VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

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...don
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VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by ...don »

V6 RC1 Linux host Windows 10 guest dual monitors. Works normally with VboxVGA video, but with VboxSVGA, the screen does not seem to refresh - for example, if I click on a folder icon nothing seems to happen but if I switch to and from full-screen the opened folder will appear. If I can accurately predict the responses, I can enter a series of keyboard shortcuts with no change to the screen until I toggle from full-screen and back when the result of the input will suddenly appear.
socratis
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by socratis »

...don wrote:V6 RC1 Linux host Windows 10 guest
Can you describe the details of your host and guest? Linux host isn't quite... detailed. ;)
Same with Win10. Which version, which flavor (32- or 64-bit), Home/Pro/Enterprise/Other?
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FranceBB
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by FranceBB »

I can reproduce it on Fedora 29 x64 host and Windows Server 2019 guest, using the new SVGA.
The preview inside the main VirtualBox Windows works fine, but the virtual machine screen doesn't automatically refresh.
Hardware acceleration 2D/3D disabled.
Reverting to the old vbox graphic fixes the issue.
I had another VM running Windows XP and I tried SVGA. On Windows XP SVGA works fine, on Win10 and Windows Server 2019 it causes the issue described above by that user.
I can provide a log file if needed.
arQon
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by arQon »

Funnily enough, I tried VMSVGA on a linux guest (Ubuntu 16.04 w/HWE stack, W7x64 host) a few days ago on 5.14 just for yuks after seeing socratis's mention that it had actually been hiding in the code for ages, and that exhibits the same bug. But since VBoxVGA has ALSO exhibited exactly the same bug - i.e. a failure to repaint damaged sections properly - for several years now if 3D Accel is enabled, I didn't think anything of it. (The only difference is that with VMSVGA it's broken even with 3D Accel off too).

(I'm planning on trying the 6.0 RC this weekend, but i'll be suitably surprised if it actually works there either).
mhanor
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by mhanor »

I've encountered the same issue with a Windows 1809 guest (fresh install), running on my Windows 10 1803 host. The lack of display refresh occurs only after installing the guest additions. At first, I thought it had something to do with an issue that occurs with Windows 1803/1809, but not 1709, where CPU usage is maxed on the host CPU, while the VM guest single core CPU is idling (described more in detail in bug ticket #12851). But, it seems that VBoxSVGA is not working correctly, at least not with RC1 guest additions.
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socratis
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by socratis »

My two cents...

Neither VBoxSVGA nor VMSVGA are ready for prime time. There *will* be plenty of issues. It may even seem that things are moving backwards, which begs the question; why switch?

Because the old VBoxVGA was based on ancient code with not enough room for maneuvering or improvement. It was convoluted and buggy at its foundation. With the two new options, there's a lot of optimizations that can be done, but have not yet happened.

To give you an example? Either of the two new graphics controller options does *not* provide actual 3D acceleration on OSX, it's software acceleration only, same as if you didn't enable the 3D acceleration at all. A long series of tests and a talk over IRC confirmed that this is indeed the case, it will be addressed, but not necessarily when 6.0 comes out.
Patience you must have my young padawan...
  • Yoda
;)
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mhanor
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by mhanor »

VBoxSVGA is the default display adapter for new Win7/8/10 VMs, in VirtualBox 6.0, and we are talking about the RC.
socratis
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by socratis »

Sure... How else do you expect that the majority of issues will be discovered, if not by exposing it by default to each and every user, to each and every new VM? ;)
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OliverOne
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by OliverOne »

Hello,
I confirm this issue with the final version, all guest which using 3D acceleration installed by the additions have the problem!
mhanor
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by mhanor »

The issue occurs also when 3D and 2D acceleration are off.
socratis
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Re: VboxSVGA screen not refreshing

Post by socratis »

Now that 6.0.0 is out, I'd ask everyone to please refrain from posting in the Beta/RC section. You can reference a thread from there, but let's keep the discussion to the normal sections of the forums.
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