ubuntu 14.04, kernel 4.4.0-53, VB 5.0.30, Fatal: could not read from the boot medium! system halted

[oldunixguy]

Host OS Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
Guest OS win 7 pro 64bit

A ubuntu kernel update that was forced called "1404_HWE_EOL" resulted in a VB update to VB 5.0.30 r112061.

Afterwards, when I attempt to start my one and only virtual machine win7pro64bit does not boot. The DOS-like window in the VB reports:
Fatal: could not read from the boot medium! system halted

All the VB files appear OK.

Prior to this my win7 in the VB ran just fine.

I ran previous kernel 3.19.0-77 with this VB 5.0.30 r112061 and I get the same fatal results.

HELP!

[mpack]

I suspect (*) you are using the Ubuntu fork version of VirtualBox, in which case you would need to look for support in the Ubuntu forums, or install a version we support from this site.

(*) We can be sure about this if you post a VM log file, which you should always do anyway when asking a new support question: with the VM fully shut down, right click it in GUI. Select "Show Log" and save "VBox.log" (ONLY) to a zip file. Attach the zip here.

[oldunixguy]

I don't think so but you tell me....

synaptic says this is my repo
http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian

and the attached synaptic properties of the VB 5 installed says this version is supported by Oracle...

I think this is the Oracle version.

[mpack]

Fine, however I still need that log.

[oldunixguy]

I missed that.... sorry. Here it is.
thanks

[mpack]

You are indeed using the genuine Oracle VirtualBox release.

Hmm. Have you looked at the settings for that VM, specifically the storage panel? I see the VBoxGuestAdditions.iso mounted in the VM (you should eject that btw - bad practice to leave it attached). I don't see any evidence in the log of a virtual hard disk being mounted in the VM. Are you doing anything unusual which you didn't mention, e.g. a network boot (though I've not noticed evidence of that either).

[oldunixguy]

nothing unusual in my thinking.
I basically set up the VB over a year ago and all I do is respond to the update requests for the Vb and the GuestAdditions. I run the update and then I start the VM. that is it.

I didnt know that the guestadd.iso had to be removed.... I have had that mounted since the first installation of VB long ago. I think I did this to get the guestadd installed.

When I start VB and select Settings->Storage I see the Controller IDE and attached is "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso"
When I try to delete the "attachment" the pop up reports "are you sure you want to remove the optical drive?" and "you will not be able to insert any optical disks or ISO images or install the Guest Additions without it!".

So I have not removed it. Is this what you are talking about or something else? If it is what you are referring to then why do I get this warning popup as it seems to be important to keep this attachment?

After all the updates flowed in with the 1404_HWE_EOL when I tried to start the VM I just get this "cant boot" screen.

Nothing has changed from my initial report. I get this boot failure every time.

I hope you can help me get this going...

thanks

PS I cant seem to upload the screen shot as a png or compressed zip file. It keeps telling me it is an invalid file.

[mpack]

When I start VB and select Settings->Storage I see the Controller IDE and attached is "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso"
When I try to delete the "attachment" the pop up reports "are you sure you want to remove the optical drive?" ...

If you got that message then you weren't removing the media from the drive, you were removing the drive from the VM recipe. The panel on the left is where you add or remove drives. The panel on the right is where you add or remove (or empty) media from whatever drive is currently selected in the left panel.

Since you didn't respond to my implied query about what virtual hd drives are attached to the VM, please provide the .vbox file from the VM folder and I'll be able to see for myself. Zip the file before attaching.

[oldunixguy]

The item on the left panel under the IDE simply says "VBoxGuestAdditions.iso". I have no clue whether this is an object that represent the "drive" and has this name that misleads me or that this is what it always should be. This has been here for so long, likely since the first time I installed VB now almost 2 years ago....

Attached is the .vbox zipped.

I tried to attach previously screen shots but this web site would not allow the png nor .zip of the png.

thanks

[mpack]

As I thought, there is no mystery here.

The only disk controller you have included (in the recipe for this VM) is an IDE controller.

The IDE controller only has one drive attached: the CD drive.

The CD drive currently has the VBoxGuestAdditions CD mounted in it. This is not a bootable CD.

This VM can't possibly boot.

