Feb 18, 2011 17:41 GMT  ·  By

VirtualBox, the free virtualization solution for Mac, Windows, and Linux, has been updated to version 4.0.4. A typical maintenance update, the release brings the usual bag of interface improvements, and plenty of fixes and tweaks.

Originally developed by Sun Microsystems, VirtualBox (now called “Oracle VM VirtualBox”) enables desktop and laptop computers to simultaneously run multiple operating systems, allowing users to get the most out of their PCs.

VirtualBox supports an extensive range of host and guest operating systems.

The software is a free alternative to more costly virtualization solutions like Parallels Desktop for Mac and VMWare Fusion, VirtualBox can be used without restrictions under the Personal Use and Evaluation License (PUEL).

The virtualization program is free to download and use on Mac OS X, Linux and Windows.

As usual, highlights from the release notes accompanying the latest version of VirtualBox are available below, followed by a download link to the updated program.

VirtualBox 4.0.4 (released 2011-02-17)

This is a maintenance release. The following items were fixed and/or added:

· VMM: fixed running 64-bit guests on 32-bit host with nested paging enabled on AMD CPUs · VMM: fixed timing issues / hangs for certain guests using the programmable interval timer · GUI: fixed error message when trying to exceed the maximum number of host network interfaces · GUI: fixed saving of changes to the metadata of an existing snapshot · GUI: fixed rare crash on X11 hosts · GUI: when selecting a shared folder, start the file dialog in the users home directory · Metrics: introduced RAM/VMM base metric. · Graphics card: made re-enabling disabled screens work correctly to prevent problems when X11 guests enter screen saving mode · Mac OS X hosts: fixed VBoxSVC crash when listing host interfaces without default gateway · Solaris/Darwin hosts: fixed VM CPU execution cap Download VirtualBox for Mac OS X (Free)