VirtualBox 7.2: For the first time for Windows on ARM

With VirtualBox 7.2, Oracle has released the new version of its cross-platform virtualization software for the desktop. Windows and macOS on the x86 and now also the ARM architecture are supported as host systems. Installation packages for GNU/Linux are available explicitly for Oracle/Red Hat Linux, Debian/Ubuntu, openSUSE and Fedora. A generic install script based on Enterprise Linux 7 is also available. Solaris and Solaris IPS (Image Packaging System) are also supported. A VirtualBox package for FreeBSD is only available in its ports tree and is mercilessly outdated (6.x) – where the Bhyve hypervisor and jails (containers) are used.

And again the groundhog greets: New GUI

In the changelog for VirtualBox 7.2, the Oracle developers first highlight another change to the user interface. The global tools and the VM tools have been moved from the so-called hamburger menus (menu symbol consisting of three horizontal lines) to the global toolbar vertically on the left-hand side and to the VM tools tabs horizontally above the right-hand area. This should make them easier to access and look clearer.

The beta of VirtualBox 7.2 already offered support for Windows 11 hosts with ARM CPUs, including the necessary VirtualBox VM Guest Additions. There is no special installer for Windows 11/ARM on the download page for VirtualBox 7.2 because the EXE file supports both x86 and ARM (unified Windows installer package). For the new Windows ARM guest systems, there is the entry "OS type Windows 11/Arm" in the operating system selection in VirtualBox 7.2. For ARM guests under macOS/ARM (since version 7.1), 3D support, which previously did not work, should now work thanks to DXMT (DirectX to Metal Technology). Oracle is discontinuing 3D support for macOS systems with Intel CPUs.

The developers point out an annoying stumbling block: Suspended ARM VMs from VirtualBox 7.1 are incompatible with version 7.2 and cannot be restarted. Before upgrading from 7.1 to 7.2, these guests should be shut down cleanly and restarted after the update.

Many small fixes, but old problems

In the Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), problems with the extensions of the x86_64-v3 instruction set including AVX and AVX2 have been fixed. Reported crashes related to audio or the emulated TPM in suspend mode are now corrected. For GNU/Linux hosts and guests, there is partial support for kernels 6.16 and 6.17. Accelerated video decoding should now also be available when 3D support is activated in the guest. Retro fans will be pleased to hear that Oracle has fixed a problem with single-sided floppy disk drives in the BIOS.

Somewhat surprisingly, the changelog does not mention some issues from the previous VirtualBox version 7.1: Secure Boot still sometimes hangs, the mouse pointer can freeze in guests with Wayland hosts and there is no mention of the current Debian GNU/Linux 13.0 "Trixie". Also interesting: If you delete the last existing VM from the list of VMs, the VirtualBox GUI crashes with a memory access error.

VirtualBox 7.2 can now be downloaded free of charge from the project page as well as the VirtualBox Extension Pack – separate PUEL license must be observed here –. Before updating, it is worth taking a look at the VirtualBox forum, where problems with the new version are discussed.

(mma)