XP Mode Integration Features Problem after Windows Update


  1. Posts : 135
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64
       #1

    XP Mode Integration Features Problem after Windows Update


    Have been using Windows XP Mode with only minor problems for several years. Have experienced occasional problems with what appears to be a corrupted file or files. However, I have faithfully made a backup of the entire Virtual Machine and XP Mode folders. Up to now, restoring a recent backup always "fixed" the XP Mode problem, and all I had to do was restore backups of any of the data that was lost because it was created between the time of the problem, and the time of the backup I used to restore from.

    But recently, I ran Windows Update (I did it later than usual, but it was the standard May 2015 Windows Update package. It had a total of 32 updates in it, some of which were for MS Office, rather than Windows. In any case, after the update, when I start XP Mode, it appears to load, then goes to a black screen with a box that says Enabling Integration Features. (Note, it has occasionally done this in the past, but then goes back to the XP Desktop with the Integration Features working.) However, now, the box lasts for several minutes, then I get a box that says Integration Features Could not be enabled, and that I can log on without them, and then enable them from the TOOLS menu. I can then log on, but of course, without the integration features active. If I try to enable the Integration Features from the TOOLS menu, it tries, but is never successful. Restoring a backup of the entire Virtual Machine/XP Mode from a date when it was working normally does not fix the problem.

    One thing that may be completely normal, but that to me at least seems a bit odd, is that in XP Mode without integration features enabled, I can still log onto the internet and download antivirus updates. I would have thought (though I'm probably wrong), that internet access would have required the integration features to be active.

    All of this leads me to a suspicion (nothing more than that) that the problem was caused by one of the Windows Updates. Has anyone else experienced a problem like this?
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
       #2

    XP Mode and other Virtual PC virtual machines sometimes behave like you described when the saved state file (the hibernation file) is damaged. A quick fix is to manually remove the saved state file if it exists, if the XP Mode vm was hibernated instead of shutting it down, and then restart the XP Mode.

    First, here's a list of all XP Mode files and their default locations:

       Information
    By default, XP Mode virtual machine consists of five files when installed and run first time, plus two additional files if XP Mode is hibernated or the Undo Disk feature is enabled. The file names, extensions and default locations are:
    • Windows XP Mode base.vhd
      • XP Mode base disk, contains the core elements of operating system (XP), no user data is saved on this virtual disk
      • default location C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode
    • Windows XP Mode.vhd
      • Virtual Machine virtual hard drive image, all user data and content is saved on this virtual disk
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
    • Windows XP Mode.vmcx
      • Virtual Machine description and registration settings
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\Virtual Machines
    • Windows XP Mode.vmc
      • Virtual Machine settings file
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
    • Windows XP Mode.vmc.vpcbackup
      • Virtual Machine settings backup
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines

      Additional files, only exist when certain criteria is met:
    • Windows XP Mode.vsv
      • Virtual Machine saved state file (hibernation data)
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
      • This file exists only when XP Mode is hibernated or is running. It is deleted automatically every time XP Mode is shut down. In emergence situations you can force XP Mode to reboot instead of waking up from hibernation simply by deleting this file while XP Mode is closed, then restarting XP Mode

    • VirtualPCUndo_Windows XP Mode_X_Y_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.vud
      • Virtual machine Undo-disk (X, Y & Z in the file name are replaced with digits)
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
      • This file exists only if so called Undo Disk is enabled in XP Mode settings



    Try this:
    • Close the XP Mode
    • Delete the Windows XP Mode.vsv file if it exists (see its location on above list)
    • Restart XP Mode

    Come back to tell if this helped, if not lets think something else.

    Kari
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 135
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Kari said:
    XP Mode and other Virtual PC virtual machines sometimes behave like you described when the saved state file (the hibernation file) is damaged. A quick fix is to manually remove the saved state file if it exists, if the XP Mode vm was hibernated instead of shutting it down, and then restart the XP Mode.

