No 3D graphics adapter is available

[Tiff]

Hi

I've got the latest iMac using an up-to-date Yosemite.
I download the latest VirtualBox 4.3.20 and within it I am running an 90 day evaluation version if Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64 bit and have installed DirectX11.

All is good - expect I can't start a game - it gives me the error that: "No 3D graphics adapter is available".

On the Virtual Box settings I have enabled both the 3D and 2D options.

I have booted into Safe made and installed the Guest Additions - I installed the drivers and also tried to follow the README for the 64bit drivers which used the command prompt to unzip the drivers into a directory.

But it still doesn't work.

When I try to install the Guest Additions the 3D acceleration box is ticked, but is greyed out - so I cannot deselect or select it anyway. But the installer still runs and unzips a whole bunch of files.

The Oracle support site does mention that Virtual Box supports: "Windows 8.1 (32-bit and 64-bit)" so I am hoping I can get this working.

What step am I missing?

Thanks

Tiff
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iMac Specs
21.5-inch: 2.7GHz
Specifications
2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
8GB (two 4GB) memory
1TB hard drive1
Intel Iris Pro Graphics

[socratis]

Your virtual machine is using virtual hardware, including a virtual graphics card which is not as powerful as an actual graphics card. Virtual machines will never be as powerful as the host, especially on the video side. Applications that have high requirements on the GPU (drawing, 3D, games, video) are expected to not work as good as on the real hardware, if they work at all.

[Tiff]

Hi

Yes, this is pretty obvious
My expectations are not so high - I just want to see the game running - because the Mac version will follow in a few months and I'm curious to have a sneak peek at it running - slowly is fine.

From what I have read, I would have expected that I could at least do this - to at least get past the step where it says that there is no 3D adapter available.

- I read talk about installing Guest Additions - but the 3D option is greyed out for me (not for other people).
- You also mention "not work as good" rather than saying it is not possible
- I also read about experimental 3D drivers

So, again, from what I read it does sound possible - even if the game will be unplayable and run like a dog - but I can't even get far enough to know that.

Is there a way?

Tiff
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[loukingjr]

A couple things: first you don't want to install the guest additions in safe mode in Windows 8.1 so you might want to uninstall them in safe mode and re-install them normally. The other thing is you apparently missed part of what socratis said…

…Applications that have high requirements on the GPU (drawing, 3D, games, video) are expected to not work as good as on the real hardware, if they work at all.

What game are you trying to run?

[Tiff]

Hi

The first thing I tried was to install them normally - and it didn't work.

So the second thing I tried was to install them in Safe Mode - because everything I read on the forums/help document mentioned that they had to be installed in safe mode - otherwise, Windows would replace the files with the originals.

I didn't miss the second part of what Socrates said - he mentioned that applications might not work ... but the error I am getting is not an error that the application is not working .... it is not an error specific to an application, it is an error that the 3D graphics adapter is not available. And I presume (but can't be 100% sure) that I will get the same error for any game that tries to use a 3D graphics adapter. If I can just get the 3D graphics adapater available - then I can be 100% sure if it works or not.

So, I would assume in that case - because the 3D graphics adapter is greyed out on the install screen (and assuming that is not correct) - that it would be more correct to say that such applications with high GPU requirements (such as 3D) **will not work**, no?

I'm trying to get Elite Dangerous working because the Mac version isn't out yet and, since I already paid for it many many months ago, I am curious to see what it looks like.

I have read that people have had it working under virtualisation in Parallels (albeit not great) ... but I dont want to pay for Parallels for the sake of a few months of seeing something running (probably like a dog). Hence, the idea was to devote a few hours to try it out under VirtualBox.

If it is simply not possible to get the 3D graphics adapter working under Windows 8.1 in Virtual Box (and I have not read that anywhere) then I will give up and I guess BootCamp is my next option - but that is not a quick option.

Tiff
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[loukingjr]

Hi
So the second thing I tried was to install them in Safe Mode - because everything I read on the forums/help document mentioned that they had to be installed in safe mode - otherwise, Windows would replace the files with the originals.

Not sure where you read that but I have Windows 7 through Windows 10 guests and have never installed the GAs in safe mode, nor has Windows replaced them. You do have to install the GAs in safe mode for XP.

but the error I am getting is not an error that the application is not working .... it is not an error specific to an application, it is an error that the 3D graphics adapter is not available. And I presume (but can't be 100% sure) that I will get the same error for any game that tries to use a 3D graphics adapter. If I can just get the 3D graphics adapater available - then I can be 100% sure if it works or not.

It is an application specific error. The game can't find a 3D adapter that it is happy with. Whether you get the same error with other games will depend on the game.

You can certainly continue to try but it's not going to work.