I thought perhaps you might be booting from the network, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Summary: either this VM was never bootable, or you somehow contrived to remove the boot drive from the VM and unregister the media (*). If the VDI file is still present in the VM folder then it should be possible to add a SATA controller to the VM,then add a virtual hdd to the SATA controller - at which point you'll be prompted for the VDI file which represents the virtual hdd.

Do remember to eject that GAs CD, as that isn't doing you any good at all.

[oldunixguy]

I have changed nothing between the time it worked before the update and now.
This is the first time my VM has not booted since it was set up 2 years ago.
This means that THIS update made this problem happen.
Since this has always worked until this update I have long forgotten the way to get the vdi back in the fold. I'm certain 2 years ago I did whatever it took to make this happen. SATA sounds right but I just dont remember. If one sets up the VM 2 years in the past and never has to do anything since (but approve updates) it is difficult to figure out why. I didn't change anything.
Over 5 years ago was the only other VM I have set up until this one 2 years ago. That makes 2 times I have created a VM. The reason we use this is because it is supposed to just work and not have to screw with it. Until now this has been true.

Yes my vdi still exists and the file date says 4 Dec... which is the last this worked.

You say "eject that GA CD" but I'm not sure what you mean. I have not had nor have now a CD in the drive.

Do you mean I have to "delete" the IDE item VBoxGuest Additions.iso?

then add a SATA drive?

How can simply allowing Ubuntu Software Updates to run this VB5 update in break all this stuff?

would un installing this and reinstalling this harm the existing vdi ?
then I can figure out how to hook back up to the vdi I have.

thanks

[mpack]

There is no possibility that I know of whereby a host or guest OS update would change the contents of a VirtualBox configuration file and somehow leave behind a perfectly good file. There is a 0% chance that happened during an OS update.

The only system operation which could do that would be something like a "restore a previous version" or backup restore of the file: somebody would have to intervene manually for those things to happen too. Plus, given what you say, the previous version would have to be 2 years old.

I prefer the simplest explanation: somebody removed the drive from the VM.

[mpack]

Your other questions :-

You say "eject that GA CD" but I'm not sure what you mean. I have not had nor have now a CD in the drive.

You have virtual CD media (the Guest Additions ISO) in your virtual drive. Eject the media, either by setting the drive to empty in the right panel of the Storage settings, or by using the menu when the VM is running: Devices|Optical drives|Remove disk.

Do you mean I have to "delete" the IDE item VBoxGuest Additions.iso?

No, leave the IDE controller alone. The CD drive is using it.

add a SATA drive?

Add a SATA controller, and then add a drive to it, yes.

[oldunixguy]

OK I will try these things.

On the update, let me be clearer. I installed 2 years ago whatever version was available AT THAT TIME and created this one and only VM. For a long time I have not changed anything EXCEPT allowing the system to install whatever VB updates it offers which there have been a number more than 2. I have not changed prior to or after this update the settings or unhooked my VM or removed the SATA or any of what you speculate.

Second, the OS update and the VB update happened in the SAME Ubuntu update session, obviously in a serial sequence not simultaneous. This "mess" with the VB as it is in now happened during this time. Your assertion that "somebody" made changes to cause this is false since I'm the only one here and I didnt make changes as I have repeated many times.

Third, because this has operated "hands off" for so long I can't even say whether this "virtual CD media (the Guest Additions ISO) in your virtual drive" was done by me because I dont recall seeing this before this update. Since VB has worked without intervention for so long I cant know for sure if this was there before the update because I didnt tool around the settings. I use infrequently the physical CD drive from the VM but no CD has been in there for a long time. I dont know any of the steps VB goes thru to update but I could see a lot of steps flash by as it happened. It is absolutely clear that all these ills happened following this update. Update processes have all kinds of error modes that are not accounted for in the process and I have this case to show. This is why I thought it was important to "let folks know" this happened.

I have found a VB log that was immediately prior to the update. Although I'm not an expert on VB I can see that the SATA stuff is in here.

In cases like this it is common to remove and reinstall packages when the state is in question as I have here. So I asked if this process would be doable without disturbing the VM I have. I would still like to know if this can be done since you didnt answer that question.

thanks