    First, here's a list of all XP Mode files and their default locations:


       Information
    By default, XP Mode virtual machine consists of five files when installed and run first time, plus two additional files if XP Mode is hibernated or the Undo Disk feature is enabled. The file names, extensions and default locations are:
    • Windows XP Mode base.vhd
      • XP Mode base disk, contains the core elements of operating system (XP), no user data is saved on this virtual disk
      • default location C:\Program Files\Windows XP Mode
    • Windows XP Mode.vhd
      • Virtual Machine virtual hard drive image, all user data and content is saved on this virtual disk
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
    • Windows XP Mode.vmcx
      • Virtual Machine description and registration settings
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\Virtual Machines
    • Windows XP Mode.vmc
      • Virtual Machine settings file
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
    • Windows XP Mode.vmc.vpcbackup
      • Virtual Machine settings backup
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
      <B>
      Additional files, only exist when certain criteria is met:
      </B>
    • Windows XP Mode.vsv
      • Virtual Machine saved state file (hibernation data)
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
      • This file exists only when XP Mode is hibernated or is running. It is deleted automatically every time XP Mode is shut down. In emergence situations you can force XP Mode to reboot instead of waking up from hibernation simply by deleting this file while XP Mode is closed, then restarting XP Mode
    • VirtualPCUndo_Windows XP Mode_X_Y_ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.vud
      • Virtual machine Undo-disk (X, Y & Z in the file name are replaced with digits)
      • default location C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines
      • This file exists only if so called Undo Disk is enabled in XP Mode settings



    Try this:
    • Close the XP Mode
    • Delete the Windows XP Mode.vsv file if it exists (see its location on above list)
    • Restart XP Mode
    Come back to tell if this helped, if not lets think something else.

    Kari
    Kari--

    First, thanks very much for the offer of help. I've been browsing for a few days on the web about this problem, and had run across previous suggestions to delete the .vsv file. Unfortunately, that didn't help. I had even restored a complete backup of the entire virtual machine/XP Mode folders, and that didn't help either. That's what led me to a guess that something in the Windows Update might have caused it. It wouldn't have been an update to the Virtual Machine--restoring the backup would have wiped that out. But perhaps something that the VM interacts with in Windows itself. Just a thought.

    Something else I encountered in my browsing, that perhaps you can clarify. I saw several posts suggesting uninstalling, then reinstalling the Integration Features. One suggestion said to do this, just start the Virtual Machine, and then from the Tools menu, remove the Integration Features, then reinstall them (I'm paraphrasing here--but something like that). However, if I click on Windows Virtual PC, all I get is Windows Explorer opening and showing the Windows XP Mode with a status of hibernated. So I have no idea how to either remove the Integration Features, or if I did find out how to remove them, how to reinstall them.

    Any insight you can provide would be much appreciated.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
       #4

    See this tutorial, steps 1 through 4 show how to go to virtual machine's (in your case XP Mode) settings: Windows Virtual PC - Change Virtual Machine Settings

    On the left pane you'll find Integration features, then its settings on the right pane.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 135
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Kari said:
    See this tutorial, steps 1 through 4 show how to go to virtual machine's (in your case XP Mode) settings: Windows Virtual PC - Change Virtual Machine Settings

    On the left pane you'll find Integration features, then its settings on the right pane.
    Kari--

    Thanks. Progress so far, limited, but not zero. Here's what I did. First, started Windows XP and haa it shut down (as opposed to hibernate). Went to the Settings, and changed the Close action to Shut Down instead of Hibernate. Started Windows XP again. Still had the same problems with enabling the integration features (No surprise there). Shut XP Mode down again and went to Settings and disabled the Integration Features. Started XP Mode, and though it took a while, and required me to enter a password, it started up OK. Went to the TOOLS menu and tried enabling integration features from there. No dice. Still had the same problem. Shut XP Mode down again, went to Settings, Enabled Integration Features on Startup BUT unchecked all of the options (Printer, Drives, etc). Started XP Mode again, and this time it booted up OK, and the TOOLS menu showed Integration Features enabled (though of course, since I had turned off all the devices, still couldn't access anything).

    However, it may be a wild goose chase, but since it appears (perhaps incorrectly) to me that the problem may not be with the integration features themselves, but with one or move of the devices in the list of features to be integrated. My plan now is to start adding them to the list, one by one, starting XP Mode after each one to see if it will still boot up OK with one (or more) device selected for integration. If this works, I'll keep going until I find out which item(s) in the list cause the problem.

