FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
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sigh1
Posts: 4
Joined: 26. Feb 2009, 15:54

FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by sigh1 »

Quick question.

I have created a file for WIndows XP guest system in /virtualbox/machines/WindowsXP/WindowsXP.xml

I have configured the virtual machine and tried to start it (the WinXP CD is in the drive) and I get the error message,


FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted.

What did I do wrong?

My Host O/S:
Linux mepx 2.6.24-23-generic #1 SMP Mon Jan 26 00:13:11 UTC 2009 i686 GNU/Linux
Sasquatch
Volunteer
Posts: 17798
Joined: 17. Mar 2008, 13:41
Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP, Windows 7, Linux
Location: /dev/random

Post by Sasquatch »

Did you actually tell the VM to use your physical drive? And is the cd bootable?
Read the Forum Posting Guide before opening a topic.
VirtualBox FAQ: Check this before asking questions.
Online User Manual: A must read if you want to know what we're talking about.
Howto: Install Linux Guest Additions
Howto: Use Shared Folders on Linux Guest
See the Tutorials and FAQ section at the top of the Forum for more guides.
Try searching the forums first with Google and add the site filter for this forum.
E.g. install guest additions site:forums.virtualbox.org

Retired from this Forum since OSSO introduction.
dkt
Posts: 2
Joined: 1. Aug 2009, 06:30
Primary OS: Ubuntu other
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: XP PRO

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by dkt »

I have the same problem. Here is the situation:

1) Dual Boot Windows XP Pro Service Pack 3 AND ubunutu 9.04

2) My intent is to use Virtual Box to launch XP and related applications.

3) Installed Virtual Box 3.0.2

4) Each time I try to launch VM I receive "FATAL: No bootable medium found! System halted."

The Question:

1) Is the challenge caused by the installation of Virtual Box OR

2) Is the challenge caused by an incorrect configuration of Virtual Box

The Solution:

1) Uninstall Virtual Box

2) Re-install Virtual Box

3) Pray? :wink:

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers, dkt
Sasquatch
Volunteer
Posts: 17798
Joined: 17. Mar 2008, 13:41
Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP, Windows 7, Linux
Location: /dev/random

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by Sasquatch »

dkt wrote:I have the same problem. Here is the situation:

1) Dual Boot Windows XP Pro Service Pack 3 AND ubunutu 9.04

2) My intent is to use Virtual Box to launch XP and related applications.

3) Installed Virtual Box 3.0.2

4) Each time I try to launch VM I receive "FATAL: No bootable medium found! System halted."

The Question:

1) Is the challenge caused by the installation of Virtual Box OR

2) Is the challenge caused by an incorrect configuration of Virtual Box

The Solution:

1) Uninstall Virtual Box

2) Re-install Virtual Box

3) Pray? :wink:

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers, dkt
You forgot one additional question:
3) Does the user have any idea what he's doing?
The answer is very simple: he has no clue. Why don't you go read up on the material about VMs using the VirtualBox FAQ and Forum Posting Guide.
Read the Forum Posting Guide before opening a topic.
VirtualBox FAQ: Check this before asking questions.
Online User Manual: A must read if you want to know what we're talking about.
Howto: Install Linux Guest Additions
Howto: Use Shared Folders on Linux Guest
See the Tutorials and FAQ section at the top of the Forum for more guides.
Try searching the forums first with Google and add the site filter for this forum.
E.g. install guest additions site:forums.virtualbox.org

Retired from this Forum since OSSO introduction.
dkt
Posts: 2
Joined: 1. Aug 2009, 06:30
Primary OS: Ubuntu other
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: XP PRO

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by dkt »

Sasquatch wrote:
dkt wrote:I have the same problem. Here is the situation:

1) Dual Boot Windows XP Pro Service Pack 3 AND ubunutu 9.04

2) My intent is to use Virtual Box to launch XP and related applications.

