OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical > Applications

VirtualBox and Failure to Create VirtualBoxClient COM Object

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Mark Szkolnicki:
Good day all!

As mentioned in a previous post on another subject, I finally had some down time to address a number of hardware and software issues related to my systems, after 21 months of responding to both Covid and Forest Fire related emergency issues.

One of the items has me stumped at the moment, so I thought I'd go out to the community to see if any bright ideas present themselves that I missed. (as always the simplest problems may be totally overlooked without a second set of eyes)

I use Virtualbox v5.0.51 regularly with a number of versions of Windows installed to do a number of tasks that I can't do under ArcaOS.

My main system has had both Virtual PC 5.1 and has run Virtualbox v5.0.6 and then v5.0.51 successfully for years, and still continues to do so.

Building a new system (but with a comparable era motherboard) from the ground up about a year ago, I attempted to install VirtualBox v5.0.51 on that system in exactly the same configuration as worked successfully on my other system, only to run into the following error window on starting up VirtualBox.exe

______________

Failed to Create the VirtualBoxClient COM Object

The Application will now terminate

Callee RC: NS_ERROR_ABORT
(0x80004004}

____________

Actual window capture attached

As part of the new installation I have already:

Added the required YUM packages using ANPM
(The installation is ArcaOS v5.0.6)

yum install libc libgcc1 libcx libstdc++6 libstdc++
yum install libsupc++6 libsupc++ libgcc-fwd
yum install gettext libxml2 libxslt openssl libcurl zlib
yum install libidl libvncserver libaio SDL glib2
yum install libqt4 pthread libvpx libpng libjpeg
yum install urpo yum install expat curl mmap

Added the following to CONFIG.SYS
(in the appropriate locations based on the working Config.sys in the other system)

- A dot (.) in the LIBPATH statement in CONFIG.SYS, at the beginning.
- DEVICE=D:\Programs\VirtualBox\Bin\VBoxDrv.sys
- SET LIBCX_HIMEM=2
- VIRTUALADDRESSLIMIT=1536

I believe that was all that was needed previously, after disccusions at the time in this forum - I have updated all the packages on the working system regularly, so I don't think it is a problem with incompatible DLL's

Similar problems have been reported with this error message on Windows based systems, which usually involved clearing Windows registries (not applicable on ArcaOS systems) or reinstalling the VirtualBox installation, which I have already tried.

I thought it was time to see if anyone has run into this specific problem installing v5.0.51 specifically on ArcaOS in the past, as comparing my working system VBox installation and the one I installed on the new system, I'm not finding any differences.

Being a troubleshooter by nature and profession, I like solving problems - but currently I'm stumped, Guys and Gals. Any bright ideas to contribute accepted gratefully and Best as always!

Mark

Valery Sedletski:
This error usually means that something went wrong when loading VBOX binary: some lib is missing, or too little low shared memory, or etc.
Also, there is a ticket about it in the bug tracker: https://trac.netlabs.org/vbox/ticket/73.

In your case, probably, you miss uclip and gsoap libs, and maybe, something else.
Also, you have VAL=1536, which may be too low. Thry increasing up to 3072 or whatever.

Please look here https://trac.netlabs.org/vbox/ for the exact list of dependency libs.

Doug Bissett:

--- Quote ---- SET LIBCX_HIMEM=2
--- End quote ---

I found that that is only needed by VBox. It can cause problems elsewhere. I also gave up on VBox 5.0.51, and went back to VBox 5.0.6. For me, it is much more stable (meaning usable). I still need that setting, or I get the COM message. I do not put it in CONFIG.SYS. I do put it in the DragText Environment tab (without "SET "), in the VBox icon. That way, it is only used with VBox.


--- Quote ---Also, you have VAL=1536, which may be too low. Thry increasing up to 3072 or whatever.
--- End quote ---

Yes, 1536 is way too low (even 2048 is too low). I use 2560, for all of my systems (even my antique IBM ThinkPad A22e, which is maxed out at 256 MB of real memory, but I don't try to run VBox on it). I have two machines that will run with 3072, but I still use 2560. The rest of my systems become very unstable if I use more than 2560. I also monitor the free upper, and lower, shared memory space. If I run win XP in VBox, lower shared memory drops to the 100 KB range, and upper shared memory still has about 1,200 KB. If I run win 7 in VBox, lower shared memory drops to the 50 KB range, and upper shared memory still has about 800 KB available. If anything else tries to run, lower shared memory can (and does) drop to zero. If that happens NOTHING works any more. I had to eliminate the AOO Quick Start thing, and Firefox Turbo, to clear enough shared memory space to be able to run win 7 in VBox. Even then, I sometimes need to reboot, before running VBox, or lower shared memory can be fragmented enough that something can't get what it needs, and bad things happen.

