Topics on this page are sorted roughly in order of issue prevalence. More common issues are on top.

General VirtualBox Troubleshooting Steps[edit]

In many situations, the following steps will fix VirtualBox issues.

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine[edit]

If you see the following error message:

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine Whonix-Gateway-XFCE

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine Whonix-Workstation-XFCE

Click details. If Result Code: NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005) is shown, then this chapter applies.

This occurs with all Whonix ™ VirtualBox versions up to version 15.0.1.7.2 when using VirtualBox version 6.1.20. VirtualBox version 6.1.20 solution:

• VirtualBox → Settings → Storage → Type: AHCI → OK ^[6]
• Other settings remain unchanged.

This setting is the default in Whonix ™ version 15.0.1.7.3 and above (Point Release).

Note this setting might cause High Disk Usage Causing Filesystem Corruption on some (slower) hardware configurations due to a VirtualBox host software bug, High I/O causing filesystem corruption ^[archive]. This is speculation and unavoidable because there is no other solution at present. The High Disk Usage Causing Filesystem Corruption chapter has approaches which might fix this issue if it manifests.

To avoid issues like Failed to open a session for the virtual machine in the future, use the the recommended version of the VirtualBox host software and Stay Tuned.

Forum discussion: Whonix ™ VirtualBox - failed to start - NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005) - The VM session was aborted. ^[archive]

VirtualBox upstream bug report: VM Machine wont to start after upgrade to 6.1.20 ^[archive]

VT-x[edit]

VERR_SSM_FIELD_NOT_CONSECUTIVE[edit]

If the "Failed to load unit 'PATM' (VERR_SSM_FIELD_NOT_CONSECUTIVE)." error appears, VT-x must be enabled in BIOS settings, see instructions.

VT-x is disabled in BIOS[edit]

VERR_VMX_MSR_VMXON_DISABLED
VERR_NEM_NOT_AVAILABLE

If the following error message appears.

Failed to open a session for the virtual machine Whonix-Gateway-XFCE.

VT-x is disabled in the BIOS.
(VERR_VMX_MSR_VMXON_DISABLED).

Or.

AMD-V is disabled in the BIOS (or by the host OS).
(VERR_SVM_DISABLED).

Then enable VT-x in BIOS settings.

Enable VT-x in BIOS[edit]

Go to your BIOS settings. For basic instructions, see: How to Change Computer BIOS Settings ^[archive].

Then enable VT-x. This is sometimes also called AMD-V, virtualization, SVM mode or MIT perhaps under Advanced Core settings.

Updating/Upgrading while VMs are Running[edit]

Error In supR3HardenedWinReSpawn[edit]

Do not update whilst the VMs are running, otherwise VirtualBox must be reinstalled.

VMMR0InitVM: Revision mismatch[edit]

debian kernel: VMMR0InitVM: Revision mismatch, r3=132055 r0=130347

This happens when upgrading VirtualBox on the host while existing VMs are still running. The solution is to shut down and restart all VMs.

Disk Space[edit]

E_INVALIDARG (0x80070057)[edit]

This might relate to a low disk space issue -- research the issue further with search engines.

Non-functional Shared Clipboard and Drag and Drop[edit]

If the shared clipboard and drag’n’drop to/from host is non-functional, this can relate to the version of guest additions installed in Whonix ™ and/or the version of VirtualBox running on the host. ^[7]

1. Apply General VirtualBox Troubleshooting Steps.
2. VirtualBox → Settings → General → Advanced tab → 'Check' shared clipboard and drag and drop

It might still not work, see: VirtualBox Guest Additions Bugs Reporting.

Screen Issues[edit]

Screen Resolution Bug[edit]

VirtualBox Screen Resolution Bug

Normal presentation

If the display presents like the image on the right-hand side, then you are affected by a screen resolution bug which only occurs in VirtualBox.

To correct the resolution, first apply the General VirtualBox Troubleshooting Steps.

If the issue still persists, try one of the following workarounds to correct the resolution.

VirtualBox Virtual Screen Menu Workaround

1. Power off the VM.
2. Restart the VM.
3. Maximize the VM window after start of the VM as soon as possible.
4. VirtualBox VM Window → View → Virtual Screen 1 → Choose any, resize to another resolution
5. VirtualBox VM Window → View → Auto-resize Guest Display

Desktop Resolution Settings Workaround

If the method above did not work, another option is the following. Inside the virtual machine:

XFCE Start Menu → Settings → Display → Resolution: → Choose a higher resolution resolution → Apply

VirtualBox VMSVGA Graphics Controller Setting Workaround

If it still does not work, a final option is the following.