3) Installed Virtual Box 3.0.2

4) Each time I try to launch VM I receive "FATAL: No bootable medium found! System halted."

The Question:

1) Is the challenge caused by the installation of Virtual Box OR

2) Is the challenge caused by an incorrect configuration of Virtual Box

The Solution:

1) Uninstall Virtual Box

2) Re-install Virtual Box

3) Pray? :wink:

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers, dkt
You forgot one additional question:
3) Does the user have any idea what he's doing?
The answer is very simple: he has no clue. Why don't you go read up on the material about VMs using the VirtualBox FAQ and Forum Posting Guide.
Much appreciated. I'm new at this and I posed a simple question. Your response did not need "The answer is very simple: he has no clue." That personalizes the response and illustrates immaturity. Save your response to this for another. I'm not going to bite.

To the moderator: Please remove my account. I will not be visiting this site again.

With warmest regards, Doug Thompson, CANADA
Sasquatch
Volunteer
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Joined: 17. Mar 2008, 13:41
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Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by Sasquatch »

We mods cannot remove accounts, an admin needs to do that. It's your call to never come here again, I only helped you a bit. I don't see any rudeness in my answer, as you already stated that you're new to virtualization. I only pointed you to the right direction to learn a thing or two on what you did wrong, and how to fix it. It's not my fault that you ignored the warning message to read the FPG when you started posting and feel insulted.
Read the Forum Posting Guide before opening a topic.
VirtualBox FAQ: Check this before asking questions.
Online User Manual: A must read if you want to know what we're talking about.
Howto: Install Linux Guest Additions
Howto: Use Shared Folders on Linux Guest
See the Tutorials and FAQ section at the top of the Forum for more guides.
Try searching the forums first with Google and add the site filter for this forum.
E.g. install guest additions site:forums.virtualbox.org

Retired from this Forum since OSSO introduction.
not_my_thing
Posts: 1
Joined: 9. Aug 2009, 00:01
Primary OS: MS Windows Vista
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: windows server 2003

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by not_my_thing »

Spare us, Sasquatch.

Your attitude and your condescension in answering this simple question caused me to create an account to answer simply and to respond to your lack of tact. People wonder why superior open source products are unable to gain a foothold in the market against "pay for play" players like Microsoft and VMware. You have just demonstrated why. People don't want to be talked down to by those with more experience over simple questions.

Could the user have done a more through job of searching the manuals? Possibly. Did the user have time to do so? Unknown. What is know is that he/she will probably not even bother associating with virtualbox or Sun simply because you refused to exercise discretion. The most galling aspect of it all is your attitude that the poster was in some way 'thin skinned' with your obviously trite and condescending response. "It's not my fault you got offended over my comment" helps no one with the possible exception of your ego.

My opinion of this product just dropped four fold based on your personal level of support.
Sasquatch
Volunteer
Posts: 17798
Joined: 17. Mar 2008, 13:41
Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP, Windows 7, Linux
Location: /dev/random

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by Sasquatch »

not_my_thing wrote:Spare us, Sasquatch.

Your attitude and your condescension in answering this simple question caused me to create an account to answer simply and to respond to your lack of tact. People wonder why superior open source products are unable to gain a foothold in the market against "pay for play" players like Microsoft and VMware. You have just demonstrated why. People don't want to be talked down to by those with more experience over simple questions.

Could the user have done a more through job of searching the manuals? Possibly. Did the user have time to do so? Unknown. What is know is that he/she will probably not even bother associating with virtualbox or Sun simply because you refused to exercise discretion. The most galling aspect of it all is your attitude that the poster was in some way 'thin skinned' with your obviously trite and condescending response. "It's not my fault you got offended over my comment" helps no one with the possible exception of your ego.