VBox, under OS/2 , is a delicate balancing act, and almost anything can push it over the edge.

Valery Sedletski:
> SET LIBCX_HIMEM=2

> I found that that is only needed by VBox. It can cause problems elsewhere.

2Doug: It is required with libcx. Otherwise, VBox libs will work with errors when loaded into high memory. So, it is required by some
of the libs used by VBox. These libs can be used in other programs, though. I'd recommend not setting libcx_highmem=2 in config.sys,
otherwise set it manually in CMD window, before running VBox. Or set it in the .cmd wrapper script for funning VBox. So, the setting
will be not global and is not used by other programs than VBox.

Regarding the VAL. VAL should not depend on present amount of available RAM. It is a virtual memory layout setting, and it should not
depend on physical memory. You may need to decrease THREADS and PROCESSES from the default to a sane value.

E.g., I have PROCESSES=156 and THREADS=511. The default is too large and it consumes much memory for required control
blocks. Also, I have EARLYMEMINIT=TRUE enabled. (without that, it can be to little memory below 16 MB for such drivers as uniaud,
fat32.ifs and genmac and I had problems when loading them).

You can also try loading some VBox libs to high shared memory. For that, there is highmem.cmd script supplied with VBox. It uses
highmem.exe utility from AOO, which marks binaries for loading into high memory. So, if using it, you can spend less lower memory.
Yes, programs like OpenOffice, VBox, Mozilla or some others, use much shared memory. So, with a 32-bit OS/2 they cause many
problems. These problems can be lesser if mark some libs for loading to high memory. This can do something about that.

Mark Szkolnicki:

--- Quote from: Doug Bissett on November 04, 2021, 06:11:08 am ---
--- Quote ---- SET LIBCX_HIMEM=2
--- End quote ---

I found that that is only needed by VBox. It can cause problems elsewhere. I also gave up on VBox 5.0.51, and went back to VBox 5.0.6. For me, it is much more stable (meaning usable). I still need that setting, or I get the COM message. I do not put it in CONFIG.SYS. I do put it in the DragText Environment tab (without "SET "), in the VBox icon. That way, it is only used with VBox.


--- Quote ---Also, you have VAL=1536, which may be too low. Thry increasing up to 3072 or whatever.
--- End quote ---

Yes, 1536 is way too low (even 2048 is too low). I use 2560, for all of my systems (even my antique IBM ThinkPad A22e, which is maxed out at 256 MB of real memory, but I don't try to run VBox on it). I have two machines that will run with 3072, but I still use 2560. The rest of my systems become very unstable if I use more than 2560. I also monitor the free upper, and lower, shared memory space. If I run win XP in VBox, lower shared memory drops to the 100 KB range, and upper shared memory still has about 1,200 KB. If I run win 7 in VBox, lower shared memory drops to the 50 KB range, and upper shared memory still has about 800 KB available. If anything else tries to run, lower shared memory can (and does) drop to zero. If that happens NOTHING works any more. I had to eliminate the AOO Quick Start thing, and Firefox Turbo, to clear enough shared memory space to be able to run win 7 in VBox. Even then, I sometimes need to reboot, before running VBox, or lower shared memory can be fragmented enough that something can't get what it needs, and bad things happen.

VBox, under OS/2 , is a delicate balancing act, and almost anything can push it over the edge.

--- End quote ---

Good Morning Doug

Long time no talk.

In regards to VBox 5.0.51 the problem I'm trying to solve is not getting this version of VBox to run. I've done that and continue to do that successfully on one of my other towers since I installed it over two years ago, using the settings in my original post.

Either I've been lucky, or its related to the types of things I've been doing, which is mostly professional work related to my emergency corporation, and graphics design, as I happen to like the Windows tools I've been using, and I don't need the latest and greatest to get things done successfully. Transfer of my activities from first Virtual PC 5.1 to VBox 5.0.6 then to 5.0.51 was seamless here

Granted if you wanted to run Windows 7 with those settings it is a pig, but running most of what I need on Windows XP as a client under OS/2 VBox works well, so if it ain't broke I'm not fixing it.

What is puzzling is why I'm not able to start VBox on the tower I build about a year ago - obviously I'm missing something, so plan to try a couple of things Valery suggested. I,m also comparing what Valery suggested to whats on the working VBox installation, to see if differences exist.

Best and a fine day to you, Sir!

Mark

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