I recently upgraded the host from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and noticed that my VirtualBox is now 200% slower when using an Ubuntu guest OS. I have 16 GB of RAM with 4 GB allocated to the VM, and I’ve tried both 4 cores and 2 cores on the VM, but there is no difference. My machine is an i7-2600 with 4 cores + 4 HT cores.
Is this a known issue? How can I debug it further? I suspect it’s a CPU problem, but I’m not sure how to fix it.
I gathered performance metrics for Hyper-V and VirtualBox and found that VirtualBox outperforms Hyper-V in all aspects except for the CPU, which is twice as slow. Here are the Geekbench results:
Virtualbox: https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12206247
Hyper-V: https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12206485/claim?key=124499
Note: I noticed that the CPU is utilizing 50% of its capacity (I assigned 4 out of 4 physical cores), but the performance is still slow.
3 Answers
Introduction
VirtualBox is a popular virtualization software that allows users to run multiple operating systems on a single computer. However, if you have recently upgraded your host operating system from Windows 7 to Windows 10 and noticed that your VirtualBox is running slower, you are not alone. In this blog post, we will discuss how to fix a slow VirtualBox in Windows 10.
Check VirtualBox Settings
The first step in fixing a slow VirtualBox is to check the VirtualBox settings. Make sure that you have allocated enough resources to the virtual machine (VM). In your case, you have allocated 4 GB of RAM to the VM, which should be sufficient. However, you may want to check if you have allocated enough CPU cores to the VM. In your case, you have assigned 4 out of 4 physical cores to the VM, which should be enough.
You may also want to check the storage settings of the VM. Make sure that the virtual hard disk is not running out of space. If it is running out of space, you may want to increase the size of the virtual hard disk.
Update VirtualBox
If the VirtualBox settings are correct, the next step is to update VirtualBox to the latest version. VirtualBox releases updates regularly to fix bugs and improve performance. To update VirtualBox, go to the VirtualBox website and download the latest version. Once you have downloaded the latest version, install it on your computer and check if the performance of the VM has improved.
Update Guest Additions
Guest Additions is a set of drivers and system applications that are installed in the guest operating system. Guest Additions improves the performance of the VM and adds features such as shared clipboard and seamless mode. If you have not installed Guest Additions, you should install it as soon as possible. To install Guest Additions, go to the Devices menu in VirtualBox and click on “Insert Guest Additions CD image”. Once the CD is mounted, run the installer and follow the instructions.
If you have already installed Guest Additions, make sure that it is up to date. To check if Guest Additions is up to date, go to the Devices menu in VirtualBox and click on “Insert Guest Additions CD image”. If the CD is mounted, you will see a prompt to update Guest Additions. Follow the instructions to update Guest Additions.
Enable Virtualization in BIOS
Virtualization is a technology that allows multiple operating systems to run on a single computer. If virtualization is not enabled in the BIOS, the performance of the VM may be affected. To enable virtualization in the BIOS, restart your computer and press the key that takes you to the BIOS setup screen. The key may vary depending on your computer manufacturer. Look for an option called “Virtualization” or “VT-x” and enable it. Save the changes and exit the BIOS setup screen.
Use Hyper-V Instead of VirtualBox
If none of the above steps work, you may want to try using Hyper-V instead of VirtualBox. Hyper-V is a built-in virtualization software in Windows 10 that provides similar functionality as VirtualBox. To use Hyper-V, go to the Control Panel and click on “Programs and Features”. In the left pane, click on “Turn Windows features on or off”. Scroll down and check the box next to “Hyper-V”. Click on “OK” and restart your computer.
Once your computer has restarted, open Hyper-V Manager and create a new virtual machine. Follow the instructions to install the guest operating system. Once the guest operating system is installed, check if the performance of the VM has improved.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a slow VirtualBox in Windows 10 can be fixed by checking the VirtualBox settings, updating VirtualBox and Guest Additions, enabling virtualization in the BIOS, and using Hyper-V instead of VirtualBox. By following these steps, you should be able to improve the performance of your VM and run multiple operating systems on a single computer smoothly.
There are several things that could be causing your VirtualBox to run slowly. Here are a few things you can try:
- Make sure that you have the latest version of VirtualBox and the latest version of the VirtualBox Extension Pack installed.
- Check that you have the latest version of the guest operating system installed.
- Check that you have the latest version of the virtual hardware drivers for your guest operating system.
- Try increasing the amount of RAM that is allocated to the virtual machine.
- Try enabling the “VT-x/AMD-V” setting in the System settings of your virtual machine. This setting can help improve performance if your host computer has a processor with hardware virtualization support.
- Try disabling the “3D Acceleration” setting in the Display settings of your virtual machine. This setting can sometimes cause problems with graphics performance.
- Make sure that you have enough free hard drive space on your host computer.
- If you are running any resource-intensive programs on your host computer, try closing them to see if that improves performance.
- If you are running multiple virtual machines at the same time, try closing some of them to see if that improves performance.
- If none of these suggestions help, you may want to try using a different virtualization software, such as VMware or Hyper-V, to see if that improves performance.
I hope these suggestions help! Let me know if you have any other questions.
After reviewing the VirtualBox hardening logs, I noticed the following log item:
NtOpenDirectoryObject failed on \Driver: 0xc0000022
When I ran VirtualBox with administrator rights, it seemed to run as fast as normal. This suggests that there may be an issue with VirtualBox. I have tested this on 3 different machines, all running Windows 10 as the host, and I’ve encountered the same error message on all of them.