virtualbox.org

OK< so I created a VHD file of my working Windows XP (32 bit) and installed virtualbox, and created a new virtual machine. It seems to start OK< but all I get is a black screen.
I just updated by adding the log file.

Its configured to use 4 gig of ram, and the host has 12 gig of ram and says its using only 3.2 gig Windows 10 build 1709 is the host OS
Help !

Black screen on boot with XP usually means that IO-APIC is set wrong.

If this is a P2V project with XP then expect this to be the first of many battles. Have a read of https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Migrate_Windows, but ignore the imaging stuff since you already have a VHD.

Speaking of which, VHD is garbage, nobody really uses it anymore. I suggest that you consider conversion to VDI a priority (using CloneVDI will be easiest).

Please zip logs in future.

Thanks, the IO APIC was it. But my 16 bit game (the whole reason for this) will not run under this VB, its just a black window.

You are not giving me a lot to go on. E.g. an updated VM log would be nice (zipped).

Here is the latest log. Sorry I am slow to attach.

Edit: I don't have winzip. Does windows compress make zip files ?

markfw wrote:But my 16 bit game (the whole reason for this) will not run under this VB, its just a black window.

VMs are not good for gaming. Virtual machines will never be as powerful as the host, especially on the video side. They use after all a virtual graphics card, not your host's real graphics card. Applications that have high requirements on the GPU (drawing, 3D, games, video) are expected to not work as good as on the real hardware, if they work at all.

First, an XP guest has no need for 4GB RAM. 1GB is plenty.

Second, an XP guest has lots of uses for graphics RAM, especially if you want to run a graphical game. 18MB graphics RAM is not enough: I'd increase to 64MB.

Third, I see no evidence that the Guest Additions have been installed (see chapter 4). With no GAs your graphics is just basic VESA - slow and no good for gaming at all. I see that you have enabled 3D acceleration, unfortunately that's pointless when you don't install the GA drivers which can tap into that capability.

Remember that you must install the GAs in safe mode in an XP guest.

Did you install this XP yourself? If so then it's a pity you only gave it 1 CPU. It is possible to change the installed HAL in XP after the event (i.e. to a multiprocessor HAL), but you need to Google for the howto.

The "GA's in chapter 4" Not to be stupid, but can you link or something ? I have no idea. I changed the video to 64 meg.

Chapter 4? Of the User Manual? You should have the manual in the Windows built-in help (press F1), a searchable PDF in the docs directory, but here's an online version as well: 4. Guest Additions.

Well, I got the game to start, but it had a problem correctly accessing the CDROM drive, said "can't play the movie", and then when I tried to play a game, the entire Virtualbox software crashed.

I guess its not made to be, I will have to keep using XP just to play this old game that I love. BTW, its Dune 2000.

Thanks for the help.