Problems running Windows 3.1 in VirtualBox

[ppgrainbow]

Okay, I have a problem running Windows 3.1 in the latest version of VirtualBox (v4.3.10).

When I run Windows 3.1 using the patched generic SVGA drivers, VirtualBox crashes and throws this error message:

Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager has stopped working

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: VirtualBox.exe
Application Version: 4.3.10.0
Application Timestamp: 53319206
Fault Module Name: ntdll.dll
Fault Module Version: 6.0.6002.18881
Fault Module Timestamp: 51da3d16
Exception Code: c0000026
Exception Offset: 00000000000b6fc8
OS Version: 6.0.6002.2.2.0.256.1
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: 1d76
Additional Information 2: b0fdafe74257b82a50c9d62edee9a01f
Additional Information 3: f1f1
Additional Information 4: 159e8eec7c688eeb4a4b309f2e87cc53

To make matters worse, my Windows Vista host PC even froze for several minutes before I got a chance to use Ctrl-Alt-Delete to stop a non-responsive VM.

The current settings that I have configured are the following: MS-DOS 5, 8 MB memory, 1 MB VRAM, 1 GB SCSI hard disk and CD-ROM, Windows DirectSound, SoundBlaster 16 and a AMD PCnet-PCI II NAT adapter.

Windows 3.1 with the Generic SVGA drivers works well in Standard Mode, but doesn't work correctly in 386 Enhanced Mode and crashes.

I recall that I used to sign-up for the VirtualBox forums years ago, but Oracle acquired VirtualBox from Sun and introduced a single login and now...I can't use my acocunt in the VBox forums anymore. Hopefully, someone will file a bug report to see what could be wrong here.

I'm wondering if this is a bug with the Generic SVGA drivers not cooperating in the latest version of VirtualBox or not and that there is a workaround to it. Should I post the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT settings and determine what could be wrong with it?

If not, then I will end up removing Windows 3.1 from the hard disk image until this issue gets fixed.

Edited April 8, 2014 by ppgrainbow

[jaclaz]

If not, then I will end up removing Windows 3.1 from the hard disk image until this issue gets fixed.

... or use the last Virtualbox version that works fine...

jaclaz

[ZortMcGort11]

Forgive my ignorance about virtual machines, but why configure anything for DOS 5.0 (?), when DOS 6.22 would clearly be better/optimal for Windows 3.1?

http://www.pcxt-micro.com/historychart.html

Does it work fine without the patched generic SVGA drivers? Just curious...

Edited April 8, 2014 by LostInSpace2012

[ppgrainbow]

Thanks for the help. I rebooted my PC and I don't know if the problem went away.

Windows 3.1 does work fine without the generic SVGA drivers under VirtualBox. I don't know if anyone has filed a bug report on this issue at this time. :\