XP-Guest with terrible resolution quality???

[SubliminalChaos]

I run Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty 32Bit and I have Windows XP Pro as a guest OS on the Linux system. When I run my XP Guest I display it on a Vizio HDTV that is 32" and 720p. I should like to think that I can use VirtualBox to make XP look decent in this regard. My physical video card in my PC is an EVGA Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS 320MB that is perfectly capable of the output but the goofy VirtualBox driver screwed everything up and I'm locked at 800x600 pixels. Anybody got any ideas?

[Perryg]

Have you installed the guest additions?

[SubliminalChaos]

Have you installed the guest additions?

Yes sir, did that right away

[Perryg]

Well if you haven't already I would suggest a total system reboot. Then you need to see if you can go into the display settings of XP and set the color quality to 32 bit. After that you need to see if pressing HOST -F will take you to full screen. The HOST key is the right control key unless you have changed it, and the combination is a toggle it is what you use to get back to normal size as well. You might also want to check and make sure that you have given the guest enough video memory to achieve full screen at the resolution you want. I would think 32 Meg would be plenty.

Oh and since this is Windows you need to allocate the standard memory or Bill's baby gets really mad. 8,16,32,64,128....

[SubliminalChaos]

Well if you haven't already I would suggest a total system reboot. Then you need to see if you can go into the display settings of XP and set the color quality to 32 bit. After that you need to see if pressing HOST -F will take you to full screen. The HOST key is the right control key unless you have changed it, and the combination is a toggle it is what you use to get back to normal size as well. You might also want to check and make sure that you have given the guest enough video memory to achieve full screen at the resolution you want. I would think 32 Meg would be plenty.

Oh and since this is Windows you need to allocate the standard memory or Bill's baby gets really mad. 8,16,32,64,128....

HOST + F Does nothing and won't resize the OS, just makes big black borders

VRAM is already set to 128

32 bit has been there the whole time

Any other hints?

[Perryg]

From what you describe the guest additions either are not installed or they failed to install properly. Try to install them again. Click on the device tab at the top and if you see that the CD is mounted. Click unmount, then click on install guest additions. You should be told that you need to reboot if it works properly, and then you need to reboot.

[SubliminalChaos]

From what you describe the guest additions either are not installed or they failed to install properly. Try to install them again. Click on the device tab at the top and if you see that the CD is mounted. Click unmount, then click on install guest additions. You should be told that you need to reboot if it works properly, and then you need to reboot.

Thanks for volunteering your time and being willing to help, I appreciate that. I'm also willing to admit that I could've goofed, lol. I'll take your advice and mess with/redo Guest Additions then I'll get back to ya on the results. Thanks again

[SubliminalChaos]

Yeah....bummer...that didn't work, Guest Additions acts the same and it definitely did the reboot.

[Ozdemon]

I have the same problem and I having been using Vbox without this problem for more than a year. Vbox boots into 800x600 surrounded by black space. Hostkey does not work for any task. I am going to try an earlier version of vbox than 2.2.4 and see if that solves the problem.

[Perryg]

@Ozdemon,

Did you re-install the guest additions when you updated? Also it would help to know the version of VBox and what the host and guest are.

@SubliminalChaos,

When you installed the guest additions did you actually see it install or just assume it did? Sometimes the CD assumes it is loaded properly and you actually need to click unmount and the once you are sure there is nothing mounted click on install guest additions. You should see that they are installing. Also look at the machine tab and make sure that the auto resize tab is blue which means that it is on.

Resize is done using the click and drag too just in case you didn't know, not from changing the size inside the guest. You can check that it is working by using the host key + F for full screen. This switch is a toggle so use it to bring it back out of full screen. (host key by default is the right ctrl key).

[Ozdemon]

Specs:
Virtualbox 2.2.4 (i386 for Ubuntu 9.04)
Host Ubuntu 9.04 (i386)
Guest: win XP

Have been using the above combo (or earlier versions) for at least a year without a hitch.

I re-installed GA with the latest VB. Installed okay. Reboot. Now if I start the VM there is no opportunity to do anything with the toolbar menus - it boots straight into an 800x600 desktop that refuses to honour any hostkey combo or accept any change to the screen resolution.