My opinion of this product just dropped four fold based on your personal level of support.
We mods are volunteers, not associated with Sun. I'm just like you and everyone else here (except for the users with specific tags). There are tons of forums who are a lot stricter and harsh to users than we are. We have specific rules, especially for users who have no clue as to what they are doing, and posting a question out of the blue without reading anything on the matter can expect such replies. I know I should have used better wordings, to make it a bit more polite, but it would have come down at the same: read up on the material before asking stupid questions.

Do you go to the store where you bought your microwave oven to ask how it works? Of course not, you grab the manual that is supplied with it. Or you ask a friend and explain that you just got a microwave oven and have no idea how it works, and you don't understand the manual. These pieces of information should never be let out when asking for help. If you do, people will think that you know what you're talking about when you actually don't. The responses will be entirely different when a user says he has no clue as to what to do, because he/she is new to all of it. If dkt did that in his/her first reply, my response would have been different too. Well, slightly, but it wouldn't be taken as offensive as the user did now. Tell me, would this response be any offensive?
"Please read the Virtualbox FAQ for more information on this subject and get yourself a bit more familiar with the terms here on the forums by reading the User Manual and Forum Posting Guide. Once you've read it and understand it, we can help you. If there is anything you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask."
Read the Forum Posting Guide before opening a topic.
VirtualBox FAQ: Check this before asking questions.
Online User Manual: A must read if you want to know what we're talking about.
Howto: Install Linux Guest Additions
Howto: Use Shared Folders on Linux Guest
See the Tutorials and FAQ section at the top of the Forum for more guides.
Try searching the forums first with Google and add the site filter for this forum.
E.g. install guest additions site:forums.virtualbox.org

Retired from this Forum since OSSO introduction.
wibort
Posts: 1
Joined: 28. Apr 2010, 22:35
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Brlix

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by wibort »

Dear Sasquacth, I think that has made claims on their way to answer questions are very successful. The question asked by sigh1 was very easy to answer simply send it to view this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8j1Fo2KRZM

Accept your mistakes and get over it.
Perryg
Site Moderator
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Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by Perryg »

Dude! Did you see that this was over a year and a half old?
sbirl
Posts: 3
Joined: 25. Mar 2010, 15:15
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Location: Philly, PA, USA
Contact:

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by sbirl »

That might be so, but the YouTube URL just saved me from posting about this same issue!

Thanks Sas! :mrgreen:
NinjaTTT
Posts: 1
Joined: 22. Nov 2010, 22:55
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: windows 2008r2

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by NinjaTTT »

Hi! I know this is old but anyway... :D
VirtualBox is a great product over all virtualisation products for desktops!
Example: I use virtual images on usb flash/HD drives and run on linux, windows at home, colleage etc... That the magic of it!

I've ended here after searching on google with same error message :o
It seems its a simle solution as wibort posted but in my case I already have virtual disk image attached.
I've succesfully installed MAC OSX and rebooted image but got the same message like the title on this thread :roll:

I think that this error message might also be related to MBR boot sector on this virtual image because installation of OSX vent fine. I'm I correct?! Still, I'll search more over this...

PS: I hate when there 100 post just arguing and nothing productive in the end :lol:
Sasquatch
Volunteer
Posts: 17798
Joined: 17. Mar 2008, 13:41
Primary OS: Debian other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP, Windows 7, Linux
Location: /dev/random

Re: FATAL: Could not read from the boot medium! System halted

Post by Sasquatch »

Ninja, maybe your problem is the fact that you run an illegal combination. See Important notice regarding Mac OS X as Guest.
Read the Forum Posting Guide before opening a topic.
VirtualBox FAQ: Check this before asking questions.
Online User Manual: A must read if you want to know what we're talking about.
Howto: Install Linux Guest Additions
Howto: Use Shared Folders on Linux Guest
See the Tutorials and FAQ section at the top of the Forum for more guides.
Try searching the forums first with Google and add the site filter for this forum.
E.g. install guest additions site:forums.virtualbox.org

Retired from this Forum since OSSO introduction.
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