Can't install Win 7 in Virtualbox in linux

[pete_h]

Hi, I'm a first time poster -- did a quick search on this forum and couldn't find the answer to this anywhere so opened up a new topic (sorry if I missed something relevant).

I have a Thinkpad T60p (2007YS3) w/the following specs: T7600/2.33 GHz (Core 2 Duo), 3GB RAM (2x1), ATI RV530/IPS SXGA+, 250GB/7200rpm Hitachi HDD, Linux Mint 16 Xfce 32bit and have tried well over 15 times to install Win7-32bit in Virtualbox 4.2.24 using numerous combos of settings. All attempts have resulted either in messages indicating corrupt files in the iso (not correct -- used the same iso to successfully install W7 in a t61p -- can give the specs on that if you like) or the BSOD. The latter indicates different errors each time (e.g., attempt to write to read-only memory; 0x0000008e, 0x000000be, etc...a particular driver was never singled out though). Also, the install *always* crashes at exactly 87% of the "expanding files" stage.

Every other program I have runs fine on this machine and I've successfully installed XP in Virtualbox on it. Web searching indicates that it might be a hardware issue -- but my RAM seems fine and as far as I can tell, all my drivers are up to date (again, I'm running Linux Mint 16 Xfce 32bit with no other issues).

I've also updated my BIOS recently to 2.27 using a bootable BIOS CD provided on Lenovo's website (I think the previous version was 2.13 -- dated 2007). I enabled Intel virtualization in BIOS but it makes no difference -- same errors appear whether or not that setting is enabled.

Would the type of hard drive have anything to do with it? I tried the install again by putting my t60p hard drive into my t61p but got the same error message there (as I mentioned, I was able to install/run it on the native HDD of the t61p with no issues). This is thoroughly puzzling and frustrating! Any suggestions in my case would be greatly appreciated...

[mpack]

Your question is too vague about your actual problem, while abounding with lots of irrelevant detail about your host.

Don't tell us what usually happens. Make one specific attempt to install one guest OS. Report any error message precisely, and provide a VM log file for that completed session. Minimum information needed for assistance.

Also, I won't simply take your word for it that the install ISO is undamaged. If the guest OS installer is reporting corrupted files then I'll rather believe it than you. Have you done an MD5 checksum check comparing the ISO copy you're trying to use with the original? A classic error would be to take a file >4GB in size and try to transport it on a FAT32 formatted USB stick, resulting in a truncated file.

[scottgus1]

If you were able to successfully install on a different pc ("used the same iso to successfully install W7 in a t61p") that might indicate that the cd is good. (I'm assuming that the other pc has its own cd drive.) It could be a slight tolerance issue between the cd itself and the drive in one pc vs the other, I have seen stuff like that happen: a cd or dvd works in one drive, not in another, on the same pc.
You could try installing an iso-maker program on the t61p, that the cd does work on, then make an iso of the cd and verify it. Then copy the iso to your laptop with Virtualbox and use the iso to install your guest OS.

[mpack]

make an iso of the cd and verify it.

The OP already mentions starting from an ISO. However the verification step was not mentioned and is important - and it must verify the actual instance of the file on the PC, and not assume that just because the ISO was ok on PC A, then the copy transported to PC B must also be ok.

[scottgus1]

Sure enough, he did mention the iso. Missed that....

[pete_h]

Thanks for the replies and sorry about not being clearer. I'm quite sure the iso isn't the issue though -- it's actually not a copy -- the copying was done in the other direction, i.e. from this to the other laptop (t61p), where it worked (that's also a linux machine). I just tried a fresh install again tonight (Thur. 7/3) and got the same BSOD result, again at 87% of the 'expanding files' stage. For reference I've attached the latest two BSOD error messages as screenshots.

Here's the last line of tonight's vbox.log file (verbatim):
"ERROR [COM]: aRC=E_ACCESSDENIED (0x80070005) aIID={db7ab4ca-2a3f-4183-9243-c1208da92392} aComponent={Console} aText={The virtual machine is not powered up}, preserve=false"

Any ideas??

[pete_h]

PS Attached is a screenshot of the VM's settings. Again, I've tried many combos of settings (including giving it 1024 MB RAM, enabling VT-x, host i/o cache, etc etc), all to no avail...really at my wit's end on this one...

[socratis]

How did you get a hold of the "Win7.Enterprise.32bit_CUIT.6.21.14.iso"? Was it the Windows 7 installation DVD that came with a specific hardware (like your T61p Thinkpad)? If that's the case, then maybe you cannot install this DVD into another "hardware". And remember that "hardware" is not the physical machine, but the machine presented by VirtualBox.

Other than that, like the rest of the people here, I have to assume a corrupted ISO. Why does it trigger in one system and not another? Can't tell. But, if you managed to install this on another computer, what happens if you try to copy over the whole VM from the T61p to the T60p? See moving a VM.

[pete_h]

Thanks Socratis...The iso is almost certainly not the problem -- I downloaded it from a major university whose repositories I have legal access to, etc.

Update: I tried the installation on another t60p machine with nearly identical specs and it worked on that machine. The only real differences between the machines are that the second one uses VB 4.3.12 on Linux Mint 17 Xfce 32-bit. The hard drives differ though -- this machine has a 250GB HDD while the other has a 120GB HDD (both Hitachi).

I'll try to do the transfer socratis mentions -- though I'll need to use my external hard drive for this (Seagate 500GB) so it will take some time. Will update you more tomorrow hopefully.

[pete_h]

Update 2: I've tried copying the successfully created VDI from the other t60p to this one but it shows up as inaccessible with an error that I've seen described elsewhere in this forum (could not open medium...invalid pre-header...verr_vd_vdi_invalid_header, etc.) I've tried the methods suggested elsewhere (using a hex editor to copy the first 4096 bytes to the problematic vdi etc) but none of that works -- e.g. VB simply tries to reinstall Windows using the iso (which remember is the original, not a copy, on this machine).

I still wonder whether there's something unusual about this machine's hardware or HDD that's causing the problem...Btw, I've also tried using VB v4.3x on this machine with no luck.

Anyone have any ideas based on the BSOD/VB settings snapshots I shared yesterday??

[mpack]

Socrates gave you a link about moving a VM. I suggest that you read it.

[pete_h]

I did read it and followed the instructions precisely -- copied the entire VM folder from the working install to an external HD, then copied that onto the problematic computer's HD. Somehow the latter transfer seems to have led to the invalid pre-header issue. (When I open the vdi directly from the external HD in a hex editor, it looks fine -- but when I open the local copy of the same vdi much of it looks like gibberish.)

Note that in my 7/3 post, in addition to the snapshots I also posted the last line of the vbox.log for the problematic fresh install -- if anyone can help decipher it maybe that would give us more clues...

[Perryg]

Last lines of a log do not tell the whole story. Post the entire log file ( as an attachment )

[pete_h]

Understood. I've replaced my username with "[user]" and have attached the full log file for the problematic computer. And for comparison, I've also attached the log file for the t60p on which the install was successful...file names make the distinction.

Many thanks for the replies so far, really appreciate you guys taking the time to do so.

[Perryg]

Differences shown below: Suggest you upgrade the not working and also enable hardware virtualization in the BIOS

Not working

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VirtualBox VM 4.2.24 r92790 linux.x86 (Mar 13 2014 16:34:01) release log

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00:00:03.149822 HWACCM: No VT-x or AMD-V CPU extension found. Reason VERR_VMX_MSR_LOCKED_OR_DISABLED

Working

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VirtualBox VM 4.3.12 r93733 linux.x86 (May 16 2014 13:00:58) release log

Hardware virtualization seems to be enabled.