So far I have tried going back to earlier versions, creating a new xorg.conf and doing a virtualbox purge. I have not tried a "complete removal" through synaptic in case that takes my vm with it.

[Perryg]

@Ozdemon,

That is strange.
I would (if it were mine) uninstall as you have done before and this time download and install the PUEL version direct from VirtualBox. I don't use the OSE version but maybe that is what is causing you problems. The PUEL version is free for personal use and gives you several other options that you do not get with the OSE version. Only a suggestion though the call is yours.

By the way you do know that the guest additions are installed in the guest, right? From reading you last post I may have been confused but it looks like you are trying to install it in the host.

[Ozdemon]

@Ozdemon,

That is strange.
I would (if it were mine) uninstall as you have done before and this time download and install the PUEL version direct from VirtualBox. I don't use the OSE version but maybe that is what is causing you problems. The PUEL version is free for personal use and gives you several other options that you do not get with the OSE version. Only a suggestion though the call is yours.

By the way you do know that the guest additions are installed in the guest, right? From reading you last post I may have been confused but it looks like you are trying to install it in the host.

Thanks for the reply. I have never installed the OSE version, only the version from the VirtualBox site - the one specific to my OS. I installed GA on the guest machine by going into the mounted GA iso on the guest machine. It installed fine and required a reboot of the GM. The GA icon appears in the bottom toolbar of the GM.

I am at work at the moment, but when I get home I will backup the GM, and do a complete removal of VB through synaptic and see if that works.

I am also stumped why no hostkey combo works.

[jasonk]

Hello,
I had also problems with the color depth and screen size of the virtual box graphic driver.
Here is my "solution".

I "work" on a EEEBuntu v3.0 (based on jaunty jackalope), 2 GB memory
I use virtual box 2.2.4r47978 (PUEL) and also guest additions (2.2.4r47978),
945 MB Memory, 12 MB Graphic.

Installing Windows XP (SR2) in a virtual box and guest additions (GA)
everything is working fine (including all reboot's started from the guest system).
I use full-screen mode and 1024x600 (32 bit).

If the virtual machine is shutdown and restarted again the screen is set to
800x600 and the color to 4 bit. A second install of the GA in this machine did
not help. Only removing the GA, rebooting and then install the GA again
helps. Until the next shutdown of the virtual machine (The difference is between
the reboot and the shutdown).

The host-key (standard right-STRG) works, also the mouse driver (USB-Mouse).

The only solution for my problem:
After the restart of the virtual machine (terrible resolution with 800x600 4bit) switch to window mode,
then switch to auto-resize and then
switch back to full-screen.
After this procedure I have 1024x600 32bit.
Perhaps the video driver need some trigger to find the correct resolution?

[Ozdemon]

Hello,
I had also problems with the color depth and screen size of the virtual box graphic driver.
Here is my "solution".

I "work" on a EEEBuntu v3.0 (based on jaunty jackalope), 2 GB memory
I use virtual box 2.2.4r47978 (PUEL) and also guest additions (2.2.4r47978),
945 MB Memory, 12 MB Graphic.

Installing Windows XP (SR2) in a virtual box and guest additions (GA)
everything is working fine (including all reboot's started from the guest system).
I use full-screen mode and 1024x600 (32 bit).

If the virtual machine is shutdown and restarted again the screen is set to
800x600 and the color to 4 bit. A second install of the GA in this machine did
not help. Only removing the GA, rebooting and then install the GA again
helps. Until the next shutdown of the virtual machine (The difference is between
the reboot and the shutdown).

The host-key (standard right-STRG) works, also the mouse driver (USB-Mouse).

The only solution for my problem:
After the restart of the virtual machine (terrible resolution with 800x600 4bit) switch to window mode,
then switch to auto-resize and then
switch back to full-screen.
After this procedure I have 1024x600 32bit.
Perhaps the video driver need some trigger to find the correct resolution?

Well, the result was interesting. Upon removing GA and rebooting (without any GA) I was able to choose a variety of resolutions, but no host key combo. Took a chance and exported my VM, deleted the VM (not the export) did a complete removal through synaptic, restarted and imported the ovf VM. Everything worked.

I think the original problem may be related to hostkey+G - but that is only a theory. Anyway, everything back to normal at last. Thanks for all the replies.