    By the way, still don't know if (or how) the integration features can be uninstalled an reinstalled. Or is the reference to that simply disabling, then reenabling?
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 17,545
    Windows 10 Pro x64 EN-GB
       #6

    See this tutorial for the integration features: Windows Virtual PC Integration Features - Install, Enable, and Disable.

    You might get integration to work again with this workaround: Make a copy of your Windows XP Mode.vhd file located at C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines, renaming the copy for something else but keeping the file extension vhd. Create a new virtual machine and use this copied XP Mode vhd as existing vhd, see tutorial, step 10 shows how to use an existing vhd: Windows Virtual PC - Create Virtual Machine

    Kari
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 135
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64
    Thread Starter
       #7

    Kari said:
    See this tutorial for the integration features: Windows Virtual PC Integration Features - Install, Enable, and Disable.

    You might get integration to work again with this workaround: Make a copy of your Windows XP Mode.vhd file located at C:\Users\Your_Username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines, renaming the copy for something else but keeping the file extension vhd. Create a new virtual machine and use this copied XP Mode vhd as existing vhd, see tutorial, step 10 shows how to use an existing vhd: Windows Virtual PC - Create Virtual Machine

    Kari
    Kari--

    Thanks again for your continued help. I think I may have found the problem, but now I'm a bit perplexed after looking at the first link in your note.

    What I did, and what happened: Since XP Mode would start OK with Integration enabled, but with none of the devices checked, I tried first checking the Clipboard (That is, Integration enabled on startup, but only Clipboard checked.) That worked OK. Next, I tried Hard Drives, but with only the host C drive checked. Still worked OK. Then I checked all of the hard drives (I have a bunch of them). That still worked OK. That left Printers as the only item that had been checked originally, but wasn't checked now. Since I've never needed to print from XP Mode, this solves my problem from a practical (but not from a curiosity) standpoint.

    Why I'm perplexed. My initial assumption was that since I had recently installed a new wireless Samsun Laser printer, I assumed that it was causing the problem with the integration features--perhaps because it is a wireless printer. However, four months earlier, I had installed a different (Canon) wireless printer, and that didn't cause the problem. So wireless in and of itself is not apparently the sole cause. Then, I looked at the first link in your note. And if I'm reading it correctly, for the integration features to work with printers in XP mode, the printer needs to be installed in XP Mode. That makes a certain amount of sense. However, I have a total of 14 printers installed on my Windows 7 system (4 of them are actual physical printers--the others are mostly PDF printers installed by programs such as MS Office, Quicken, etc). However, I have never installed ANY of them in the XP Mode environment. Now I have in the past occasionally had the "Enabling Integration Feature" progress box go on for a good while, then appear to have finished, only to start again after a couple of minutes, sometimes taking as many as three tries before it appears to have everything working normally. It may be that all of the printers that are installed in Windows 7 and NOT installed in the XP Mode environment was the cause of that. I emphasize that though this situation occurred fairly frequently, it was by no means a problem in every instance. And it may be that had I ever tried to actually print from XP Mode, the fact that none of the printer drivers was installed would have prevented me from doing so. But now, my question becomes, let's assume that I want my two primary physical printers (one inkjet for color, and one laser for black and white) to be accessible from XP Mode. Do you think that installing the drivers for those two printers will solve the problem of the ability to enable the integration features? And if so, will the fact that the drivers for the other 12 printers installed in Windows 7 are NOT installed in XP Mode cause a problem?

    I emphasize that at this point, this is now primarily an exercise in trying to learn something, since the practical aspects of my problem appear to be solved. However, I'm always glad to learn something, especially when I have the ear of someone who has the knowledge to teach me something. Your advise has been extremely helpful to me, and I would welcome your thoughts on the above comments.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 1
    Windows 7 Professional 64 bit
       #8

    Deleting the printer solves the problem!


    I've been trying everything to get integration re-enabled, and your solution worked a charm. I deleted the printer integration (which I seldom use except to create pdf's) after reading the above post, and all was perfect. I'll need to install a pdf print driver locally on the virtual machine, but that's no big deal...

    Great to finally have a solution! Thanks so much!!!
      My Computer


 

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