Can a recent Win 7 update "break" virtualization ability?

[BobMCT]

We have an older Compaq CQ56 laptoLinux p running Win 7 x64 with Virtualbox installed. Was running x64 Linux Mint before the update and after the update any x64 bit Linux will not load. Its complaining that virtualization is unavailable.
The BIOS shows that its enabled and Windows optionalfeatures.exe shows nothing usinging virtualization. Yet it doesn't even show Hyper-V any longer.
Anyone ever see this before and if so any ideas as to where to go from here?

Thanks

 

[ChrisHirst]

Maybe whatever CPU the machine is running has been removed from the latest Windows kernels as supporting Virtualisation.

OR (and more likely)

Micro$oft have deemed that your particular windows 7 edition isn't 'allowed' to run virtual machines any more.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.

Never mind this jesus character, stars had to die for me to live.

 

[Nelviticus]

Hyper-V has probably become enabled somehow. This often happens to me when I update Visual Studio.

I'm not on a Windows 10 machine at the moment but it's somewhere under 'turn Windows features on or off'. Disable/uninstall Hyper-V, re-boot and you should find that VirtualBox works again.

*edit*

Ignore me, obviously you're talking about Windows 7 not Windows 10. D'oh.

Nelviticus

 

[spamjim]

While not the same issue, I also recently started having trouble with Win7 and VirtualBox. Both had updates in the past few weeks and shortly after, my host Win7 system would frequently fail to wake. VirtualBox just released an update on 1/17. I cannot certify that it solved the problem but I no longer have waking issues. See if that VirtualBox update might cure your issue as well.

 

[BobMCT]

Well guys - thanks for the suggestions. Apparently MS release an upgrade that actually dropped kernel support for the version of the AMD processor in the laptop (V140). As a result, beyond generic instructions it would BSOD.
Yesterday one of the trusted IT newsfeeds published an article headlined "Corporate IT beware. Microsoft has broken Windows 7 forcing an upgrade to Windows 10". Should like that was it. In fact, three more Win 7 laptops where I work experienced the same thing the next day. A couple of them did a clean install of Win 10 but the others did a clean install of Linux Mint 18.1, installed Virtualbox then Win 7 Ult with updates turned off. Now they have productive laptops again.

Just FYI

 

[ChrisHirst]

So sadly I was right on both counts. I wonder when or even if it will ever sink in to the corporate mentality of Micro$haft that crapping on their so-far 'loyal' customer bases from a great height with tricks like this, along with making a 'close' button act like the 'OK' button is not going to make people willing to buy more upgrades.

App£e must be popping champagne corks by the dozen and cheering Micro$haft on to even more stupidity.

Chris.

Indifference will be the downfall of mankind, but who cares?
Time flies like an arrow, however, fruit flies like a banana.

Never mind this jesus character, stars had to die for me to live.

 

[goombawaho]

Corporate IT beware. Microsoft has broken Windows 7 forcing an upgrade to Windows 10"
Where's the article so I can read it??

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[2ffat]

goombawaho,

Not the article you were looking for but I thought this article would be of some interest.​

James P. Cottingham
I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229!

 

[goombawaho]

Yeah, I had read similar on ARSTECHNICA just the other day. Same push as with XP. I was more interested in whether MS was actually breaking/taking functionality away from Windows 7. Seems to me that that would be kind of criminal - removing functionality from a product that you purchased after the fact.

Like the next step would be: Windows 7 can no longer connect to the internet!!! You must buy Windows 10.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[BobMCT]

A comment on what goombawaho just mentioned: When my Win 7 laptop ceased to function and I worded a couple hours trying to get it to do so (unsuccessfully) I took it home and did a completely clean Win7 install. Upon completion my network connections (wired/wireless) didn't work. Windows said it couldn't find the drivers for the NICs. Funny, I've installed many a laptop with the same DVD. So I used another system, visited the mfg's site (ASUS and Intel), located and downloaded the Win 7 drivers drivers and wrote them to a USB. Then brought the USB over to the subject laptop, used device mgr to access the NIC adapters and updated the drivers selected Have Disk. When I pointed to the drivers and selected them I received a message identifying the drivers for the specific adapter(s) and Windows then proclaimed "You not NOT have the specified network adapters installed!" Well, in fact, those exact adapters were displayed in Device Mgr and they're what the laptop has had since creation. And not surprisingly the same DVD installed into Virtualbox on Linux works thoroughly and perfectly.

The other day I was sharing my story and dissatisfaction with M$ with a current MCSE (or what ever its called these days) and he sounded just like KellyAnn Conway regarding a Trump interview. Whew I thought. I'd better back down or fear fisticuffs.

Enter Linux (Again) I honestly wish corporate America had the conceptual ability to understand that the entire world doesn't have to drive a Tribant (Eastern European Car).

My frustrated $.02 worth.

 

[goombawaho]

Trabant for the record.
Not sure we needed the political injection there either!

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[spamjim]

...Seems to me that that would be kind of criminal - removing functionality from a product that you purchased after the fact...

It has been done before. Desktop widgets (or whatever they were called) were removed from Vista because of security issues. As long as you use the excuse of security, anything can be taken away from a customer.

 

[goombawaho]

Then why haven't they removed Internet Explorer versions 6 - 11??? That should be more pressing.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[Nelviticus]

Apparently MS release an upgrade that actually dropped kernel support for the version of the AMD processor in the laptop (V140)

I've googled around but can't find anything that even vaguely implies Microsoft have removed support from Windows 7 for any CPU that was previously supported. There are plenty of articles saying that Windows 7 drivers won't be written for new CPUs, but nothing about removing existing drivers.

Do you have any references? This has piqued my curiosity and I'm very interested to find out what the real cause of this problem is.

Nelviticus

 

[xwb]

Back to the ops problem: have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the latest virutal box? Sometimes the updates uninstall specific bits that cause the software to stop working. Reinstalling normally fixes that. Happened to me with VMWare and VIrtual box.

Gets even worse with 32-bit OSs. HyperV only works on 64-bits. VMWare have stopped supporting 32-bit virutalization: latest versions only work on 64-bits. You need to go back to an ancient version.

 

[BobMCT]

Yep, done all that. But thanks for the suggestion.
Have four laptops now that I did clean install of Linux Mint which all work great. And with Vbx installed Win 7 x64 and it too works fine. Just had to remember to turn auto update OFF ofter upgrde to SP1.
Thanks