MacOS – Install older version of VirtualBox (4.3.6-91406) on OS X El Capitan

macosvirtualboxvirtualization

I am trying to install VirtualBox 4.3.6-91406 on OS X El Capitan because I want to run an old version of Minix.

It is advised to run my version of Minix on VirtualBox 4.3.6 as it may not be compatible with the newest VirtualBox 5.0.12-104815 and anything between.

Running the old VirtualBox 4.3.6-91406:

This is what I get when I try to install VirtualBox 4.3.6-91406:

The installation failed.

Running latest VirtualBox 5.0.12-104815:

And this is what I get when I try to run my old version of Minix on the latest VirtualBox:

Implementation of the USB 2.0 controller not found!

Because the USB
2.0 controller state is part of the saved VM state, the VM cannot be started. To fix this problem, either install the 'Oracle VM VirtualBox
Extension Pack' or disable USB 2.0 support in the VM settings
(VERR_NOT_FOUND).

Result Code: NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005)
Component: ConsoleWrap
Interface: IConsole {872da645-4a9b-1727-bee2-5585105b9eed}

Failed to open session ...

Is there anything I can do about it? I want to run this version of Minix and preferably VirtualBox 4.3.6.

Best Answer

I had to do the following things:

  1. Boot the image on Linux with VirtualBox 4.3.6 installed from a terminal using the following command:

    $ VBoxSDL --startvm MINIX3 --norawr0 --norawr3 --nohwvirtex

  2. Apply this patch which resolves the guru meditation problem.

    1. Go to /usr/src/drivers/e1000 and in the e1000.c file you have to replace line 

      e1000_reg_write(e, E1000_REG_MTA + i, 0);

      with 

      e1000_reg_write(e, E1000_REG_MTA + i * 4, 0);

    2. Run make and make install in /usr/src/drivers/e1000.

  3. Turn off your virtual machine.
  4. Copy the whole directory of your virtual machine to OS X.
  5. Install latest VirtualBox.
  6. Download Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack and add this extension to your VirtualBox.
  7. Done!
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