Strange Audio stuttering issue VirtualBox 5.1.24

[DJ Garybaldy]

New around here so please be gentle with me!

I downloaded and installed the update to Virtualbox 5.1.24 2 days ago. After seeing it on Twitter

Running Windows 10 64 Bit in a Virtual machine with 4GB of RAM

Update seemed to go smoothly guest additions seemed to install correctly then I fired up my usual piece of music software to be greeted with scratchy/crackly audio and after 5/10 minutes the audio started stuttering and the program/virtual machine become unresponsive. Several reboots later and its still not right, I've updated drivers I've even uninstalled audio and let devices find the audio drivers again.

There is nothing to indicate/suggest this is a Windows 10 issue as nothing is being reported in the Error logs around the time this happened....

Nothing changed between upgrades that I'm aware of that would cause this sort of issue. I've tried everything I can physically think of and it's still doing it.

Th Main OS is Ubuntu studio 16.10 (I think) and the Specs of my PC are OK as it relatively new (16GB RAM - AMD processor)

Any ideas on this would be much appreciated, Things were working OK last week.

[socratis]

In order to better understand the problem you need to submit some more information. Please read the following: Minimum information needed for assistance.

Specifically for the VM log file ("VBox.log.zip"), here's what you do:

1. Start the VM. Not from a saved or paused state. Clean start.
2. Take the steps required to generate/observe the error.
3. Shut down the VM (if it hasn't aborted by itself). Not saved or paused. Completely shut down.
4. Right-click on the VM in the VirtualBox Manager. Select "Show Log..."
5. Save it (only the first VBox.log), ZIP it and attach it to your response (see the "Upload attachment" tab below the reply form).

I would also like to see the "recipe" of the VM, the ".vbox" file:

1. Right-click on the VM in the VirtualBox Manager. Select "Show in Finder/Explorer/Whatever".
2. ZIP the selected ".vbox" file and attach it to your response.

[DJ Garybaldy]

I'm hoping this is what you were asking for Windows 10 lasted 2 songs before the audio started stuttering and repeating Its not a software issue as that POS is running just fine on another VB and used to run OK until this last update.

[mpack]

00:00:00.648479 Installed Extension Packs:
00:00:00.648479 None installed!

Extension pack not installed. You can't use USB2 or USB3 and some other features.

00:00:00.769950 NumCPUs <integer> = 0x0000000000000001 (1)

I think it would probably help if you allocated a couple of cores to the VM, instead of making it do everything with one core. I suggest no more than 2 cores though, since your AMD Bulldozer is not the 8 core CPU it claims to be - it equates to about a 4 core in the terminology that everyone else uses.

I'll also add that a new Win10 install is very I/O heavy, as it checks for OS updates and Defender does a first scan. When I created my first Win10 VM I killed Cortana, disabled Defender (temporarily: Win10 doesn't allow a permanent disable) - and most everything else in the task list that I couldn't see a use for, which in my case meant ditching every "modern" app and its associated runtime service.

If you leave Win10 running for a while then the I/O should settle down.

[DJ Garybaldy]

This isn't a new install of Windows 10 its about a year old now... Only recently started having these issues I will try and add another core but I'm not sure it will make much difference its been running fine until 5.1.24 broke something.

Its not Windows Defender either that's been behaving itself for ages now. AFAIK Cortana or the service that deals with that should have been disabled anyway my partner did that one.

Like |I said I'm a bit green when it comes to VB I've installed the said extension pack and will do more testing

Update added the extra core and set it to usb2 and I'm still getting scratchy popping audio then bang it starts stuttering again...

[mpack]

Scratchy audio usually means that something is using up a lot of CPU or I/O time. I'm not aware of any recent issue of this nature affecting Linux hosts. I would be looking for any new guest processes which have become CPU or network hogs.

Alternatively: if you are saying that reverting to 5.1.22 fixes the problem then that could possibly be an important result.

[DJ Garybaldy]

There isn't anything new I've been running the same software same specs for ages now.

The CPU when Virtualbox opens is around 25-30% But when its active and booted its using about 5.94% of the CPU (according to Conky on my desktop) so I don't believe the CPU is the culprit behind the scratchy/popping audio.

How would I roll back to 5.1.22 where would I download it? to see what happens I delete stuff once its installed usually.

[mpack]

If you are running Windows 10 and it has a network connection then it updates itself regularly - Windows update can't be disabled. So it wouldn't be true to say that it has never changed in a year. In fact it would have changed in the last couple of weeks.

You can get 5.1.22 from the same downloads area where you found 5.1.24. Just look for the "older builds" link.

[DJ Garybaldy]

No No No! I'm not having you blame this on a Windows problem with updates.... This is Virtualbox being the royal pain in the butt.

Like I said Its been running fine until I updated. I use it daily and know how stable it was before the update Its either the Updated VB 5.1.24 or VB Guest editions not playing ball IMHO.

Either way something bad has gone wrong with the audio.

[socratis]

OK, downgrade then and see if that fixes it. It's a 5' process...
It might very well be a regression...

[mpack]

No No No! I'm not having you blame this on a Windows problem with updates.... This is Virtualbox being the royal pain in the butt.

Perhaps, but then I'd expect many other 5.1.24 users on Linux hosts to be reporting the same problem. So far I can count such problem reports on the fingers of one finger.

[DJ Garybaldy]

The problem started happening AFTER the last Virtualbox update NOT the last Windows update.

I KNOW its isn't the Windows install at fault as its been working fine for over a year until 5.1.24

BTW it appears I can't roll back to 5.1.22 without uninstalling Virtualbox altogether first... It just won't allow me to roll back.

Why are some people talking down to me like I'm some sort of Idiot? I'm a Moderator on another forum and i wouldn't dare talk to people this way

I'm sorry I ever decided to ask for help & advice TBH!! Might have known people would blame it on everything other than the Virtualbox software... I won't be posting again Good Day!

No need to be abrupt and awful!

[mpack]

Why are some people talking down to me like I'm some sort of Idiot?

I see no examples of that in the topic above. So far all you have been asked to do is keep an open mind and investigate a little to verify your report. We're trying to get at the facts, not play kissy kissy.

[socratis]

BTW it appears I can't roll back to 5.1.22 without uninstalling Virtualbox altogether first... It just won't allow me to roll back.

That's not a problem at all. Your VMs are going to be left as is. It's like upgrading/downgrading LibreOffice. Your spreadsheets don't get deleted as well. Same with the VMs.

[DJ Garybaldy]

It has to be a Virtualbox/Guest additions issue as Windows 7 is working fine both 32/64bit installs on the same machine. Tested those over the week end No stalling stuttering audio there.

There were no major changes/windows updates made to W10 after the Virtualbox update was done. The Windows 10 VB had been working just fine until this update.

Yes its driving me nuts but that because Its a problem that's come right out of the blue - Not going to rollback seeing as Windows 7 still appears to work on this machine.

I guess I'll wait and see what the next update brings even if that means waiting months.