VirtualBox freezing

[Patrick O'Callaghan]

Using VirtualBox-1.6.0_30421_fedora9-1.x86_64 and
kernel-2.6.25.4-30.fc9.x86_64 I can no longer fire up a Windows virtual
machine. The virtual screen pops up and a progress bar appears
("Starting VM" or whatever) but stays at 0% forever. I also get a popup
saying a kernel oops is being reported to kernel.org. The virtual screen
window is dark and doesn't respond to clicks. The process has to be
killed with extreme prejudice.

I haven't yet tried a fresh install of WinXP (with the concomitant hours
of installation of the system + apps), but if anyone has a hint I'd like
to hear it.

poc