virtualbox.org

A couple of month ago I upgraded a MacPro 4.1 from OSX 10.6.8 running VirtualBox 4.2.18 to OSX 10.8.5 and went to http://www.virtualbox.org to download and install VirtualBox.

I did not want to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what versions is required and since there was no download link for 4.2 anymore, I just went ahead and installed 4.3.2. The ChangeLog for 4.3.0 outlines that there is “limited” support for 10.9 Mavericks, whatever that means, so 10.8 should obviously be ok.

I finally upgraded my Mac to 10.9.1 and saw there was meanwhile a VirtualBox 4.2.20 update, which added support for OSX 10.9.

So I got shanghaied into version 4.3 because Oracle does not advertise the download links for 4.2 anymore, although 4.2 still seems to be maintained. What is the story here?

Meanwhile I updated to 4.3.6, but I'm not too happy with it and would like to downgrade to 4.2.20. Can I simply downgrade? I’m not worried about the Guest Additions, but what about virtual machine settings, etc. Any ideas?


Thanks.

On the download page, most people find the big bold VirtualBox older builds link a sufficient clue as to where older builds might be found.

As to downgrading (though I note you don't mention a specific problem with 4.3.x), I suggest backing up your VM folder and then just try it.

I must admit I probably did not even bother to scroll down the page to find that link. However, I was not looking for an older build, but the current. Version 4.2.20 was released around the same date as 4.3.4. If version 4.2 is still maintained then I think older builds is the wrong place. The download page obviously gets people to download and install 4.3.

I did not describe my problems with 4.3 because I have other priorities right now. I would prefer to use a version of VirtualBox that works the way it used too. So 4.2.20 was my best guess. Version 4.3 introduces warnings and problems right away. For instance, I loose my host network when the virtual machine is running after some time, and I always get warnings about the display being 0 bit, or similar. Maybe I can provide more details later.

Just to provide some update... I finally uninstalled version 4.3.6 using the uninstaller tool provided by the installation image, restored the previous ~/Library/VirtualBox folder and installed 4.2.20.

FWIW, version 4.3.6 would cause my network connections (bridged adapter, virtio-net) to frequently pause for several minutes when doing long data transfers, and during that time would even freeze the network of the host system. I changed back to 4.2.22 and everything is back to normal again. Sorry, I don't have more info available right now.

Have you read the reminder?

I am considering to downgrade my programs too. I need it to upgrade my other programs but I don't know how to start. Whenever you use things, they will bust. When those items break, however, replacing or upgrading is not your only options. Downgrading can be just as reputable of an option.