The following bugs in Linux kernels prevent them from executing correctly in Oracle VM VirtualBox, causing VM boot crashes:

• The Linux kernel version 2.6.18, and some 2.6.17 versions, introduced a race condition that can cause boot crashes in Oracle VM VirtualBox. Please use a kernel version 2.6.19 or later.

• With hardware virtualization and the I/O APIC enabled, kernels before 2.6.24-rc6 may panic on boot with the following message:

  Kernel panic - not syncing: IO-APIC + timer doesn't work!  Boot with
  apic=debug and send a report.  Then try booting with the 'noapic' option

  If you see this message, either disable hardware virtualization or the I/O APIC as described in System Settings, or upgrade the guest to a newer kernel.

  See http://www.mail-archive.com/git-commits-head@vger.kernel.org/msg30813.html for details about the kernel fix.