virtualbox.org

I have just completed a course on Windows Server 2008 in which we were asked to install four instances of Server 2008 (32-bit), using Virtualbox. I have now finished the course but I want to repeat the exercises, but for 2012. However, I set up Win Ser 2012 (64 bit) with 2GB min RAM, 65GB HDD, then I Start the VM, it loads initially but then I get:

Your PC needs to restart
Press and hold the power button
Error code: 0x0000001e

The host machine is a Acer Ferrari One 200 with 4GB RAM and 320GB HDD and Windows 7 64-bit.

It did work once, after a BIOS update!

It worked fine with 2008!

Please read Minimum information needed for assistance. Make sure you also include the guest config.

Virtualbox v4.2.12 r84980
Host make - Acer Ferrari 200 AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core Processor L310, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 4GB RAM
Guest OS - Windows Server 2012 64-bit, 2GB allocated
(Attached msinfo32 and the VBox info)

What is strange is that Windows Server 2012 boots up perfectly fine on my desktop, using exactly the same specs as I just gave you for Vbox. The only difference with my desktop is it has an AMD Athlon XII 255 x64 processor

We would require the VM log file, attached as a zip file. The initial link tells you how to get it.

I did attach the log file, it is above the two screenshots

My bad, I missed that.
Nothing wrong with Virtualbox, but that stop error seems quite common on Google, you should look into that. Most likely, your disk is too small to install Win 2012 or you've given wrong parameters to the VM.

Please attach the guest config output aswell (check my first link)

I can't seem to find out how to start VBoxManage from the Command Line, as I can't get into the actual VM!
Also, what's strange is I set it up as a fixed disk space of 25GB, the setup crashes on the 2012 logo screen!
I have enough disk space - 320GB on my host system.

That command is ran from the host, not the guest.

When I executed those commands from a Command Prompt, it said:

C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage showvminfo "Windows Server 2012 BI
" --details
VBoxManage.exe: error: Failed to create the VirtualBox object!
VBoxManage.exe: error: Code CO_E_SERVER_EXEC_FAILURE (0x80080005) - Server execu
tion failed (extended info not available)
VBoxManage.exe: error: Most likely, the VirtualBox COM server is not running or
failed to start.

I executed it with the VM running and also not running

IMHO, you are allocating too much host RAM to the VM. You are leaving almost nothing for the host, which usually causes instability.

I'm curious why you are using fixed size disks? That too is often a source of problems, e.g. in your case you made the disk too small which often leads to poor performance in both host and guest. I suggest you create a dynamic disk, say 64GB or 128GB.

Incidentally, I can't read the text in the JPEGs you posted. PNG might have worked better. Ironically you didn't compress the log file, but luckily you were below the attachment size limit anyway.

Shall I post the screenshots again?

Only if you believe they carry useful information, otherwise I'd just delete them.

This is odd; I don't get that error message anymore.
I allocated it 64GB disk space and 1 (and, the second time, 1.5GB) of RAM, and it crashes halfway through the loading screen (with the Microsoft logo on)!

From the hosts terminal/command window type VBoxManage showvminfo <VM Name> --details and post here. Replace <VM Name> with the actual name of the VM. Use " " if the name has a space in it.

Note if the host is Windows you need to be in the directory that has VBoxManage.exe for the command to work.