As far as Parallels and VMWare for that matter, they are both commercial products and one reason they cost money is because they license certain Apple APIs.

[mpack]

because everything I read on the forums/help document mentioned that they had to be installed in safe mode

That only applies to the WDM drivers used in XP guests. It gets around a specific problem on XP that it silently restores system DLLs.

For WDDM drivers as used in Vista and later, the safe mode install is unnecessary. However I'm not sure it's ever been established that doing so is harmful.

[Tiff]

Hi

It's weird that the idea of installing in SafeMode sounds strange because I read this in the help pages: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.html
More specifically in Chapter 4.2.1.1 which says:
"Note: For the basic Direct3D acceleration to work in a Windows Guest, you have to install the Guest Additions in "Safe Mode". This does not apply to the experimental WDDM Direct3D video driver available for Vista and Windows 7 guests".

So, I was under the assumption, reading the help that you -have- to install in SafeMode -unless- you are using WDDM in Vista or Windows 7 - and I am using Windows 8.1 anyway.

(Nevertheless, as I mentioned, I also tried installing it directly, not in SafeMode, and it made no difference).

I still don't think it is an application error - because the 3D option tick box is greyed out when installing Guest Additions ... or is that to be expected?

I'm also pretty sure that there must be a simple way, independent of the application, to see if the Guest OS recognises the 3D adapter? (maybe I need to dig around in Control Panel).
For example, ED mentions such an .exe that can be run - but it doesn't seem to be part of the installation anymore.

Tiff
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[loukingjr]

It's weird that the idea of installing in SafeMode sounds strange because I read this in the help pages: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.html
More specifically in Chapter 4.2.1.1 which says:
"Note: For the basic Direct3D acceleration to work in a Windows Guest, you have to install the Guest Additions in "Safe Mode". This does not apply to the experimental WDDM Direct3D video driver available for Vista and Windows 7 guests".

Just as mpack explained. For Windows guests > XP.

I still don't think it is an application error - because the 3D option tick box is greyed out when installing Guest Additions ... or is that to be expected?

Yes it's to be expected for Windows templates > Windows 7

I'm also pretty sure that there must be a simple way, independent of the application, to see if the Guest OS recognises the 3D adapter? (maybe I need to dig around in Control Panel).
For example, ED mentions such an .exe that can be run - but it doesn't seem to be part of the installation anymore.

Let someone know when you find it.

Tiff, VirtualBox uses its own "3D graphics adapter". Some applications and games can run on it, some can't.

[Tiff]

Ah I see ... I didn't realise that Windows 8+ were called templates and pre-Windows 8 were called guests ... when I had the problem I went straight to section 4.2 and, well, it's not really clear from that page. Even section 1.2 "Some terminology" only talks about there being 'Guest' OS.
Can you tell me where the difference between guests and templates are described? I couldn't find anything via Google

I suppose, If It had been called 'install template additions' then it would have been obvious

Well .. I can't find the ED 3D test .exe file - but there is still DXDIAG, and that seems to show that 3D is enabled ... so, indeed, in the absence of other 3D games to test, I guess indeed it is the specific application that doesn't work.

Apart from that, Virtual Box seems to run Windows 8.1 quite well ....

Thanks for all the help

Tiff

[mpack]

I didn't realise that Windows 8+ were called templates and pre-Windows 8 were called guests

And you still don't realize it now, as that isn't what was said.

Template: the default VM settings used by VirtualBox when you select the OS type for a VM.

VM: Virtual Machine

Guest: the OS or other system running inside the VM. Sometimes taken to be synonymous with VM.

The user manual mentions "Vista and Windows 7" and doesn't mention Win8 because that paragraph was written long before Windows 8 existed and way before Windows 10 did. It can be taken to mean "since Vista".

[Tiff]

Ok, so I did interpret the instructions correctly, they're just not up to date - why didn't you say so in the first place!!!!
(BTW, section 4.2 does mention "Microsoft Windows 8 (all editions)" - hence I assumed it was up to date).

[mpack]

Ok, so I did interpret the instructions correctly, they're just not up to date - why didn't you say so in the first place!!!!

Um... Are you seriously asking why we didn't divine what your interpretation was, and then correct it before we were asked? I'm afraid that, sadly, mind reading is beyond my capabilities for now. I corrected your misapprehension when you made it clear that you had one. In any case the meaning of the user manual is perfectly clear to me even if the wording is lagging behind: obviously if a technology was available for the Vista era then it will still be available today.

[Tiff]

Mind reading not needed - what is needed is only clear instructions and plain English - and on this I suggest we agree to disagree to save further posts.

[mpack]

It's an open source project. If you wish to go through the manual and contribute clearer instructions for various paragraphs then I'm sure that would be appreciated.