VirtualBox on Win10 fails or freezes when installing Ubuntu Guests

[BagV]

Dear Members,

I have been trying to install an Ubuntu Guest on my new HP ZBook 15 G6 running Windows 10 (64) without success.
I have tried several Ubuntu ISO images (check-summed): 18.04.3, 18.04.4 and 19.10-desktop-amd64.iso
I have also tried several VB builds: 6.0.14, 6.0.18, 6.1.0, 6.1.2 and 6.1.4-136177-Win.exe

Originally, with VB versions 6.0, VB complained about virtualization. I checked the BIOS and realized that the two virtualization flags were already ticked. In other words, nothing to complain about!
I then changed VB builds. I tried 6.1.0 and 6.1.2. When installing an Ubuntu 64 Guest it freezes at the very beginning of the installation. To stop VB, you also need to go to the application manager to manually end the corresponding tasks. Time to time you do not succeed and you then need to reboot!

If you now try VB 6.1.4, you can go further. Depending on the Ubuntu ISO file you use, the installation fails at different point. It generally fails saying that your file is corrupted. At some point, I was just about to finish a 19.10 installation when VB told me my file was corrupted.
My Ubuntu ISOs are not corrupted as far as I see because the checksum is right.
When instead of installing Ubuntu, I perform a disk check from the installation menu, VB tells me that 1 or 2 files are corrupted: very weird!

When installing the Ubuntu Guest I most of the time let the default configuration. I also tried other configurations without more success.
Finally, instead of creating a .vdi HD I tried to use an existing one that perfectly works on my old ZBook with the same configuration, that VM did not boot giving lots of error messages.

As a result, I am now stuck and I do not have a clue about how to fix my problem.

Would any of you has observed the same problems and found a fix?

Cheers, BagV

[scottgus1]

If you start installing the OS in the guest, then you will have a vbox.log for that guest.

Start the guest from cold boot, not save-state. Run until you see the problem happen, then shut down the guest from within the guest OS if possible. If not possible, close the Virtualbox window for the guest with the Power Off option set.

Please zip and post the guest's vbox.log, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

Also, try to put the folder(s) containing your guest(s) as well as Virtualbox itself in the exceptions for your antivirus program so AV won't scan Virtualbox processes. Failing ISO installs on good media has come up a couple times recently, haven't pinned it down yet. Further, move the install media to a folder excepted in the AV.

[BagV]

Hi scottgus1,

Thanks for your interest.

I went through 3 attempts following your post and did 3 times what you suggested: I got 3 different results! (VB 6.1.4 and guest Ubuntu 18.04.4)
1/ The installation crashed right at the beginning (see the VBox1.log file as requested).
2/ The installation did not crash (hooray!!) and I have got an Ubuntu VM running (with default params).
3/ The installation crashed when username and password are supposed to be set (see the VBox2.log file as requested).

Visibly the error comes from reading the "media" CD or DVD. In my case it is an ISO copied on my HD. (no dirt no corrupted media or file)
I hope it makes sense for your.
Cheers BagV

[scottgus1]

Looks like the log did not get posted.

Did you set exceptions in your antivirus to stay out of the guest folders and the ISO and Virtualbox?

[BagV]

Hi,

I am retrying to post the logs. (VBox1.log & VBox2.log)
I have not investigated yet the antivirus related suggestion. I will let you know, but since I could manage to get 1 full installation (out of 50!)...
Hope this time I will be more successful with the logs.
Cheers, BagV

PS I found out the problem with log file: too big and therefore not attached!

VBox2.7z

Log file 2

(22.88 KiB) Downloaded 9 times

VBox1.7z

Log file 1

(22.5 KiB) Downloaded 9 times

[BagV]

For what it is worth, I am told that the problem may come from the current Win 10 image version on my new laptop. The solution would then be to re-image!
I am a bit skeptical here, as it sounds like a pre-packaged "general Windows fix", but at least worth mentioning.

[Mastropiero]

Same problem here.

Virtualbox has worked fine for two years on my laptop. Suddenly, it has started failing when accessing media in Linux virtualization.

After a bit of deeper analysis, this is what I've found so far:

• When trying to install Ubuntu, Fedora, or Centos, random errors are found during CD reading.
• I've double-checked that the CD ISO file used for installation is in a perfect condition on the host volume (the file cheksum matches correctly).
• Since errors occur randomly, the installation process fails sometimes at different stages (sometimes during file copy, sometimes during media checking, etc.).
• Even if the CD reading occurs correctly, the install ends up failing when installing additional packages. Again, these failures occur randomly (during the download OR during the package install, a different package each attempt).

So, it seems that the problem scope is not limited to the CD media, but any other kind of volume is also affected.

Of course, reinstalling VirtualBox didn't help either.
Any suggestions?

[Martin]

Check viewtopic.php?p=483776#p483776

[scottgus1]

Sorry, all, looks like this one fell off the radar.

BagV, your logs show that Hyper-V is enabled. See HMR3Init: Attempting fall back to NEM (Hyper-V is active)

Mastropiero, Search the guest's vbox.log for this text:

Attempting fall back to NEM

If you find it, Hyper-V is enabled for you too.

Martin's link is to an announcement that the hashing problem may be fixed in the Test Builds post-6.1.14.