OS2 World Community Forum

OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical => Applications => Topic started by: Martin Iturbide on February 07, 2020, 05:00:26 pm

Title: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Martin Iturbide on February 07, 2020, 05:00:26 pm
Hi Valerius

I'm experiencing an issue with your Vbox vbxgradd.dll video GRADD.

When the pointer change it icon on some parts of the desktop, the image get "partially freeze" and I need to do a fresh, like "maximize the window" to restore the normal looks. I hope the attachments explains my issue in a better way.

If I change the driver to Panorama I don't get this issue anymore.

Regards
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Valery Sedletski on February 07, 2020, 05:07:22 pm
2Martin: Unfortunately, I have no access to VBXGRADD sources -- binary only form. (As well as to VBoxMouse sources).
So, please, ask Knut/Oracle. I'm not sure about Panorama in VBox, but I experienced the same glitch with Panorama in
VirtualPC, so it seems to be a common GRADD drivers issue.

PS: Note that VBXGRADD is a renamed GENGRADD from Knut/Oracle version. It is just the same. It's renamed to avoid
collision with ordinary version of gengradd.dll.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Martin Iturbide on February 07, 2020, 06:00:28 pm
Hi

Just in case I changed to the Oracle's provides GENGRADD, and I no longer have the issue.

This is is the one that came with VirtualBox 6.1.2
gengradd.dll -  1-13-2020 -   65,728  bytes.  (no bldlevel)

I changed the config.sys to:
SET C1=GRADD

Can you give it a try?

Regards

Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Valery Sedletski on February 07, 2020, 06:51:51 pm
2Martin: yes, set c1=gengradd (not gradd).
I can try updating it, of course.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Martin Iturbide on February 07, 2020, 10:12:41 pm
Thanks

I tried again with "set c1=gengradd".
No video section freezing issues, it seems to work fine.

Regards
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: mauro on February 08, 2020, 09:25:03 am
Hi

Just in case I changed to the Oracle's provides GENGRADD, and I no longer have the issue.

This is is the one that came with VirtualBox 6.1.2
gengradd.dll -  1-13-2020 -   65,728  bytes.  (no bldlevel)

I changed the config.sys to:
SET C1=GRADD


Regards

Hi Martin, do you mean that upgrading to virtualbox 6.1.2 is just enough to get new gengradd.dll version working, or should be then copied/replaced in someway before changing that config.sys line?
Sorry if this is a very basic question, but nothing seems to be simple for me, even if after your suggestions I can mostly apply any solution I need  :D
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Valery Sedletski on February 08, 2020, 01:27:12 pm
2mauro: He meant that gengradd.dll from latest VBox 6.1.2 additiuons fixed the issue. My version has it.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: mauro on February 08, 2020, 01:53:19 pm
2mauro: He meant that gengradd.dll from latest VBox 6.1.2 additiuons fixed the issue. My version has it.

ok, thank you
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Martin Iturbide on February 08, 2020, 05:22:27 pm
Hi Martin, do you mean that upgrading to virtualbox 6.1.2 is just enough to get new gengradd.dll version working, or should be then copied/replaced in someway before changing that config.sys line?
Sorry if this is a very basic question, but nothing seems to be simple for me, even if after your suggestions I can mostly apply any solution I need  :D

Hi, just to put it clear.

If you are using a Windows host, VirtualBox 6.1.2 comes with it's own "addons" image that you can mount on the VM as a CD-ROM. Use the gengradd.dll of it instead of vbxgradd.dll. And make the change of the config sys back to gengradd.

Valerius: Maybe the mouse driver can also be updated in your package since you are using oracle's one.

Regards
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Sean Casey on February 08, 2020, 06:07:13 pm
I missed the shared clipboard feature I had been using with VMware, so seeing this post, I installed VBox Additions.   Following Oracle's instructions, shared clipboard wasn't working.   It turned out I also had to enable the shared folders feature to enable the shared clipboard.

The instructions included commenting out DEVICE=C:\OS2\BOOT\MOUSE.SYS in config.sys; however, my ArcaOS installation was using DEVICE=C:\sys\apps\AMOUSE\AMOUSE.SYS which I commented out.

Arca Noae has instructions for installing Guest Additions, but they don't mention updating config.sys for the vboxsf.ifs driver.   I have added this to my config.sys. 

Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: David Graser on February 08, 2020, 06:24:40 pm
Sean

What do you mean by commenting?  Are you talking about remming out the statement?
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: mauro on February 08, 2020, 07:06:18 pm
Hi Martin, do you mean that upgrading to virtualbox 6.1.2 is just enough to get new gengradd.dll version working, or should be then copied/replaced in someway before changing that config.sys line?
Sorry if this is a very basic question, but nothing seems to be simple for me, even if after your suggestions I can mostly apply any solution I need  :D

Hi, just to put it clear.

If you are using a Windows host, VirtualBox 6.1.2 comes with it's own "addons" image that you can mount on the VM as a CD-ROM. Use the gengradd.dll of it instead of vbxgradd.dll. And make the change of the config sys back to gengradd.

Valerius: Maybe the mouse driver can also be updated in your package since you are using oracle's one.

Regards

Thanks Martin, I was just renaming Valery's vboxgradd.dll in gengradd.dll and replacing that in the the DLL folder after having changed the config.sys line from set "c1=vboxgradd"  to "set c1=gengradd" , but then it does not make sense, since I'm replacing a file with itself.
And of course in my case, what happens after this make even less sense: the OS2 guest machine starts in VGA-8bit screen!

