PCLinuxOS 2010 minime: Problems as guest in Virtualbox

[creicks]

I have Sun's Virtualbox 3.1.6 r59338 installed in Windows XP (SP-3).  I have been running PCLinux2009.2 as a guest OS without any issues.

I decided to install the latest PCLinuxOS for a test drive and after installing the Vbox Guest Additions and rebooting all I get is a blank screen.

Additional reboots resulted in no change.  I can obtain a log-in screen only if I boot to "failsafe" mode (from grub), obtaining a command prompt and entering the "exit" command.  Once this is done the OS initializes properly and I get a log-in screen.

I guess it must be an X issue, possibly with the vboxvideo driver in the SUN package.

Anybody else have this problem and is there a fix???

CR

[menotu]

Have you given the Guest enough ram? I'd suggest a minimum of 768MB (and 60+ for video)

[creicks]

Allocated RAM is 1024MB and 64MB for video

[menotu]

Hi creicks,

Are you running it directly from the ISO or from CD?

Have you done an md5sum check on the iso just to make sure the download was okay?

If its from CD, try a media check on it - if its not correct try another CD burn but burn it as slow as possible (4x or 8x speed)

You could also possibly try re-installing Guest Additions

[creicks]

I ran the .iso on the virtual cdrom prior to installing the OS on the virtual harddrive.

This issue has been present since the beta release of PCLOS2010.

I have tried the guest install on two different WinXP machines and another Linux box running Virtualbox OSE.  I've used various allocations of RAM and video ram, harddrive sizes, etc.; I've tinkered with the settings with respect to No. of cpus, harddrive controllers, etc.

At best the issue is intermittent, at worst I have to start the OS via failsafe mode and exit out to get to the login screen.

I have not tried a true hardware install as I would like to evaluate in virtualbox prior to moving to one of my linux boxes.

Earlier versions of PCLOS work without any issue; I have tried openSUSE (KDE4) as well without issue.

[Texstar]

I don't know what to tell you. I am running PCLinuxOS 2010 and I have Virtualbox from the repository installed and all of the 2010 isos run fine for me as a guest OS. In fact after I cut an ISO that is where I test it first before I burn to CDR and do an actual install.

[creicks]

It's weird.

The .isos have all run fine.  The issue only surfaces upon performing a virtual harddrive installation.

Oh well.......

[menotu]

If you have a reasonably fast net connection you could d/load and try one of the other PCLinuxOS iso's (Full KDE or Gnome etc)

If you haven't yet done so I'd try the md5sum check, and then you can at least tick that off your "check list"

[humdinger70]

Here's my own experience...

1) After doing the initial install, do a shutdown and not a reboot. PCLinuxOS seems to get stuck when doing the system initial reboot.Shutdown the guest and shutdown the VirtualBox on the host.
2) Make sure the 3D acceleration for the initial boot is disabled. You can turn it on after (for next boot).

I should note that my host is an iMac running the latest OS X (Snow Leopard, 10.6.3).

[menotu]

1) After doing the initial install, do a shutdown and not a reboot. PCLinuxOS seems to get stuck when doing the system initial reboot

Normal behaviour  When VBox is first installed a reboot should be done as it needs to be configured into the system properly and that first initial reboot can take some time whilst this is carried out.

[creicks]

OK...I've finally gotten it to work.

When I installed PCLOS2010 as a guest the following packages were installed by default: x11-driver-input-vboxmouse, x11-driver-input-vmmouse, x11-driver-video-vboxvideo, and dkms-vboxadditions.

I was installing Sun's VBoxGuestAdditions over these packages.

There must be an incompatibility between Sun's VBoxAdditions and PCLOS' x11 drivers or dkms-vboxadditions. (I checked my 2009.2 install and noticed that "dkms-vboxadd" was not installed by default, though the vbox "x11" drivers were).

I performed another PCLOS install from the 2010 minime .iso and uninstalled dkms-vboxadditions, x11-driver-input-vboxmouse, and x11-driver-video-vboxvideo.

I then rebooted the PCLOS virtual machine.  As I expected I was greeted by a text login console (since the x-drivers had been removed).  I then mounted Sun's VBoxGuestAdditions (mount /dev/cdrom /media) and installed the guest additions (./VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run).

I rebooted and have had no problems since.

[menotu]

Great news"  Now you can play to your hearts content.

[renjo]

OK...I've finally gotten it to work.

When I installed PCLOS2010 as a guest the following packages were installed by default: x11-driver-input-vboxmouse, x11-driver-input-vmmouse, x11-driver-video-vboxvideo, and dkms-vboxadditions.

I was installing Sun's VBoxGuestAdditions over these packages.

There must be an incompatibility between Sun's VBoxAdditions and PCLOS' x11 drivers or dkms-vboxadditions. (I checked my 2009.2 install and noticed that "dkms-vboxadd" was not installed by default, though the vbox "x11" drivers were).

I performed another PCLOS install from the 2010 minime .iso and uninstalled dkms-vboxadditions, x11-driver-input-vboxmouse, and x11-driver-video-vboxvideo.

I then rebooted the PCLOS virtual machine.  As I expected I was greeted by a text login console (since the x-drivers had been removed).  I then mounted Sun's VBoxGuestAdditions (mount /dev/cdrom /media) and installed the guest additions (./VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run).

I rebooted and have had no problems since.

Thanks for this info solved my problem with Seamless Mode being inactive. I realised problem with dkms as well but didn't reboot after initial uninstall.

Guess the reboot makes a difference.

Again thanks.

[creicks]

My pleasure.  Glad to be of help.

I've lurked this forum for several years but have not posted much at all.

I'm just glad I could finally get a good install of 2010....in this case anyway.

[cianoz]

OK...I've finally gotten it to work.

When I installed PCLOS2010 as a guest the following packages were installed by default: x11-driver-input-vboxmouse, x11-driver-input-vmmouse, x11-driver-video-vboxvideo, and dkms-vboxadditions.

I was installing Sun's VBoxGuestAdditions over these packages.

There must be an incompatibility between Sun's VBoxAdditions and PCLOS' x11 drivers or dkms-vboxadditions. (I checked my 2009.2 install and noticed that "dkms-vboxadd" was not installed by default, though the vbox "x11" drivers were).

I performed another PCLOS install from the 2010 minime .iso and uninstalled dkms-vboxadditions, x11-driver-input-vboxmouse, and x11-driver-video-vboxvideo.

I then rebooted the PCLOS virtual machine.  As I expected I was greeted by a text login console (since the x-drivers had been removed).  I then mounted Sun's VBoxGuestAdditions (mount /dev/cdrom /media) and installed the guest additions (./VBoxLinuxAdditions-x86.run).

I rebooted and have had no problems since.

I've just found this topic and must really thank you for your help.
I installed PCLOS under Virtualbox as guest a few days ago and got trapped into blacks or white screens, with no graphics and without any working solution. Your well detailed steps worked perfectly.
Ciano