5.0 works inside a VM but not on real machine

[Industrial]

I am trying hard to figure out why 5.0 isn't working on my system. It installs without incident but trying to start any of my VMs ends in failure.

So I converted my physical machine into a virtual one so I can weed out the problem without consequence. To my surprise, 5.0 worked totally fine before I had a chance to uninstall a single program. So what is the issue here?

I tried a clean boot on my real machine and uninstalling my Firewall to no avail. I tried safe mode but I can't enable vboxdrv in safe mode so a VMs couldn't start. Any way to run Virtualbox in safe mode?

What could possibly be the problem?

[noteirak]

128c.1290: Error (rc=0):
128c.1290: supR3HardenedScreenImage/Imports: rc=Unknown Status -22900 (0xffffa68c) fImage=1 fProtect=0x0 fAccess=0x0 \Device\HarddiskVolume1\Windows\System32\shell32.dll: Not signed.

Some other process or installed program modified a system DLL of Windows (shell32.dll) and VirtualBox fails to protect against possible security vulnerability of Windows.
You'll need to find the application doing so. Usually, that would be theme patchers, antivirus/firewall/malware removers or something like that.

[Industrial]

Thank you, I am using a custom theme but I have restored the original shell32.dll to see if Virtualbox will work. Now it is complaining about VBoxDD.dll.

Code: Select all

Unable to load R3 module C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox/VBoxDD.DLL (VBoxDD): GetLastError=1790 (VERR_UNRESOLVED_ERROR).


Result Code: 
E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component: 
ConsoleWrap
Interface: 
IConsole {872da645-4a9b-1727-bee2-5585105b9eed}

[noteirak]

VirtualBox VM 5.0.0 r101573 win.x86 (Jul 9 2015 11:15:51) release log
00:00:01.455910 Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack (Version: 5.0.2 r102096; VRDE Module: VBoxVRDP)
00:00:01.528238 C:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\VBoxMouse.sys (Version: 4.1.8.0)

You have several versions mismatch in your VirtualBox installation:
- Extension pack MUST match the VirtualBox version, which is not the case right now.
- The Mouse driver was not updated for some reasons. I would uninstall VirtualBox, reboot, reinstall VirtualBox.

[Industrial]

I did everything you said. Same error. I realize I uploaded Vbox.log instead of VboxStartup. Apologies. Here are new ones.

[Industrial]

I fixed the problem by letting sfc /scannow restore my patched system files to their original state. I use uxtheme multipatcher now which patches the DLLs in memory only so I can still use my custom theme. I lament having to restore shell32.dll tho because some of my customization relied on changing a few things in that.

Why all this unnecessary paranoia with new Virtualbox versions?

[mpack]

I lament having to restore shell32.dll

Then don't. Just make sure that there's an unhacked version inside the VirtualBox folder, alongside VirtualBox.exe. Windows always looks in the current (program) folder first for DLLs. Of course you have to be careful about Windows Updates if you do this - but no more so than after hacking system DLLs.

[Industrial]

I lament having to restore shell32.dll

Then don't. Just make sure that there's an unhacked version inside the VirtualBox folder, alongside VirtualBox.exe. Windows always looks in the current (program) folder first for DLLs.

That didn't work. Virtualbox fails to load VMs with a hacked shell32.dll no matter if the original is inside c:\program files\oracle\virtualbox\ or not.

[mpack]

Well, others seem to have successfully used this workaround. It is discussed several times in the hardening topic, though mostly with uxtheme.dll. I don't know why the shell has been hacked in your case.

[Industrial]

Many of the Windows graphics are stored in the shell32.dll file, for example the bright panel on the left on the Personalize window on Windows 7.