Inside the virtual machine ^[8]:

On the host:

1. Power off the VM.
2. VirtualBox → click a VM → Settings → Display → Graphics Controller → VMSVGA → OK (This is already the case in newer Whonix ™ versions.)
3. VirtualBox → click a VM → Settings → Display → Graphics Controller → increase slider for Video Memory to 128 → OK (This is already the case in newer Whonix ™ versions.)
4. Restart the VM.
5. Maximize the VM window after start of the VM as soon as possible.
6. If necessary, try again one of above workarounds.

VirtualBox Guest Additions Bugs Reporting

Occasionally screen resolution problems might still persist, see: VirtualBox Guest Additions Bugs Reporting.

Black Screen[edit]

If a black screen appears, try the following possible solutions.

1. Install the recommended version of the VirtualBox host software.
2. Apply the General VirtualBox Troubleshooting Steps.
3. Reboot.
4. If the issue persists, try the following workarounds.

If this solution or any of the workarounds worked for you, please report this in Whonix ™ forums ^[archive].

Workaround 1: Try Other VirtualBox Virtual Graphics Controller Settings

1. Power off the VM.
2. VirtualBox → click a VM → Settings → Display → Graphics Controller → VMSVGA → OK (Or try other settings there.) ^[9]
3. VirtualBox → click a VM → Settings → Display → Graphics Controller → increase slider for Video Memory to 128 → OK (This is already the default in recent releases of Whonix ™.)
4. Restart the VM.

Workaround 2: Boot Once Without Virtual Graphics Adapter

This workaround has been reported as functional on a Windows 10 host with both Intel and nVidia GPU capabilities. It is okay to try this workaround on any host operating system.

1. Power off the VM.
2. VirtualBox → click a VM → Settings → Display → Graphics Controller → None → OK
3. Start the VM. Wait 2-3 minutes. (Since the display is disabled, you will see nothing happening)
4. Click the VirtualBox pane's [X] button. VirtualBox will offer a dialog with 3 options. If Send Shutdown signal is greyed out, cancel the dialog and try this step again every 10-20 seconds.
5. Send Shutdown signal. If it does not shut down immediately, wait a short time and try again.
6. Once the VM shuts down, restore the Graphics Controller to VMSVGA.
7. Restart the VM.

If this workaround succeeds, the screen will again be black for 2-3 minutes, but then chkdsk will run and the VM should start normally.

Workaround 3: nomodeset Kernel Parameter

Try to boot with the nomodeset kernel parameter. If that works, please post a forum report and then make the change permanent. ^[10]

Workaround 4: Virtual Console

If it is possible to switch to a virtual console, this can help with debugging.

Slow Video Playback[edit]

Possible solutions:

1. Untested: Try downloading a video using youtube-dl and then play the video in VLC.
2. Tested: Consider Tuning, specifically enable hardware-accelerated graphics. Note that this configuration worsens security.
3. Untested: Consider disabling CPU mitigations. This configuration also worsens security.

It is unknown whether enabling VirtualBox hardware-accelerated graphics (3D Acceleration) or disabling CPU mitigations is worse for security. Contributors are asked to research this issue (Free Support Principle) and report what is found in a dedicated forum thread.

Miscellaneous[edit]

Host Crash[edit]

See the Aborted Status instructions below.

Aborted Status[edit]

If the virtual machine ever shows an aborted status, perform these steps:

1. Try to Assign Less Virtual CPUs; this may help to avoid the issue.
2. Apply General VirtualBox Troubleshooting Steps.
3. Consider reporting a bug against upstream VirtualBox ^[archive] -- VirtualBox bugtracker ^[archive] / VirtualBox forums ^[archive]. VirtualBox developers require logs to identify the problem. ^[11]

Whonix ™ provides VM images that operate inside of the VM. Whatever occurs inside a VM should never lead to a crash (status aborted) of the host virtualization software, VirtualBox.

Recommended steps:

1. To capture the VirtualBox log: VirtualBox → right click a VM → Show Log... → Log → Save → OK
2. Zip the log.
3. Report to VirtualBox support.
4. Share the VirtualBox support request link in Whonix ™ forums.

Guru Mediation[edit]

Whonix ™ provides VM images that operate inside of the VM. Whatever occurs inside a VM should never lead to a Guru Mediation of the host virtualization software, VirtualBox.

Posting a screenshot of the Guru Mediation screen is probably not required since these all look very similar. ^[12]

VirtualBox Guru Meditation

A critical error has occurred while running the virtual machine and the machine execution has been stopped.

