.

[scottgus1]

towo2099, there's a maintenance paradigm that's fairly common amongst wise managers and IT departments, maybe you've heard of it. It goes like this:

"If it ain't broke don't fix it."

The saying means if what one is doing is working, don't change it just because a change is possible. One may cause a lot more trouble for oneself, because the change may not work or may cause other unexpected problems, especially if the system being changed is mission-critical. Change important systems only when necessary, and test thoroughly beforehand.

Some folks, like myself, don't upgrade Virtualbox on the servers and workstations we run for important purposes, every time a new update comes out. I'm still running 4.2.16 on my office server, because it's been stable. And info like Chuck79's may be very important for those who have 4.3.18 still running on an important PC. You are correct that 4.3 is no longer going to be updated and there were many updates past 4.3.18. The "And what you want to say?" part? How does that help? Just because you demean the information for your own situation does not mean someone else will not find it useful.

Thanks, Chuck, for letting us all know!

[Chuck79]

"Vbox 4.x is EOL and 4.3.18 is ancient old"

Yes, I am aware that 4.3.18 is very old. However, it is very stable and works great. It is also just as old as other software running on my PC, and none of that other software breaks when I perform Windows Update patches. I'm not sure why VirtualBox has these problems.

I have updated VirtualBox software 2 or 3 times in the past, and each time was very painful. I had to install multiple builds until I found one that was stable. So now I try never to update VirtualBox to avoid the same pain.

If I install the latest and greatest version of VirtualBox, will it still break when I perform Windows Updates? If it does, it is no better to me than what I have now.

[scottgus1]

Sometimes Windows Updates break Virtualbox because the update changes core Windows files and does not change the security signatures to go with those files. It's an error by Microsoft. Virtualbox needs the security signatures to be valid so the files can plug into Virtualbox processes safely. If Virtualbox did not check the security signatures, malware could also plug into Virtualbox and get more ability to destroy your computer.

That said, 4.3.18 is very early in the developers' attempts to figure out how to plug the security hole that Virtualbox was enabling. A newer version would likely be more hardy. There are plenty of folks running more recent version of 5 successfully.

Now that "that" is said, you don't have to update Virtualbox. But no one can guarantee if you won't get further damaging updates or if updating Virtualbox will always work. There are ways to recover quickly from a botched VB update, such as taking a disc image backup of your physical hard drive just before the update. Set a System Restore point. Be sure you have all the installers for the old version you're using so you can go back or provide files if the MSI installer system goes south on you. Usual precautions for any change to a computer.

And of course if you don't update you'll be stuck if running a newer OS is desired. That goes without saying