Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Mac OS X hosts.
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oneofthedamons
Posts: 15
Joined: 1. Mar 2019, 17:09

Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Post by oneofthedamons »

I'm having all sorts of problems with my Windows 10 guest after upgrading VirtualBox from 6.1 to 7.0.4 on macOS 12.6.2 — Windows 10 taking many minutes to start, desktop size is not adjusting to the VirtualBox window size, sound is distorted, high processor usage — to name a few.

I copied the folder containing the guest as a backup before upgrading.

What is the rollback procedure to downgrade VirtualBox 7.0 -> 6.1 and restore the backed-up guest, please?

Any assistance appreciated.

Best wishes,
Damon
oneofthedamons
Posts: 15
Joined: 1. Mar 2019, 17:09

Re: Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Post by oneofthedamons »

Now Windows won't boot to the Desktop at all. Just a blank screen and Keyboard | Insert -> Ctrl-Alt-Del does not bring up the Task Manager. It seems my hoping that 2 point releases was an indication version 7 was ready for production was premature?
granada29
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Re: Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Post by granada29 »

To rollback from VirtualBox 7.0.4 to 6.1.x

1. Shutdown the VirtualBox Manager and any VMs that you have open.
2. Mount VirtualBox 7.0.4 Installer disk and run the uninstall script.
3. Probably a good idea to reboot at this point
4. Mount the VirtualBox 6.1.x disk image and install VirtualBox
5. Check Security & Privacy and allow the Oracle software to be installed. I'm not sure if you will be prompted for this.
6. Reboot your machine

You should now be able to run the VirtualBox Manager and install the VirtualBox Extensions package if required.
Try running your VM.
oneofthedamons
Posts: 15
Joined: 1. Mar 2019, 17:09

Re: Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Post by oneofthedamons »

granada29 wrote:To rollback from VirtualBox 7.0.4 to 6.1.x

[snip]

You should now be able to run the VirtualBox Manager and install the VirtualBox Extensions package if required.
Try running your VM.
Thank you, that was successful! Now that I have a working VM again, I would like to troubleshoot why my upgrade failed (Did I miss a documented step? Does the documentation need to be improved? Is there a bug?) Are there any resources available to guide me? I would like to contribute if I can.
multiOS
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Re: Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Post by multiOS »

When you carried out the original upgrade to 7.0.4, did you (completely) uninstall the 6.1.xx version prior to installing the upgrade?

IME a major software version upgrade such as VirtualBox 6.x.xx - 7.0.x, which involves a significant redesign and rewrite of much of the codebase, is far more likely to be successful if the previous version is completely purged using the routine included in the original VirtualBox installer. This appears to be especially important in the case of the macOS installation because of the radical installation changes arising from the need to satisfy Apple's installation requirements - removing the reliance on installing Kernel Extensions (Kexts), which are not permitted at all by macOS 13 (Ventura). The full uninstallation of the previous VirtualBox version should ensure that 'old' VirtualBox Kexts have been removed before running the 7.0 installer.

Note: The VirtualBox User Guide includes detailed guides on installation across all supported platforms, but there is no specific step-by-step guide on performing major upgrades so you haven't missed anything in the documentation.

There also seems to be some issues with the 7.0.4 Guest Additions, but retaining the 6.1.xx Guest Additions installations in guests seem to satisfactorily allow Guest window resizing, folder sharing etc. to continue functioning normally. This has been confirmed by numerous users on the forum.

Of course, as a cross-platform application, user experience might vary across the various Host systems, but at least the development team now has feedback from a much broader test base on the early issues which should help in prioritising and resolving the remaining issues.
oneofthedamons
Posts: 15
Joined: 1. Mar 2019, 17:09

Re: Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Post by oneofthedamons »

multiOS wrote:When you carried out the original upgrade to 7.0.4, did you (completely) uninstall the 6.1.xx version prior to installing the upgrade?
I did not and now that you raise that it seems rather obvious to me that I should have done so! I even read in the changelog about the transition from kernel extensions to Apple's frameworks. Oh well, all recovered with your assistance and now I know when I try again.
multiOS wrote:There also seems to be some issues with the 7.0.4 Guest Additions, but retaining the 6.1.xx Guest Additions installations in guests seem to satisfactorily allow Guest window resizing, folder sharing etc. to continue functioning normally. This has been confirmed by numerous users on the forum.
Thanks for the tip, I will keep that in mind when I reattempt the upgrade.

Best wishes,
Damon
Velvet Revolution
Posts: 1
Joined: 22. Apr 2023, 22:09

Re: Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Post by Velvet Revolution »

Windows XP guest on Windows 10 host... Black screen after installing Guest Additions.
I have now rolled back to version 6.1.44 & the same thing happens after a clean installation of XP.
I have used VB succesfully before with Windows 10/XP & I have read all the posts about the latest version not working correctly .
I am now at the end of my tether. Please help.
scottgus1
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Re: Rollback process after problematic upgrade 6.1 -> 7.0.4

Post by scottgus1 »

Velvet, you me-too-ed on a topic with a suggested solution. You're expected to try the solution first. Your results?
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