Stopped working on Xubuntu 16.04

[MichaelSweden]

VirtualBox 5.1.14 r112924
Xubuntu 16.04.3 (update/upgrade today)
4.13.0-26-generic #29~16.04.2-Ubuntu SMP Tue Jan 9 22:00:44 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

I cannot start VMs anymore, after Xubuntu update.
VirtualBox - Error In suplibOsInit: Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

I have tried: $ sudo /sbin/vboxconfig
vboxdrv.sh: Building VirtualBox kernel modules.
vboxdrv.sh: failed: Look at /var/log/vbox-install.log to find out what went wrong.

There were problems setting up VirtualBox. To re-start the set-up process, run
/sbin/vboxconfig
as root.

As seen above, it fails!

What can I do?

PS. Please, I don't want to use newer VirtualBox version, need to be compatible between all my machines.

//Michael

[towo2099]

PS. Please, I don't want to use newer VirtualBox version, need to be compatible between all my machines.

And now? Oracle should make this ancient version of vbox compatible with kernel 4.13? You kidding, do you?

[socratis]

If you want to use the latest version for your host/guests, you should also consider doing the same for VirtualBox. As of this writing, that would be version 5.2.4. If that doesn't work you should try the latest test builds, especially with all the Spectre/Meltdown patches coming in from all sides.

If you want to be compatible with all your machines, then update all your machines.

[MichaelSweden]

And now? Oracle should make this ancient version of vbox compatible with kernel 4.13? You kidding, do you?

No I don't kidding. Why should it break?

Okay, so it seems like VirtualBox is deep down in the kernel and I can understand this (based on what it does). However it make it difficult to use. Maybe this is how it is. Sad, maybe no solution. So I need to never update Ubuntu on my server, good to know. However nothing I had planned. Now it was my desktop machine.

//Michael

[socratis]

However it make it difficult to use.

Not really. No one has promised backwards compatibility. And nobody holds a "future spyglass" to forecast all the potential fixes to your guest's updates.

And if there was to be an update, that would be in 5.1.32 (a newer version than it currently exists), definitely not in 5.1.14.

[MichaelSweden]

All these updates I only want to use my computer. Well...

Now I running 5.1.30. I install via apt, I selected "virtualbox-5.1" and added new extensionpack. It works This without doing anything with the VM.

How is compatibility between different 5.1.x versions, between host and guest?
For example can a guest created (and using guest additions) with latest 5.1.30 be executed on a host with 5.1.14?
I guess that if I start with 5.2.x on one host, it wouldn't be possible to move VMs around to old hosts?

or to view my question from other direction:
Is it within 5.1.x versions possible to use host and VMs with diffferent x-versions?
Is it when the second version change (e.g. 5.1 and 5.2), it will be 'problem' mixing different host/VMs versions?

//Michael

[socratis]

I only want to use my computer.

Actually you started the whole thing by not simply using your computer, but by updating it. That carries dangers. That's why there are supported long-term releases, for letting sleeping dogs sleep...

I often swing between 4.x.y and the latest 5.2.5 (as of this writing) test build. Pretty much the oldest that my host can handle up to the newest. There's not a problem. It's like having different versions of LibreOffice and trying to open different documents; not that biggie, if used within logical limits. Remember only that the ExtPack *has* to match the main VirtualBox version. So you'll need to be upgrading/downgrading two things every time you change versions.

The Guest Additions (GAs) may or may not be as cooperative. The display and mouse integration will work. Things like "shared folders" might break.

But, I get a feeling that you're sharing VMs. That's not the same as changing VirtualBox versions. Completely different and not really supported scenario. You can move them, but there is special attention needed when you're sharing.

What are you doing exactly?

[MichaelSweden]

I use LTS of Xubuntu. I am really not up to this with updates all the time, if it works it works (still using WIndows XP). My Ubuntu server have no auto updates. It runs several VMs. Recently changed my main desktop machine to Xubuntu and have the old XP in VM (works great). Need to keep the XP, all my important application are in it (mainly CAD). No internet and have never been internet on that machine (do it via rdp).

I actually don't moving around VM's, but maybe I will. So I decided to keep to one version of VirtualBox, since I have notice the version matter. Also use same version at work. So just in case I thought it would be good to keep to one and the same version all over.

PS. I have both XP and Win10 up and running. It was some trick with OEM license for W10, took some time to solve. The XP was also little problem, with one software (sentinel service). Failed to start because the parport didn't start, because no parallell port. Very easy to fix after finding that out, just remove the dependency.

So I am happy now. For now I will keep to 5.1.x, maybe in the future upgrade.

Thanks for support.

//Michael