 :o
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Dave Yeo on February 08, 2020, 07:20:24 pm
You can't simply rename DLLs and have them work as internally they have the same module name as the DLL name, eg gengradd.dll will have a module name of gengradd. It is possible to binary edit the DLL to change the name but there is still likely the problem of the imports/exports not being the same.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Valery Sedletski on February 08, 2020, 07:27:46 pm
2Dave Yeo: Yes, you're right. You need e.g., a renmodul utility to change the internal module name to VBXGRADD, as I did.

https://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/util/system/renmodul2_0_0.zip

renmodul /r GENGRADD VBXGRADD

Then it should work. This utility can also edit the imported modules table, changing these module names.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Sean Casey on February 08, 2020, 07:29:16 pm
Sean

What do you mean by commenting?  Are you talking about remming out the statement?

Yes, remming.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Valery Sedletski on February 08, 2020, 07:34:46 pm
2Sean Casey: You need to have VBoxService.exe running to have shared clipboard working. Shared folders have nothing to do with
shared clipboard. Shared folders are implemented as a VBoxFS.ifs IFS driver. Though, for automounting of shared folders, you need
an automount service in VBoxService.exe. Shared clipboard uses "shared clipboard" service, which is implemented in VBoxService.exe
too. So, both require a running VBoxService.exe instance.

AMOUSE.SYS is a different version of MOUSE.SYS, so in your case, you need to comment amouse.sys out.

PS: Read this topic for details:

https://www.os2world.com/forum/index.php?topic=1905.msg24939#msg24939

I mentioned an amouse case here.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Valery Sedletski on February 08, 2020, 07:39:08 pm
2mauro:

> And of course in my case, what happens after this make even less sense: the OS2 guest machine starts in VGA-8bit screen!

Yes, as Dave said above, you need to rename the internal module name with e.g., renmodul utility. If you rename a file name
only, this will be insufficient, and OS/2 will fail to find VBXGRADD module, and fall back to VGAGRADD driver!

2Martin: Yes, probably, I need to update VBoxMouse.sys and VBXGRADD.DLL to newer versions -- didn't checked them
last times.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: mauro on February 08, 2020, 09:14:59 pm
2mauro:

> And of course in my case, what happens after this make even less sense: the OS2 guest machine starts in VGA-8bit screen!

Yes, as Dave said above, you need to rename the internal module name with e.g., renmodul utility. If you rename a file name
only, this will be insufficient, and OS/2 will fail to find VBXGRADD module, and fall back to VGAGRADD driver!

2Martin: Yes, probably, I need to update VBoxMouse.sys and VBXGRADD.DLL to newer versions -- didn't checked them
last times.

ok, got it, thanks
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: mauro on February 08, 2020, 11:46:35 pm
2Dave Yeo: Yes, you're right. You need e.g., a renmodul utility to change the internal module name to VBXGRADD, as I did.

https://hobbes.nmsu.edu/download/pub/os2/util/system/renmodul2_0_0.zip

renmodul /r GENGRADD VBXGRADD

Then it should work. This utility can also edit the imported modules table, changing these module names.

about renmodul usage
having placed the new gengradd.dll from GA 6.1.2 in the same renmodul files folder, I open an OS2 command window from there and:

[C:\DESKTOP\RENMODUL2_0_0]renmodul /r GENGRADD VBXGRADD
RENMODUL v2.0.0
Usage: [/r | /i ] <filename> [<old module name> <new module name]>
 With filename only: display module name and imported module names
 /r rename this module
 /i change imported module name

so nothing has happened
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Pete on February 09, 2020, 12:38:21 am
Hi mauro

I nave not used renmodul myself but the usage line indicates a filename required so try

   renmodul /r gengradd.dll GENGRADD VBXGRADD


Regards

Pete
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Valery Sedletski on February 09, 2020, 02:09:12 am
2mauro: yes, Pete suggests correct thing: we omitted the module name here.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: mauro on February 09, 2020, 10:42:54 am
ok thanks, on the command line output says the work is done, but then I cannot find the renamed VBXGRADD.DLL.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: OS4User on February 09, 2020, 11:53:17 am
ok thanks, on the command line output says the work is done, but then I cannot find the renamed VBXGRADD.DLL.

Module name and file name is not the same. Now you have gengradd.dll file which contains VBXGRADD but not GENGRADD module.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: mauro on February 09, 2020, 01:10:32 pm
ok thanks, on the command line output says the work is done, but then I cannot find the renamed VBXGRADD.DLL.

Module name and file name is not the same. Now you have gengradd.dll file which contains VBXGRADD but not GENGRADD module.

maybe next step (try for intuition) is simply renaming there GENGRADD.DLL in VBXGRADD.DLL ?
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: Valery Sedletski on February 09, 2020, 01:56:12 pm
2mauro: renmodul renames internal module name. As I said, it is internal, you can see it in a hex viewer inside the file (Look for "DOSCALLS"
string in a hex viewer. Before it, you will see "VBOXGRADD" name). After that, you need to rename the file from "GERGRADD.DLL" to
"VBXGRADD.DLL". Manually, of course.
Title: Re: Unofficial VBox Additions - vbxgradd.dll
Post by: mauro on February 09, 2020, 02:28:04 pm
ok, I made it.

Installed VirtualBox 6.1.2 Windows hosted, then after your indications here have transformed the last Oracle GA GENGRADD.DLL module into VBXGRADD.DLL and replaced it in C:\OS2\DLL , while everything else was left untouched in the Valery's GA 5.0.51 r218 package installation.
The result is that the issue discribed by Martin (dirty screen left by the pointer passage in some situations) disappeared, but other issues happens as mouse integration missed and loss of fps in video play with VLC.
So I decided better keeping the previous situation.
Thanks all