Discuss VirtualBox 3.0.12 release

[Etepetete]

I've started this thread because I have something positive to report about this latest version.

I had reported in threads about earlier versions that when I made a snapshot, the overhead was so enormous to the extent that I couldn't use my VM at all. I've made snapshots of two different VMs, one a simple XP installation with only all updates installed and another where there are "tons" of applications installed and numerous processes running in the background. Both run smoothly. No evidence of slowing at all.

The latest version is indeed a performance upgrade.

[paulspignon]

My experience is negative, in fact since the last two "upgrades" I am no longer able to use Vbox. On trying to start up any previous saved state I get this gobbledyigook:
Failed to start the virtual machine xxx
Medium "D:\Progra~2\Sun\XVMIR~1\VBoxGuestAdditions.iso" is not accessible. Could not access the image file "D:\Progra~2\Sun\XVMIR~1\VBoxGuestAdditions.iso" (VERR_PATHH_NOT_FOUND)
Result Code: E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component: Machine
Interface: IMachine {540dcfda-3df2-49c6-88fa-033a28c2ff85}

Well of course the path is not found because I have never had a directory called XVMIR~1, so why is it even trying to find it??? That file is in a directory called D:\Program Files\Sun\VirtualBox, where it always has been from those days when I could use VirtualBox.
And why in the name of whatever does it have to use this legacy DOS directory name mangling to make everything 8 characters (followed by a file name 22 characters long!), looks utterly inane to me.

Help anyone?

[mpack]

Well of course the path is not found because I have never had a directory called XVMIR~1, so why is it even trying to find it???

Every FAT32 or NTFS folder (and file) has both a long and a short (DOS compatible) format name. The "XVMVIR~1" name is obviously the DOS-shorted form of "xVM VirtualBox". Both names are valid, and do (or did) exist. Read on.

That file is in a directory called D:\Program Files\Sun\VirtualBox, where it always has been from those days when I could use VirtualBox

On the contrary, the standard Windows install path until 3.something was "Program Files\Sun\xVM VirtualBox", and that is clearly what it used to be on your system otherwise you would not have the problem you describe. Then Sun decided to stop using the xVM name in association with VirtualBox product, this led to the install path being changed to "Program Files\Sun\VirtualBox". If you did an upgrade then the installer automatically renamed your existing folder... and obviously an uninstall followed by a reinstall would also leave just the new path name. Unfortunately this created a problem for any VM which currently had the Guest Additions ISO mounted, since the pathname linking the VM to that ISO was now broken.

To fix it you just go into File|Virtual Media Manager, select the CD/DVD tab, and release VBoxGuestAdditions.iso (there are probably two - you release the broken one). Then in the VM you can mount the new ISO - if you need to, IMHO it's not a great idea to leave CDs mounted unnecessarily, as the above is not the only way a path can be broken.