WIndows XP on Mac Host won't load

[plloyd1962]

I have been running Virtual Box on a Macbook Pro for a year or more, with an old version of Windows XP running on the virtual machine.

Recently my Mac battery dies completely and I had left VB / Windows running. When I re-started the Mac, VB would not load. I reinstalled a recent download of VB from a DMG file I had stored. Now VB starts but when I try to start the virtual machine I get the following message,

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine Windows XP.

Failed to load VMMR0.r0 (VERR_SUPLIB_WRITE_NON_SYS_GROUP).

Result Code: NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)
Component: Console
Interface: IConsole {1968b7d3-e3bf-4ceb-99e0-cb7c913317bb}

I have been backing up the MAC using Time Machine and have backups going back months. I really need to access the windows files as they have my Accounts and other business critical stuff.

Any ideas please, or does anyone know where I can get some support for this combination of hardware / software, apologies I am a novice in this area. Thanks in advance.

[Perryg]

Code: Select all

Failed to load VMMR0.r0 (VERR_SUPLIB_WRITE_NON_SYS_GROUP)

Run the Repair Disk Permissions using Disk Utility on your MAC host then it should work.

[plloyd1962]

Many thanks for the suggestion, but unfortunately it has not cured the problem.

I have since discovered that the folders that the .vdi file is stored in (I think) seem to be missing, i.e.

users/username/library/virtualbox/harddisks/windows xp.vdi

the library folder and all sub folders are missing or at least not visible?

[mpack]

have since discovered that the folders that the .vdi file is stored in (I think) seem to be missing, i.e.

users/username/library/virtualbox/harddisks/windows xp.vdi

More likely, you have been reading some ancient forum messages (here or elsewhere), and don't realize that those folders you can't find never existed in a VirtualBox v4.x installation. VMs are now stored in a default home folder <userdata>/VirtualBoxVMs. All files (including hard disks) related to a VM are stored in a single folder dedicated to that VM, e.g. <userdata>/VirtualBoxVMs/<VMname>.

VirtualBox v4.0.0 was released in Dec 2010. So, if you downloaded the then current version approx. 1 year ago then that would have been v4.something.

[plloyd1962]

Thank you. I believe I was running a very old version of VB up until this week, when I download the most up to date version. At that point VB did create the folders you describe above, however they are empty!

I go the name of the folder path for the vdi by looking under Settings - Storage in VB

It shows the Windows XP.vdi disc and if you hover the mouse over it, then it shows the long path I described earlier in the thread?

[mpack]

Well in that case we're back to what Perry said: it must be a permissions issue. Entire folders will not disappear after a power failure (it would be a pretty bad OS which behaved like that), though the folders might be hidden from users who don't have the right permissions.

[plloyd1962]

The folders were indeed hidden and I have now gained access and can see that the files are indeed still in place.

However.... when I try to start the Virtual Machine I still get the original error message above. Is it worth uninstallling Virtual Box and starting over from scratch?

Appreciate your help

[plloyd1962]

OK that solved it - all working.

Step 1. Make the hidden folders visible.

Step 2. Restore the corrupted VDI file from Time Machine Backup.

Step 3. Completely uninstalll and reinstall Virtual Box.

Thanks once again to Perry G & MPAck for all of your suggestions.

[mpack]

Well done.

[davidc53]

Thanks plloyd, that process fixed a similar issue for me.

[bluegroper]

Step 3. Completely uninstalll and reinstall Virtual Box.

I suspect that step resolved many issues, perhaps including some with updated kernel/driver.
Is there a quick way to do "sudo port reinstall virtualbox" ?
uninstall, reinstall virtualbox, virtualbox-extension-pack, and virtualbox-guest-additions is quite time consuming.

Alternatively, dkms works nicely in Linux. Is there a mac equivalent ?

TIA's for tips and clues.

[bluegroper]

Or maybe this helps.
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5489&start=15