Windows 10: NVMe controller not working

[skoehler]

Hi,

I installed a Windows 10 guest in the default configuration that VirtualBox 5.1.6 suggests. Afterwards, I thought that I might give NVMe a try. However, adding the NVMe controller and starting the Windows 10 guest just doesn't work. In the device manager, the NVMe controller is shown, but it is marked with a yellow exclamation mark. The virtual machine doesn't have EFI enabled. I'm also not trying to boot from NVMe. The guest continues to boot from SATA/AHCI and the NVMe controller has been added in addition.

Windows 10 has been updated to 1607. Search Windows Update for driver updates didn't work.

[mpack]

You say that it "just doesn't work", but I gather that the Win10 guests still boots. So it does work for everything else. Did you attach a drive to the controller?

Perhaps Win10 doesn't install the NVMe drivers unless it detects an NVMe controller - during installation. Or a drive attached to it. Doesn't Win10 offer to get drivers from the Internet? Have you tried repairing the installation?

[skoehler]

Perhaps Win10 doesn't install the NVMe drivers unless it detects an NVMe controller - during installation. Doesn't Win10 offer to get drivers from the Internet? Have you tried repairing the installation?

The drivers (stornvme.inf and stornvme.sys) are installed. It's just that they fail. Searching for new drivers (right click in device manager, update drivers, search online) doesn't download any new drivers.

[skoehler]

You say that it "just doesn't work", but I gather that the Win10 guests still boots. So it does work for everything else. Did you attach a drive to the controller?

A drive is attached to the NVM controller, port 0. The drive does not show up in Windows Disk Manager.

The NVMe controller works with a Linux guest, but an "rmmod nvme" followed by a "modprobe nvme" leaves the NVMe controller in a bad state. The nvme disk is not accessible anymore.

[mpack]

Other than that you should raise this on BugTracker, I don't really have any further suggestions to offer on the issue.

[socratis]

It just so happens that I finished reading 5' ago the release notes for the pre-5.1.8 test builds (https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Testbuilds). It contains the following:

• Storage: some fixes for the NVMe emulation with Windows guests

I'd try it out... Unfortunately, compared to the rest of the fixes, they don't point to a specific ticket in the bugtracker...

[mpack]

@skoehler: I see that 5.1.8 has been released, with the NVMe fixes. You should obviously try that rather than the test build now.

[skoehler]

With 5.1.8, the yellow triangle in the device manager has vanished and the NVMe drive is recognized.
However, the Windows 10 virtual machine just freezes when I try to partition/format the drive.

Update: if the VM has 4 processors, it doesn't freeze. But with 1 processor it does freeze.

Update 2: rmmod/modprobe still doesn't work, regardless of whether the VM has 1 or 4 processors.

[mpack]

You should probably provide that feedback in the Discussion the 5.1.8 Release topic. And/or, if no BugTracker ticket already exists then create one.

[skoehler]

You should probably provide that feedback in the Discussion the 5.1.8 Release topic. And/or, if no BugTracker ticket already exists then create one.

I have reported these issues in the bugtracker:
https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/16079
https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/16080

Just wanted to keep the forum thread up2date

[mpack]

I suggest that you add VM logs to your tickets, to avoid them being ignored.