[Solved] Windows XP cannot be restarted

[t520v]

Hi,
my guest Windows XP runs fine in VirtualBox 4.0.12 under openSUSE 11.4. But whenever I try to restart Windows (perhaps after applying updates) Windows does not vanish. I have to power off the virtual machine or first shut down Windows (which does work) and then start Windows again. What can I do?
Regards, Peter

[Wiggy]

I have the same issue with XP guest on a Windows 7 host. The guest can be shutdown and then turned back on without a problem. The guested can not be restarted. It seem to hang at the last point before windows in completly unloaded. Only the blue windows background is displayed and the guest need to be reset.

I'm guessing that VB is not aware that windows has been unloaded and it needs to perform a reset.

[Perryg]

Disable the absolute pointer in the guest settings and see if that does not cure the issue.

[Martin]

From time to time I had the same effect on my Fedora 14 host with VBox 4.0.x
Today on 4.1.2 the restarts worked without problems.

[Wiggy]

Disable the absolute pointer in the guest settings and see if that does not cure the issue.

Thank you, disabling "Absolute pointing device" has resolved the issue for me.

Wiggy.

[t520v]

Disable the absolute pointer in the guest settings and see if that does not cure the issue.

"absolute pointing device" (Settings / System / Motherboard: I hope it is the right place) is not enabled (I guess it never was) and nevertheless Windows XP cannot be restarted.

[mightyiam]

There's a ticket for this bug: http://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/9489.

[jimstolz76]

Funny, I just came here to post the same problem. OSX Lion host and XP guest. XP won't shut down. It appears to 'finish' everything it was doing, but just sits there at the "Windows is shutting down..." screen. I force a Reset and it always comes back up, but with Windows that is a scaaaary proposition.

[ivanmarsh]

Same issue moving an XP guest from a linux host box to running it under an XP host... as soon as I upgraded the guest drivers to the latest version (4.1.2) it started hanging at "Windows is shutting down". Naturally disabling the absolute pointer was the only thing I didn't try disabling. Works like a charm now.

[mdavis1231]

I'm running VirtualBox 4.1.2 on Ubuntu 10.04 with Windows XP Guest OS, and I was having the exact same problem. It seems that disabling "absolute pointing device" is definitely the solution here. Now my VirtualBox is both shutting down and restarting like it's supposed to!!! Thanks!!!

Mark in Cincinnati
"It's great to be free from Windoze...YIPPEE!!!

[Perryg]

Solution is provided in version 4.1.4 of VirtualBox.
Note: the 4.1.4 guest additions must be installed as well.

[Jura123]

I can confirm that this has been fixed with 4.1.4, "absolute pointing device" is enabled and the Win guest is restarting as it should.
Thanks!

[Tankslappa]

I've been suffering from this problem for a few weeks. Finally got annoyed enough to google.

Found this thread.

Disabling absolute pointing device fixed it for me... As for the problem being resolved in 4.1.4... Maybe it was, but I was suffering it in 4.1.8.