Automatic VM name-based configuration assumes "32" means "32-bit"

[imrazor]

Fedora 32 is not 32-bit Fedora

I attempted to set up a VM today for version 32 of Fedora x64. When I tried to create a VM named "Fedora 32" the creation tool assumed I meant 32-bit Fedora. This lead to several minutes of confusion as I tried to figure out why booting up the Fedora Workstation 32 x64 ISO kept telling me it couldn't run on a 32-bit processor.

I eventually figured out what had happened, and tried to manually change the VM's CPU from 32-bit to x64. However, the ISO still kept insisting that I had a 32-bit processor. Eventually, I had to destroy the VM and create one from scratch.

Not completely sure this is actually a bug, but the algorithm could be fine-tuned to work better, or perhaps provide more noticeable feedback when it changes the "bit-ness" of the VM.

[scottgus1]

Forum discussion ​https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=98664

Also happens on Windows 10 1909, Virtualbox 6.1.10

A side note, it seems the number 32 in a pre-recognized OS family is the trigger. The guest type defaults to Windows 7 64-bit on starting a new guest. Typing 'wind3' keeps the guest at Windows 7 64-bit. Continuing to 'wind32' switches to Windows 7 32-bit. Typing 'li' stays Windows 7 64-bit. Continuing to 'lin' switches to Linux 2.6/3.x/4.x 64-bit 'lin3' stays 64-bit. 'lin32' switches to 32-bit. Inventing a name like 'joxy or 'joxy32' stays on Windows 7 64-bit and does not cause a switch to 32-bit.

A possible idea to avoid having to filter specific OS releases: Have a popup ask if the guest OS environment should be 32-bit, or a warning popup say that the environment has switched to 32-bit and the user should consider if the switch was appropriate?

[Frank Batschulat (Oracle)]

from the email thread at:
​https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=98664

It's even a bit trickier:
1)
If you create a VM named Win32, and immediately change the OS 
Version back to Windows 7 (64-bit) inside the VM creation dialog, 
the resulting VM is 32-bit (no Long Mode, no IO-APIC).
2)
If you create a VM named Win32, and later go into the VM 
configuration and change the OS Version to Windows 7 (64-bit), the
 resulting VM is changed to 64-bit (with Long Mode and IO-APIC).

that behavior of 1) is certainly a bug.