VirtualBox 4.2.4 froze, now can't restore

[Chelmite]

I've been running Virtualbox 4.2.4 on Ubuntu 12.10 (x86_64) for a while.
I have been running Windows 7 (x86_64) inside Virtualbox for at least months.

Just now I was using Visio (a CAD package run inside Windows 7). I scrolled my Visio view using my mouse to scroll, including occasional use of the shift and control keys, when, VirtualBox/Windows froze. I could move my Visio cursor around the screen, but I couldn't click on anything nor scroll my windows. I could click on the VirtualBox menus, but not anything inside Windows. I tried sending a control-alt-delete, but nothing changed. I ended up using the VB menu to close my VB session.

When I try to re-run virtualbox, it brings up a grayed-out view of my last Windows session. I get the progress bar for loading the session. However, when it gets to the final stage of loading, I get a VB error popup that says:

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine Windows7.

Failed to load unit 'pckbd' (VERR_SSM_DATA_UNIT_FORMAT_CHANGED).

Result Code: NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)
Component: Console
Interface: IConsole {db7ab4ca-2a3f-4183-9243-c1208da92392}

Is there any way of getting this session to load? What's pckbd? I did not upgrade VirtualBox recently. I did apply a bunch of Windows 7 patches this morning, but have rebooted and been working since then. I have not applied any major patches to Ubuntu today.

Thanks for any help you can give.

[Perryg]

Sounds like the *.vbox file is corrupt. Look in the folder that has the guest and see if there is a *.vbox-prev file and rename the file to *.vbox and see if it starts.
I would backup the *.vbox and *.vbox-prev file to be safe.

[Chelmite]

That didn't work. The difference between the .vbox and .vbox-prev files seems unimportant:

Code: Select all

% diff *.vbox*
9c9
<   <Machine uuid="{a2ac22c0-2831-47b3-84b6-5495c3e63b4e}" name="Windows7" OSType="Windows7" stateFile="Snapshots/2012-11-16T00-33-14-767192000Z.sav" snapshotFolder="Snapshots" lastStateChange="2012-11-16T01:04:45Z">
---
>   <Machine uuid="{a2ac22c0-2831-47b3-84b6-5495c3e63b4e}" name="Windows7" OSType="Windows7" stateFile="Snapshots/2012-11-16T00-33-14-767192000Z.sav" snapshotFolder="Snapshots" lastStateChange="2012-11-16T00:59:57Z">

The output on the console is:

Qt WARNING: void DBusMenuExporterPrivate::addAction(QAction*, int): Already tracking action "" under id 16
Qt WARNING: void DBusMenuExporterPrivate::addAction(QAction*, int): Already tracking action "&Pause" under id 17
Qt WARNING: void DBusMenuExporterPrivate::addAction(QAction*, int): Already tracking action "&Reset" under id 18
Qt WARNING: void DBusMenuExporterPrivate::addAction(QAction*, int): Already tracking action "D&iscard saved state..." under id 24
Qt WARNING: void DBusMenuExporterPrivate::addAction(QAction*, int): Already tracking action "Re&fresh..." under id 25
Qt WARNING: void DBusMenuExporterPrivate::addAction(QAction*, int): Already tracking action "Show in File Manager" under id 27
Qt WARNING: void DBusMenuExporterPrivate::addAction(QAction*, int): Already tracking action "Create Shortcut on Desktop" under id 28

The log file contains:

Code: Select all

00:00:30.601698 SSM: LoadExec failed for 'pckbd' instance #0 (version 6, pass 0xffffffff): VERR_SSM_DATA_UNIT_FORMAT_CHANGED
00:00:30.601721 VMSetError: /home/vbox/vbox-4.2.4/src/VBox/VMM/VMMR3/SSM.cpp(8211) int ssmR3LoadExecV2(PVM, PSSMHANDLE); rc=VERR_SSM_DATA_UNIT_FORMAT_CHANGED
00:00:30.601723 VMSetError: Failed to load unit 'pckbd'
00:00:30.601834 Changing the VM state from 'LOADING' to 'LOAD_FAILURE'.
00:00:30.601890 Changing the VM state from 'LOAD_FAILURE' to 'POWERING_OFF'.

I accept partial blame for this failure. I had just told a colleague that I prefer VirtualBox over VMWare because VB "just works". That's what I get for gloating.

[Perryg]

Have you tried to abort the saved state and then boot the guest normal?

[Chelmite]

I ended up deleting the saved state and was able to resart the machine.
I lost all work in progress, but that's better than having to reinstall Windows.

[Chelmite]

After 6 hours of working, Windows froze again under VirtualBox 4.2.4! The cursor moves, but I cannot interact with Microsoft at all.
The ubuntu "top" command shows the VirtualBox process taking 103% of the CPU! (It's an 8-cpu machine.):

PR NI VIRT RES SHR S %CPU %MEM TIME+ COMMAND
20 0 18.2g 16g 16g S 103.1 51.9 102:17.38 VirtualBox

[Perryg]

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

Edit: I just noticed you have this posted under Linux guest when in fact it is a Windows guest.

Moving to Windows guest.