Archives For virtualbox 4.3

VirtualBox 4.3.28 released, How to Upgrade

Last updated: May 14, 2015

Oracle virtualbox

The 28th bug-fixes release of VirtualBox 4.3 series has been released recently with rdesktop (RPD client) and some crash issues fixed.

For Linux users, VirtualBox 4.3.28 fixed a crash on restoring the VM state on X11 hosts, crash on Linux guest shutdown, host crashes on Linux 3.19 and newer (activated SMAP), and solved the compile issue on Kernel 4.1.

For Microsoft’s proprietary Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), the new release also fixed IPv6 support for RDP on Linux host, fixed incompatibility with rdesktop 1.8.3, and rdesktop-vrdp switched to version 1.8.3.

Other changes in VBox 4.3.28:

  • VMM: fixed a Guru Meditation when rebooting certain guests (for example Solaris doing fast reboot) by fixing the implementation for INIT IPI
  • VMM: added some information for diagnosing rare VERR_VMX_INVALID_VMXON_PTR Guru Meditations (VT-x only)
  • GUI: HID LEDs sync: prevent synchronization if VM window has no focus (Windows and Mac OS X hosts only)
  • GUI: fixed drag and drop moving the cursor between guest screens on certain hosts
  • Storage: don’t crash if creating an asynchronous I/O context fails (e.g. when starting many VMs) and show a proper error message
  • Floppy: several fixes
  • Audio: improved the behavior of the volume control for the HD audio device emulation
  • USB: increase the number of supported drivers from 3 to 5 (Windows hosts only)
  • PS/2 keyboard: synchronize the LED state on VM restore (Windows and Mac OS X hosts only)
  • NAT Network: when running multiple NAT networks with multiple VMs, only stop the respective services when stopping VMs
  • NAT: don’t kill UDP bindings on ICMP errors
  • NAT: bandwidth limit now works properly with NAT
  • BIOS: fixed the returned size value of the VBE 2.0 PMI function 0Ah
  • Guest Control: fixed parameter quoting in Windows guests
  • Webcam passthrough improvements for Linux (V4L2) hosts to support more webcam models
  • API: don’t fail starting a VM with VBOX_E_INVALID_OBJECT_STATE under certain conditions
  • API: be more verbose on VBOX_E_INVALID_OBJECT_STATE if a medium is attached to a running VM
  • API: fixed a bug which could result in losing certain screen resize events with multi-monitor guests
  • Windows hosts: more hardening fixes
  • Solaris hosts: fixed using of VNIC templates with Crossbow based bridged networking to be compatible with vanity interface names
  • Mac OS X hosts: fixed crash during VM termination under rare circumstances
  • Windows Additions/WDDM: improved video memory utilization and allow more/bigger guest screens with large resolutions (including HiDPI)
  • X11 Additions: prevent flickering when updating mouse cursor
  • Solaris Additions: fixed incorrect usage of ‘prtconf’ while installing Guest Additions (Solaris 10 only)

How to Upgrade Virtualbox 4.3.28:

Depends on your OS edition and type, 32-bit (i386) or 64-bit (amd64), the official Linux installers are available for download at the link below:

Download VirtualBox for Linux

If you want to add VBox official Linux repository and receive future updates, do below steps:

1. Open terminal from the Dash or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T. When it opens, run command to add VBox repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

2. Run command to download and install the keyring:

wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

3. Finally upgrade VBox 4.3 via Software Updater , or install it for the first time via below 2 commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-4.3

Oracle virtualbox

Oracle announced the 4.3.24 release of VirtualBox this Monday which improves stability and fixes regressions.

For Linux users, VirtualBox 4.3.24 fixes the Kernel 4.0 building issue for guest additions and virtual screens deactivation problem. Below is the full change log:

  • VMM: emulation fix for the ENTER instruction under certain conditions; fixes Solaris 10 guests (VT-x without unrestricted guest execution)
  • VMM: fix for handling NMIs on Linux hosts with X2APIC enabled
  • NAT/NAT Network: fix connection drops when the host’s DHCP lease was renewed (4.3.22 regression; Windows hosts only)
  • NAT: don’t crash on an empty domain list when switching the DNS host configuration (4.3.22 regression; Mac OS X hosts only)
  • PXE: re-enable it on Windows hosts (4.3.22 regression; Windows hosts only)
  • Shared Folders: fixed a problem with Windows guests (4.3.22 regression)
  • Audio: improved record quality when using the DirectSound audio backend
  • VBoxManage: when executing the controlvm command take care that the corresponding VM runtime changes are saved permanently
  • Windows Installer: properly install the 32-bit version of VBoxRes.dll on 32-bit hosts
  • Linux hosts / guests: Linux 4.0 fixes
  • OS/2 Additions: fixed mouse integration (4.3.22 regression)
  • X11 Additions: fixed a sporadic failure to deactivate virtual screens

Install / Upgrade VirtualBox in Ubuntu:

Either install the VirtualBox package available at:

VBox Linux Download Page

Or add VBox repository via below command and then upgrade it through Software Updater:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

Oracle virtualbox

Oracle has released a new maintenance release for VirtualBox 4.3 series. For Linux Guests, X.Org server 1.17 now is supported, guest additions do not build with 3.19 kernel issue is fixed.

