Windows CE in a VirtualBox VM

[riahc3]

Im running VirtualBox and I want to virtualize Windows CE. I selected Windows other 32 bit and when I try to boot it stays at a black screen with "_" and does nothing.

[mpack]

I don't know that CE can be made to work (e.g. you have the x86 version, right?), but in any case we can't help unless you provide: Minimum information needed for assistance.

p.s. Moved to "Windows Guests" since I don't see what bearing your Windows host has on your question.

[riahc3]

I don't know that CE can be made to work (e.g. you have the x86 version, right?), but in any case we can't help unless you provide: Minimum information needed for assistance.

p.s. Moved to "Windows Guests" since I don't see what bearing your Windows host has on your question.

Sorry about that.

The version of VirtualBox you are using, and whether you have installed the Guest Additions (in the guest): 4.3.8 r92456
Host & Guest make and version including 32 or 64 bit, and the amount of memory available to both: Host is Windows 7 SP1 32 bit with 4GB and Guest is Windows CE 7 (x86) with 512MB
Guest log file (as an attachment) See your VirtualBox users guide for how to locate this if using CLI or right click the guest in the VirtualBox main manager and select show log. Then choose save: N/A

[mpack]

If you tried to boot a guest, and got a black screen - as described in your first post - then a log was created, it certainly is not "N/A".

If you can't provide the log then you can't be helped.

[dlharper]

Windows CE is not a single product. The first version was based on Windows 95, and it now up to version 7.

In any case, it is designed to be customized for particular hardware, and an implementation will probably not include drivers for items other than those that were a part of the machine it came with. It may also require some code to be included in the machine's ROM.

This means that it probably will not work in VirtualBox, mut you might be lucky.

[riahc3]

If you tried to boot a guest, and got a black screen - as described in your first post - then a log was created, it certainly is not "N/A".

If you can't provide the log then you can't be helped.

I wasn't sure if the log was created once the OS booted or just with the VM. Again, sorry mpack, not used to VirtualBox...

Windows CE is not a single product. The first version was based on Windows 95, and it now up to version 7.

In any case, it is designed to be customized for particular hardware, and an implementation will probably not include drivers for items other than those that were a part of the machine it came with. It may also require some code to be included in the machine's ROM.

This means that it probably will not work in VirtualBox, mut you might be lucky.

That's the version.

[riahc3]

Here is the log file

[dlharper]

I suspect this is going nowhere.

According to the log you have attempted to boot from a hard disk rather than a floppy or CD. Have you imaged the disk from another machine, or have you connected it to the PC and are attempting to boot it raw?

In any case, this rarely works with any form of Windows. You have to install Windows in a VM, so that it can find the necessary drivers. I doubt these will exist in CE.

BTW, have you checked the software license? An implementation of CE is likely to be licensed to a particular machine.

[mpack]

As to the black screen on startup, it's quite possible that this build of CE simply doesn't support VESA graphics: in the embedded world you don't hog space in flash for code you don't need, and why would it need VESA graphics support if the device didn't use it? That would make this project a non-starter altogether, since the Windows GAs certainly won't work on CE.

Also, was this image intended to boot from hard disk? Because support for a hard disk is another feature I find unlikely in an embedded device.

In essence: a VirtualBox VM is a simulation of a somewhat older model x86 PC. Not all x86 computers are PCs. The VM will run many x86 guest OSs, but those OS's must be capable of using the hardware provided by the VM. If you can't create a VM hardware recipe that the guest OS likes, then the guest OS will fail when it tries to find the hardware it expects.

[riahc3]

As to the black screen on startup, it's quite possible that this build of CE simply doesn't support VESA graphics: in the embedded world you don't hog space in flash for code you don't need, and why would it need VESA graphics support if the device didn't use it? That would make this project a non-starter altogether, since the Windows GAs certainly won't work on CE.

Also, was this image intended to boot from hard disk? Because support for a hard disk is another feature I find unlikely in an embedded device.

In essence: a VirtualBox VM is a simulation of a somewhat older model x86 PC. Not all x86 computers are PCs. The VM will run many x86 guest OSs, but those OS's must be capable of using the hardware provided by the VM. If you can't create a VM hardware recipe that the guest OS likes, then the guest OS will fail when it tries to find the hardware it expects.

Usually we run this on 800x600 at I believe 16 bit. Maybe I should change to that?

Yes, it was intended to boot from a HDD. We can boot this off a USB drive and other mediums. This is a x86 version of Windows CE BTW.

[riahc3]

I suspect this is going nowhere.

According to the log you have attempted to boot from a hard disk rather than a floppy or CD. Have you imaged the disk from another machine, or have you connected it to the PC and are attempting to boot it raw?

In any case, this rarely works with any form of Windows. You have to install Windows in a VM, so that it can find the necessary drivers. I doubt these will exist in CE.

BTW, have you checked the software license? An implementation of CE is likely to be licensed to a particular machine.

I CloneZilla it from one medium to the virtual medium.

I can switch this easily from different machines and it works. I don't find any validation tying it to a particular machine.

[mpack]

I don't find any validation tying it to a particular machine.

It doesn't need validation - it simply won't work on the wrong hardware.

[Martin]

You need to make sure that your installation includes a display driver for VESA graphics. Otherwise you won't get any display output.

[daniel15092]

That happened to me, I pressed the Enter key and it showed a boot menu, then I just pressed enter again, and it started to boot, Windows CE is also used on touchscreen devices at shops