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2011 MPB - Virtual Box XP guest EXTREMELY slow

M

macdroid

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 3, 2011
34
0
So this is my first mac, and one of the reasons I purchased this 2011 15" MPB is so I can keep using virtual machines. Since I usually use Virtual Box, I decided to stick with the same software since it has worked so well for me on many PC's.

However, for some strange reason, installing Windows XP is taking me hours (started this morning, it's still installing). I don't think it's a guest driver related issue, since even selecting the hard drive to partition takes many seconds before the cursor moves.

I can't find anyone else complaining about this issue, so I decided to post it in this forum in case it's some strange compatibility issues with the new laptops.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue? If you are able to use XP with the latest version of Virtual Box, I would love to hear from you as well. Thanks!
 
macdroid said:
So this is my first mac, and one of the reasons I purchased this 2011 15" MPB is so I can keep using virtual machines. Since I usually use Virtual Box, I decided to stick with the same software since it has worked so well for me on many PC's.

However, for some strange reason, installing Windows XP is taking me hours (started this morning, it's still installing). I don't think it's a guest driver related issue, since even selecting the hard drive to partition takes many seconds before the cursor moves.

I can't find anyone else complaining about this issue, so I decided to post it in this forum in case it's some strange compatibility issues with the new laptops.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue? If you are able to use XP with the latest version of Virtual Box, I would love to hear from you as well. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I installed Win7 on my Penryn 2.5GHZ MBP with Parallels and it didn't take too long, but I didn't really have enough RAM to run what I wanted in Windows (games).

You may have more luck with this question in the Windows on a Mac forum.
 
why install such a legacy OS?
anyway win 7 install went smoother for me then XP in virtual box (i removed it shortly after)
 
mulo said:
why install such a legacy OS?
anyway win 7 install went smoother for me then XP in virtual box (i removed it shortly after)
Click to expand...

XP is much lighter on resources, plus I have some legacy software that requires XP. Will definitely try Windows 7 too tho.
 
macdroid said:
XP is much lighter on resources, plus I have some legacy software that requires XP. Will definitely try Windows 7 too tho.
Click to expand...

doesn't that compatibility mode or whatever work? - i think its under properties for the executable.
 
mulo said:
doesn't that compatibility mode or whatever work? - i think its under properties for the executable.
Click to expand...

No, unfortunately it doesn't.

I just started installing Windows 7, and am having similar issues. Moving the ISO to a SATA controller seems to improve it slightly, but still way too slow. I haven't tried installing from an actual disc yet (have been using ISO's), which is the only other thing I can think of.

I am hoping someone else can confirm they have no issues with Virtual Box on the new MBP's, would hate to switch software.
 
Ok, 24 hours later, and Windows XP is still installing , same problem with Windows 7.

Can a moderator please move this thread to the 'Windows on a Mac' forum, hoping it will get more attention there, as I am really stuck :(
 
The bug report contains some work-arounds, I am assuming they wouldn't require a rebuild of the VM, so worth a shot for sure. As much as I like Virtual Box on the PC, I think I am going to give VMWare Fusion a try, since it can boot a bootcamp partition as well, and seems to be more stable.
 
Forget about Virtual Box

macdroid said:
So this is my first mac, and one of the reasons I purchased this 2011 15" MPB is so I can keep using virtual machines. Since I usually use Virtual Box, I decided to stick with the same software since it has worked so well for me on many PC's.
Click to expand...

If you can afford a Mac, then you can also afford an additional 80$ for Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac. I used Virtual box myself, but it's simply not as good as a commercial product. Since I installed Parallels, I stopped thinking about other VM products.

I strongly recommend to test it out and download the trial license. You'll love it.
 
While I personally dislike 'if you can afford X you can afford Y" type statements (what about the people who spent their last penny in order to be able to buy this type of product, people who got laid off, etc.), I do appreciate the tip, and will definitely be checking out Parallels as well.

It does sound like Fusion is the most stable out of those 3 products, but it's something I will have to experience for myself I guess.
 
macdroid said:
While I personally dislike 'if you can afford X you can afford Y" type statements (what about the people who spent their last penny in order to be able to buy this type of product, people who got laid off, etc.), I do appreciate the tip, and will definitely be checking out Parallels as well.

It does sound like Fusion is the most stable out of those 3 products, but it's something I will have to experience for myself I guess.
Click to expand...

While I still only have the 2010 MBP, I run all three , Parallels, VB and Fusion. If you are running Microsoft OS, Parallels does a splendid job, I prefer VB for being able to copy and paste from Linux command line to OS X, and Fusion works with everything but needs tweaking to equal Parallels with coherence mode. All do a good job on the core2dou , the VB team will find a fix soon but having a backup is product is good. Guess I'll put off the upgrade to 2011 i7 for a while. Would like to hear your results.
 
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