For help, please see the Community section on https://www.virtualbox.org ^[archive] or your support contract. Please provide the contents of the log file VBox.log and the image file VBox.png, which you can find in the /home/sk/VirtualBox VMs/Ubuntu 20.04 Server/Logs directory, as well as a description of what you were doing when this error happened. Note that you can also access the above files by selecting Show Log from the Machine menu of the main VirtualBox window.

Press OK if you want to power off the machine or press Ignore if you want to leave it as is for debugging. Please note that debugging requires special knowledge and tools, so it is recommended to press OK now.

This example text does not contain any technical details which could help to fix the issue, since VirtualBox Guru Meditation can occur for many reasons.

Without log contents, developers will probably be unable to help.

1. Apply General VirtualBox Troubleshooting Steps.
2. Consider inspecting the log yourself. Use search engines to try and locate any similar or identical error messages. Usually the issue will already have been reported, and a solution might be documented in the same place. It is recommended to search the offical VirtualBox website because most VirtualBox developers and experts will utilize this resource. The following search term will limit search results to the VirtualBox website (this is a feature which most search engines support): site:virtualbox.org error message here. ^[13]
3. Consider reporting a bug against upstream VirtualBox ^[archive] -- VirtualBox bugtracker ^[archive] / VirtualBox forums ^[archive]. VirtualBox developers require logs to investigate the problem. ^[11]

Recommended steps:

1. To capture the VirtualBox log: VirtualBox → right click a VM → Show Log... → Log → Save → OK
2. Zip the log.
3. Report to VirtualBox support.
4. Share the VirtualBox support request link in Whonix ™ forums.

NS_ERROR_FAILURE[edit]

NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)

Quote VirtualBox forum moderator ^[archive]

NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005) is a general failure message when loading a VM. Subsequent lines in the error dialog will give the exact cause of the error. You do NOT have the same error just because you see the generic leader. If you don't provide a log or the supplemental error description then we can't help you.

While this is not the same error as Guru Mediation, all the same information and advice from that chapter applies. Therefore please follow chapter Guru Mediation.

Kernel driver not installed[edit]

error happening in case Linux kernel headers package (linux-headers-amd64) is missing

output of sudo vboxconfig in case Linux kernel headers package (linux-headers-amd64) is missing

Kernel driver not installed (rc=-1908)

If this occurs on Linux based host operating systems, then it is likely the Linux headers package matching the currently running Linux image package is not installed.

Quote Recommended VirtualBox Version:

Instructions for installing VirtualBox on Debian Linux can be found for example on the Whonix ™ for VirtualBox with XFCE page, which contains the following text.

* Linux : please press expand on the right side.

Once expanded, the recommended instructions will explain how to install VirtualBox.

Instructions on how to install VirtualBox on Debian include, quote:

4. Install VirtualBox and Linux kernel headers.

sudo apt install virtualbox-6.1 linux-headers-$(dpkg --print-architecture)

This issue is unspecific to Whonix ™. All VMs from any vendor and/or self-created VMs will fail to start, not just Whonix ™ VMs. This is because it is a host operating system and VirtualBox issue. If the instructions above did not fix the issue, then try accessing further support resources including the Try a non-Whonix VM chapter.

For support requests, please provide the following debug output. Is package linux-headers-amd64 installed? To check, run:

dpkg -l | grep linux-headers-amd64

Is package linux-image-amd64 installed? To check, run:

dpkg -l | grep linux-image-amd64

Assign Less Virtual CPUs[edit]

Try assigning less virtual CPUs. ^[14]

In Whonix ™ 15.0.1.3.4 and above 3 virtual CPUs is now the default setting; 4 were previously used. As a result, this workaround should no longer be required for most users.

1. Power off the VM.
2. VirtualBox → click a VM → Settings → System → Processor → Reduce to 3 → OK

INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN GRAIN TABLE AND BACKUP GRAIN TABLE[edit]

If this error appears, sometimes it helps to:

1. Try and convert the vmdk to vdi.
2. Remove the old vmdk from the VM.
3. Attach the new vdi.

High Disk Usage Causing Filesystem Corruption[edit]

This is a VirtualBox host software bug, High I/O causing filesystem corruption ^[archive].

The following settings cannot fix already existing filesystem corruption inside the virtual harddrive. However, these settings might prevent future filesystem corruption. Therefore the best time to experiment with these settings is before starting a virtual machine for the first time or at least before issues appear.

Enabling Host I/O Cache might help as it was reported by a user on the VirtualBox issue tracker ^[archive].

