VirtualBox squashes bugs, adds new guest resolution to pre-defined menu
Oracle has released VirtualBox 5.0.4, the first publicly flagged maintenance release for the 5.0 series of its virtualization tool for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Version 5.0 introduced support for USB 3.0 and hardware virtualization among other improvements, and version 5.0.4 is almost exclusively a bug-fix update.
One standout fix for Windows hosts should resolve issues with VERR_LDR_MISMATCH_NATIVE error messages, which saw some users having to launch VMs multiple times before they would function correctly. Although not explicitly stated, the error seems to have been linked to specific security software.
Version 5.0.4 also introduces a number of tweaks to the GUI -- Windows 7 is now the default OS type for Windows, and another pre-defined guest screen resolution (1152×864) has been added to the View > Virtual Screen menu as an option.
Notable GUI fixes sees an end to VM shutdown crashes on Mac OS X hosts where both 2D video acceleration and 3D support are enabled, while certain X11 window managers should also perform better, particularly when in multi-screen setups.
SEE ALSO: How to install Windows 10 on Oracle VirtualBox -- no Windows key required
Storage fixes see fixed raw disk access and flat VMDK image access no longer opened in read-only mode for those who’d applied the 5.0.2 maintenance release that slipped out without fanfare last month.
A path separator issues has been fixed for Shared Folders, while drag and drop host-to-guest transfers on OS X hosts should no longer cause a crash.
Other notable Windows host fixes include support for Windows 10 build 10525 or later and the squashing of a bug when enumerating a network adapter on Windows 10. Also resolved are intermittent host network disconnects during startup and shutdown on VMs with bridged networking in place.
For a complete list of fixes and changes -- including a full list of changes for the previous 5.0.2 maintenance release, check out the changelog.
VirtualBox 5.0.4 is now available as a free open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux, along with the companion VirtualBox Extension Pack 5.0.4, which is free for non-commercial use only.