Full changes in VirtualBox 4.3.22:

  • VMM: refined measurement of TSC frequency on the host, improves timekeeping for guests
  • VMM: decreased CPU load resulting from guest MMIO writes to the virtual APIC
  • VMM: fixed interception of debug exceptions, observed while using the dbx debugger on Solaris guests (VT-x only)
  • GUI: 3D overlay window positioning code improved, fixed potential misplacement of 3D accelerated guest graphics content
  • GUI: fixed accident SSL authentication failures during update check on Windows hosts
  • GUI: never send the “ACPI power” keyboard scancode to the guest, we have the ACPI power button for that
  • GUI: was unable to properly restore seamless mode VM from snapshot/saved-state under some circumstances
  • VBoxHeadless: don’t crash if 3D is enabled in the VM settings
  • ATA: fixed several passthrough issues
  • Audio: fixed DirectSound failure when the the host has no audio input device
  • SB16: fixed compatibility issue
  • Storage: fixed broken CD/DVD passthrough when using the IDE controller
  • NAT: new ping proxy for Windows hosts
  • NAT: Properly report outbound connect(2) failures to guest with TCP RST or ICMP
  • NAT Network: no need for frequent wakeups in VBoxNetDHCP and VBoxNetNAT
  • Host-only adapter: prevent Windows from creating an “Unidentified network”
  • Bridged Networking: don’t leak host-to-guest traffic to the wireless network when bridging to a wireless interface
  • Main: fixed a possible race when changing the medium leading to a deadlock under rare conditions
  • VBoxManage: fixed return code if starting a VM failed
  • API: fixed 2 deadlock opportunities related to medium handling
  • API: fixed bug in XPCOM which created too few worker threads, sporadically resulting in a deadlock
  • SDK: fixed a garbage collection leak in the Python VirtualBox webservice API binding
  • Linux hosts: fixes for activated SMAP (Broadwell and later)
  • X11 guests: prevent unwanted hiding of guest screens on multi-monitor guests
  • X11 guests: added support for X.Org Server 1.17
  • X11 Additions: fixed a memory leak in VBoxService if libdbus is available but dbus-daemon isn’t running
  • Windows Additions: prevent VBox WDDM driver from loading if host reports weak OpenGL capabilities. 3D content now can be shown over Remote Desktop connection.
  • Winodws Additions: some fixes for recent Windows 10 Previews
  • Linux Additions: fixed a compatibility issue with 64-bit Linux 2.4 kernels
  • Linux Additions: fixed a potential use-after-free when unloading the VBoxGuest module
  • Linux Additions: Linux 3.19 fixes

Download / Install VirtualBox in Ubuntu:

For Linux, you can either download the .deb installer (click install .deb package via Software Center) from:

VBox For Linux Download Page

or install VBox and receive future updates from its official repository:

1. Open terminal from the Dash or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T. When it opens, run command to add VBox repository:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

2. Run command to download and install the keyring:

wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

3. Finally upgrade VBox 4.3 via Software Updater, or install it for the first time via below 2 commands:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-4.3

Virtualbox repository

Oracle finally made the Virtualbox binary packages for Ubuntu 14.10 Utopic available in its official Linux repository. Which means running regular system updates via Software Updater will keep your Virtualbox release always up-to-date.

While Ubuntu 14.10 repositories provide the Virtualbox 4.3.18, the latest has reached the version 4.3.20. For the changelog, see the web page.

Virtualbox 4.3 in Ubuntu 14.10

How to Add Virtualbox Repository in Ubuntu:

Open terminal from the Unity Dash or just press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard. When it opens, paste the command below into terminal and run to get the key:

wget -q -O - http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian/oracle_vbox.asc | sudo apt-key add -

Type in your user password when it asks. Then run command to add the vbox repository for Ubuntu 14.10:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian utopic non-free contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.org.list'

Now install Vbox 4.3 via your package manager after checking for updates. Or just run commands below one by one:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-4.3

Finally keep your system up-to-date by running regular system updates, which also keep your Virutalbox 4.3 series up-to-date.

Virtualbox repository

Oracle recently announced the VirtualBox 4.3.20, a maintenance release of VirtualBox 4.3 which improves stability and fixes regressions.

For Linux, the new release fixed the Linux Kernel 3.18 compile issue and some full screen mode issues on X11 hosts. For the detailed changes, please see the official changelog page.

Virtualbox 4.3 in Ubuntu 14.10

How to Install / Upgrade to VBox 4.3.20:

Method 1: Grab the .deb installer.

Depends on your OS type, 32-bit (i386) or 64-bit (amd64), download the .deb installer from the official link below:

Virtualbox For Linux Download Page

For Ubuntu 14.10, select download the package for Ubuntu 14.04. Once downloaded, select open the package via Ubuntu Software Center and click the install button.

Method 2: Add Virtualbox repository and receive future updates:

Oracle provides an official Virtualbox repository for Ubuntu Linux, so far Ubuntu 10.04, Ubuntu 12.04, Ubuntu 12.10, Ubuntu 13.04, Ubuntu 13.10, and Ubuntu 14.04 are supported.

To add the Virtualbox repository, press Ctrl+Alt+T on keyboard to open terminal, and then run the command below:

sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian $(lsb_release -cs) contrib" >> /etc/apt/sources.list.d/virtualbox.list'

For Linux Mint, replace $(lsb_release -cs) in the code with the code name of the based Ubuntu release, such as trusty, precise, raring, etc.

Then download & import the keyring:

wget -q https://www.virtualbox.org/download/oracle_vbox.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -

Finally, you can install the package virtualbox-4.3 via your package manager, or by running the commands below:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-4.3

For future 4.3.x releases, just run regular system updates via Software Updater will bring you to the latest.