Changed number of processors - XP shutdown & startup problem

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rbroadbr
Posts: 3
Joined: 7. Jan 2010, 11:56
Primary OS: Ubuntu 8.04
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP

Changed number of processors - XP shutdown & startup problem

Post by rbroadbr »

Hi. Recently in an ill-fated experiment I changed the number of processors in the settings of an XP guest to more than one. Since trying that the XP guest won't shut down properly. Instead it restarts, gets a blue screen, restarts and loops like this until eventually a pre-boot Windows menu allows me to use the Last Good Configuration to start successfully. I've reset the number of processors to 1 in the XP guest settings, but the problem remains. A colleague suggested a forum post he saw about this that detailed how the problem is a corruption of XP and that a couple of DLLs need to be replaced to fix this problem. Unfortunately he can't remember where the post is and I can't find it. Does anyone remember a post about this ? Thanks, Rich
Perryg
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Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
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Re: Changed number of processors - XP shutdown & startup problem

Post by Perryg »

Rich,
You should be able to boot up the guest in safe mode (press f8 at bootup).
Then do a system restore to a date just before you made the changes and it should all start to work.
If this does not work there is another way but lets give this a shot first.
rbroadbr
Posts: 3
Joined: 7. Jan 2010, 11:56
Primary OS: Ubuntu 8.04
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP

Re: Changed number of processors - XP shutdown & startup problem

Post by rbroadbr »

Hi. I've tried the System Restore thing. I went back a couple of months, well before the time I think I made the change in the settings. I'm afraid there has been no improvement. What's the other method ? Thanks, Rich
Perryg
Site Moderator
Posts: 34369
Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
Guest OSses: *NIX

Re: Changed number of processors - XP shutdown & startup problem

Post by Perryg »

It sounds like you still have an issue with the IO APIC, VT-x/AMD-v
If XP was installed as a single processor to begin with and you change it to SMP by turning on IO APIC and then VT-x/AMD-v flag, Windows will do exactly what you are seeing.

First can you boot in safe mode?
Make sure that the IO APIC is unchecked then boot in safe mode.
Tell XP to search for system changes. Make sure the the ACPI is not multiprocessor. (what it looks like with multiprocessor below)
Reboot again.

If you can not get it to boot as single processor then you would need to follow these suggestions.

http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&p=84602
http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic. ... 15#p111502

I have had about a 50/50 success with the installation of multiprocessor in a single processor install.
Xp32-Multi.jpg
Xp32-Multi.jpg (44.65 KiB) Viewed 3716 times
rbroadbr
Posts: 3
Joined: 7. Jan 2010, 11:56
Primary OS: Ubuntu 8.04
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP

Re: Changed number of processors - XP shutdown & startup problem

Post by rbroadbr »

Hi again. I still had IO APIC checked. Once dechecked a Safe boot and restart seems to have solved the problem. The ACPI was not multi-processor. Strangely the change didn't seem to take effect on the first reboot but rather the second. Since then it's been shutting down properly and starting without the blue screens. Thanks very much for your help. Rich
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