[Solved] Windows Server 2016 - black screen on boot

[LewisHolt21]

Hi there!

I'm running VirtualBox 6.0.4 on a Windows 10 host, when trying to boot Windows Server 2016 or Windows 10 guests, I get a black screen with a solid _ on the top left, no blinking. I've tried installing a previous version of Virtualbox, messing with the 2D/3D acceleration and making sure that it was starting from CD in boot order, which it is. I've also attempted restarting my host several times and re-creating the guest VM but to no effect.

Hyper-V is enabled on this machine as I do have Windows' Hyper-V Manager which works fine, just wanted to use Virtualbox.

I've attached the log file, hopefully somoene can help me!

[socratis]

Hyper-V is enabled on this machine as I do have Windows' Hyper-V Manager which works fine, just wanted to use Virtualbox.

Your VM is not frozen, it's simply moving at the speed of molasses during winter in the Arctic circle. You can't have Hyper-V active and expect good (or even adequate) VirtualBox performace:

00:00:35.805161 HM: HMR3Init: Attempting fall back to NEM: VT-x is not available
00:00:35.819970 NEM: WHvCapabilityCodeHypervisorPresent is TRUE, so this might work...

Hyper-V is enabled, just as you stated. You can tell if this is true from the status bar where the "slow" icon () shows. Look in the "Control Panel" » "Programs and Features" » "Turn Windows features on or off", and make sure that the none of the following are active:

• Hyper-V
• Virtual Machine Platform
• Windows Hypervisor Platform

If VirtualBox is running without Hyper-V enabled, where proper, hardware virtualization is actually available, then the standard virtualization icon () would show. Disable Hyper-V in your host and see what happens...

PS. For future reference you should ZIP your logs. It helps you, it helps us, it helps the server, it helps save a (virtual) tree or two...

[LewisHolt21]

Thank you so much! I had no idea that Hyper-V could cause an issue like this, disabled it and succesfully installing Windows Server now!

I actually did zip it up, but I was silly and accidentally uploaded the wrong file, I promise I care about the trees too!

[socratis]

disabled it and succesfully installing Windows Server now!

Great! Marking as [Solved] then.

Don't worry about the zipped files, we're all tree huggers after all!