VirtualBox → Settings → Storage → Name: SATA → Type: AHCI → enable Use Host I/O Cache → OK

Experimenting with other virtual machine hardware settings might also help.

VirtualBox → Settings → Storage → Name: → experiment with other settings → OK

Maybe Type: virtio-scsi could help.

Other settings that might help:

• https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch12.html#ts_config-periodic-flush ^[archive]
• https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch12.html#ts_ide-sata-flush ^[archive]
• Quote https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/10031#comment:2 ^[archive]

Try to tune host os page flusher behavior to avoid accumulating of significant amount of dirty pages in host file system buffers. For example, set vm.dirty_background_ratio to 5 or below (this is still large size - about 1Gb) or set vm.dirty_background_bytes to something smaller like 20971520 to make page flusher more active. Note that this may make host file system cache less effective, but it prevents write operation stuck during buffer flush.

References:

• VirtualBox host software bug, High I/O causing filesystem corruption ^[archive]
• Old Whonix ™ issue tracker discussion: VirtualBox AHCI ^[archive]
• VirtualBox manual: Hard Disk Controllers ^[archive]

Import Whonix ™ Images[edit]

Using the VirtualBox GUI to import Whonix ™ images should work well in most cases. If not, follow the steps below.

VBoxManage unregistervm "Whonix-Gateway-XFCE" --delete

VBoxManage unregistervm "Whonix-Workstation-XFCE" --delete

VBoxManage import Whonix-Gateway-XFCE-16.0.3.7.ova

No Sound in Whonix-Workstation ™[edit]

If sound is unavailable in Whonix-Workstation ™ when using VLC or browsing Internet sites, try: ^[15]

Settings → Audio → Host audio driver → Select Also audio ^[16]

Try a non-Whonix VM[edit]

1. "Forget" about Whonix ™ for a moment and imagine you had never heard of the platform. Test the VirtualBox host software first.
2. Try a VM other than Whonix ™, for example Debian bullseye.
3. If that does not fix the issue, that means the root issue is not caused by Whonix ™ i.e. it is unspecific to Whonix ™. In that case it is recommended to try and resolve the issue as per Free Support Principle.

VirtualBox Generic Bug Reproduction[edit]

This entry is based on Bug Report Recommendations, specifically Generic Bug Reproduction. The content is similar to the Try a non-Whonix VM chapter above.

A manual reproduction of the Whonix ™ VirtualBox Integration.

1. Use the recommended Linux distribution -- Debian ^[archive] bullseye -- as the host operating system. (Debian Tips)
2. Install the recommended version of the VirtualBox host software.
3. Installation of non-freedom software is not required, but the Debian "nonfree" (free in price but non-freedom) repository must be temporarily enabled; the reason is documented below.
4. virtualbox-guest-additions-iso ^[archive] (Freedom Software) from the Debian repository on the the Debian host operating system. Due to a Debian packaging bug the package is only available from Debian nonfree repository, but the package is not non-freedom. That package provides file /usr/share/virtualbox/VBoxGuestAdditions.iso.
5. Install Debian bullseye inside a VirtualBox VM.
6. Mount the VirtualBox Guest Additions CD iso file /usr/share/virtualbox/VBoxGuestAdditions.iso inside the Debian VM.
7. Install VirtualBox Guest Additions from the virtual CD-ROM drive inside the Debian VM. Change to the directory where the CD-ROM drive is mounted and run the following command as root: sh ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run
8. Attempt to reproduce the original issue.

Submit a Bug Report[edit]

When reporting an issue in the Whonix ™ forums ^[archive], please add the exact steps which led to the problem. Also include as much relevant information as possible; see below.

• Does the problem resolve itself if Whonix-Gateway ™ is launched without starting Whonix-Workstation ™?
• Which Whonix ™ version was downloaded and from where?
• Do both Whonix-Gateway ™ and Whonix-Workstation ™ have this issue?
• Did you:
  • Only download, import Whonix ™ VMs and start Whonix ™?; or
  • Did you start Whonix ™, use Whonix ™, install more software and perform other activities before the issues emerged?
• Have you previously used older versions of Whonix ™ that worked?
• What is the host operating system and version?
• What is the VirtualBox version?
• How much RAM does the host have?
• In case of black screen issues:
  • Can you switch to a virtual console? This can help with debugging.

Bugs can also be reported against upstream VirtualBox ^[archive]: VirtualBox bugtracker ^[archive] / VirtualBox forums ^[archive]. Bug reports must be well written and thorough otherwise it will not lead to a solution, see: bug reporting instructions ^[archive].

See Also[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

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