VirtualBox keeps crashing

[jsdev]

I'm running VirtualBox 5.1.8 on macOS 10.12.2 and it frequently crashes. I usually work connected to power and two external monitors, and keeping the lid closed. I usually notice (but not always), when I pick my laptop up from my desk, the VM has crashed. I think this might be a key part of the issue, since macOS will usually go to sleep if the lid is closed and there isn't power and at least one external display connected. The virtualbox log notes the VM went to sleep, seemingly successfully, but the status in the VM listing is "Aborted". macOS then shows the problem report dialog. I've attached that and the VBox.log in the zip.

I do realize that I'm running 4 virtual processors, the host only has four cores, and I've assigned half the system memory to the VM. However, this is not the issue, as it has not always been an issue. I've been using this configuration for a year and a half, and it's only been in the last 3-4 months that this has become a problem. If I reduce the cores or memory, my compiles double or quadruple, so I do know that the system is handling the shared access just fine.

Apple hardware diagnostics say my system is just fine, so bad memory or mainboard is not the issue here.

I also notice that keyboard input is pretty laggy. I can sometimes type two or three characters before they appear on screen in the VM. Again, wasn't always an issue. Perhaps somewhere in the 5.x line something happened to begin causing these problems?

[mpack]

VirtualBox latest version is 5.1.14, you are on 5.1.8. I suggest that you try the current maintenance release and get back to us if the problems persist.

[jsdev]

After upgrading and moving off my desk, upon opening the lid of the laptop, all I had was a black screen. Multiple close and open attempts did not get the display going again. Brightness was not the issue. I had to hold the power button to manually turn it off and then back on again.

If this reproduces, what information should I collect?

[socratis]

If you want my 2 cents, change the way that you work. Convenience can be difficult to achieve. So, pause the VMs (at least), disconnect the displays and then disconnect the power. Trying to synchronize and tune so many things in your specific workflow is going to be tough to reproduce and adjust.

Example: I have a dual monitor setup as well with multiple desktops. If I run a full screen video in Safari on the 2nd display and disconnect the 2nd monitor all of my other windows (regardless of app) in the rest of the desktops go out of whack and go crazy ending up in different places and desktops. Note that the power is still connected and the computer is fully awake. What do I do to prevent this peculiar behavior? I make sure I exit full screen before I disconnect the 2nd monitor. Problem solved. Harmony restored. I learned to live with it. I don't expect Apple and Adobe to replicate and fix this because it's not really that widespread and more importantly, there is a workaround.

The thing is that you're throwing too many changes at once in your OS/Apps. Something is not going to be perfect...

[jsdev]

I could do that in some cases. Sometimes I'm just too short on time to wait for the VM to pause, I'm already running late for a meeting. It seems to me that the kernel driver shouldn't take down the entire machine, or crash randomly, so if I can provide enough information to help get a fix out, then that would benefit more people, no?

I also seem to have more problems with typing speed in the VM when it's paused/resumed/paused/resumed/etc. I'm not doing anything crazy with the VM either. Not running anything but the basic Windows Defender AV, and I reproduced the typing speed issue with just Notepad++ running on a brand-new text file. The issue also reproduces with reduced cores and memory (1 core, 4 GB of RAM). Should I open a new thread for this one?

[jsdev]

Keyboard lag seems to be significantly better if I disable automatic graphics switching on my Mac.

For the crashing, could it be that app nap is causing the guest to crash?

[socratis]

For the crashing, could it be that app nap is causing the guest to crash?

VirtualBox used to have an app nap setting, not anymore. I guess they do not allow VirtualBox to take a nap anymore.

Sometimes I'm just too short on time to wait for the VM to pause

I said Pause, not Save state. Pause is instant so I can't see how short on time you are, but you can't be 2 seconds short.

As I said in my Safari/Flash bug example, if there are not too many people affected and if there's a workaround, chances are that it's not going to get too high of a priority. You're in the unique position of trying to decipher what specific event might be causing this. The power? The ext. diaplay? The closed lid? The OS's sleep? Try taking them one by one out of the equation and make the equation work. I can't even replicate it over here because I don't have the same setup.

[jsdev]

Activity Monitor says "App Nap: Yes" on Virtual Box.

I see, I'll try Pause.