Of Concern? Guest aborts during Windows Update - Solved

[markfilipak2]

When my WinXP-SP3 guest (in WinXP-SP3 host) does a Windows Update (i.e., critical hotpatch download & installation), it frequently aborts (i.e., it closes suddenly and silently). The guest runs fine when relaunched and I can continue the Update, but is this a sign of coming trouble, or is it just a hypervisor quirk? Thanks in advance.

PS: The abort happens during installation of hotpatches, not during the download. On abort, VirtualBox Manager indicates "Aborted" below the guest's name.

Synopsis of Solution:
The problem was not that there was too little memory assigned to the guest. The problem was that there was too little memory left in the host! Read on to see the log entries that exposes this problem. - M.

[Perryg]

Post the guests log file (as an attachment)
See Online Users Manual for the location of the file.

After an abort and before you start it again.

[markfilipak2]

The log just ends. No normal "Changing the VM state...". - Mark

[Perryg]

If you want help you need to post the log.

[markfilipak2]

Perry. I attached it to my last post. I'm new here and I've not attached something before. Something must have gone wrong. I'll try again with this post. Sorry. - Mark.

[Perryg]

Well it didn't make it this time either. It is a two step process. you browse and select then you need to click add the file for it to complete. Watch for error messages about size or file type and adjust accordingly. If the file is to big then compress it and attach the compressed file.

[markfilipak2]

It must be broken, Perry. I browse to the file, select it, click "Open" in the open dialog, then click the "Add the file" button to the right to attach it. The screen redraws. I get no errors. I get no confirmation either. Then I submit the reply. I don't know what to do. - Mark.

I'll try it one last time....

...it doesn't appear to have worked this time either, but I'll go ahead and click "Submit". Bye.

[Perryg]

test

Submit-upload.png (10 KiB) Viewed 2997 times

Just tested it and it works just fine. Once you add the file using the browse and you see the path in the windows you need to click the add the file and it will work See screen shot below and the far right button. You can click preview to see if it took before you click the submit button.

[mpack]

Perhaps a cookies or similar problem in the browser.

[markfilipak2]

Test.

Uh-oh! Get away from the Windows!.png (17.83 KiB) Viewed 2987 times

This appears to work. I'm doing this outside the sandbox. Note: I'm hoping to retire Sandboxie in favor of VirtualBox. - Mark.

PS: I created this graphic. I hereby release it into the public domain and grant everyone a license to use this graphic for any purpose whatsoever. - Mark Filipak.

[markfilipak2]

Test.

Uh-oh! Get away from the Windows!.png (17.83 KiB) Viewed 2985 times

Hmm... Now i'm inside the sandbox. Here was my REAL problem. I saw "File comment:" and thought that it was to add a file comment, not to actually add the attachment. So adding an attachment to this forum is actually a 3 step operation: 1, get the file, 2, attach it, and 3, place it inline. Really now. Isn't that a bit much? - Mark (user forum malfunction).

PS: And there's no instructions that I could find about how to add an attachment (and, believe me, I looked). - M.

[Perryg]

Nothing we can do about that but complain and nothing will happen because it is not our software. Contact phpbb if you would like to add comments about the functionality of the product.

Now let's see the attachment.

[markfilipak2]

Okay. Regarding the original problem: Unfortunately, I no longer have the log from when the WinXP guest aborted during Windows Update. It happened about 6 times during the installation of the approx. 125 updates, but that was too long ago and even Vbox.log.3 has been overwritten. Sorry. If it happens again, I'll be back.

So I guess I'm to assume that a guest abort during Windows Update IS of concern. - Mark.

[markfilipak2]

Sorry, Perry. Our replies crossed. Regarding documentation and complaints, how about a sticky post "Regarding attaching files" in the forum section dealing with how to use the forum? - M.

[Perryg]

Go ahead and post the newest one anyway. It should at least provide some useful information.