BTW, the kernel I've been running through all this is the default ubuntu 20.04 version: $ uname -a Linux dancer.chaosreigns.com 5.4.0-54-generic #60-Ubuntu SMP Fri Nov 6 10:37:59 UTC 2020 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux With kernel 5.8.0 removed, it looks like I'm hitting a new bug: $ sudo apt remove linux-headers-5.8.0-25 linux-headers-5.8.0-25-generic linux-modules-5.8.0-25-generic Reading package lists... Done Building dependency tree Reading state information... Done The following packages will be REMOVED: linux-headers-5.8.0-25 linux-headers-5.8.0-25-generic linux-headers-generic linux-modules-5.8.0-25-generic 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 4 to remove and 3 not upgraded. 3 not fully installed or removed. After this operation, 165 MB disk space will be freed. Do you want to continue? [Y/n] (Reading database ... 599496 files and directories currently installed.) Removing linux-headers-generic (5.8.0.25.30) ... Removing linux-headers-5.8.0-25-generic (5.8.0-25.26) ... Removing linux-headers-5.8.0-25 (5.8.0-25.26) ... Removing linux-modules-5.8.0-25-generic (5.8.0-25.26) ... Setting up virtualbox-dkms (6.1.10-dfsg-1~ubuntu1.20.04.1) ... Removing old virtualbox-6.1.10 DKMS files... -------- Uninstall Beginning -------- Module: virtualbox Version: 6.1.10 Kernel: 5.4.0-54-generic (x86_64) ------------------------------------- Status: Before uninstall, this module version was ACTIVE on this kernel. vboxdrv.ko: - Uninstallation - Deleting from: /lib/modules/5.4.0-54-generic/updates/dkms/ - Original module - No original module was found for this module on this kernel. - Use the dkms install command to reinstall any previous module version. vboxnetadp.ko: - Uninstallation - Deleting from: /lib/modules/5.4.0-54-generic/updates/dkms/ - Original module - No original module was found for this module on this kernel. - Use the dkms install command to reinstall any previous module version. vboxnetflt.ko: - Uninstallation - Deleting from: /lib/modules/5.4.0-54-generic/updates/dkms/ - Original module - No original module was found for this module on this kernel. - Use the dkms install command to reinstall any previous module version. depmod... DKMS: uninstall completed. ------------------------------ Deleting module version: 6.1.10 completely from the DKMS tree. ------------------------------ Done. Loading new virtualbox-6.1.10 DKMS files... Building for 5.4.0-54-generic Building initial module for 5.4.0-54-generic Done. vboxdrv.ko: Running module version sanity check. - Original module - No original module exists within this kernel - Installation - Installing to /lib/modules/5.4.0-54-generic/updates/dkms/ vboxnetadp.ko: Running module version sanity check. - Original module - No original module exists within this kernel - Installation - Installing to /lib/modules/5.4.0-54-generic/updates/dkms/ vboxnetflt.ko: Running module version sanity check. - Original module - No original module exists within this kernel - Installation - Installing to /lib/modules/5.4.0-54-generic/updates/dkms/ depmod... DKMS: install completed. Job for virtualbox.service failed because the control process exited with error code. See "systemctl status virtualbox.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details. invoke-rc.d: initscript virtualbox, action "restart" failed. ● virtualbox.service - LSB: VirtualBox Linux kernel module Loaded: loaded (/etc/init.d/virtualbox; generated) Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Sat 2020-11-28 11:04:04 EST; 3ms ago Docs: man:systemd-sysv-generator(8) Process: 1152416 ExecStart=/etc/init.d/virtualbox start (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE) Nov 28 11:04:04 dancer.chaosreigns.com systemd[1]: Starting LSB: VirtualBox Linux kernel module... Nov 28 11:04:04 dancer.chaosreigns.com virtualbox[1152416]: * Loading VirtualBox kernel modules... Nov 28 11:04:04 dancer.chaosreigns.com virtualbox[1152416]: * No suitable vboxpci module for running kernel found Nov 28 11:04:04 dancer.chaosreigns.com virtualbox[1152416]: ...fail! Nov 28 11:04:04 dancer.chaosreigns.com systemd[1]: virtualbox.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE Nov 28 11:04:04 dancer.chaosreigns.com systemd[1]: virtualbox.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'. Nov 28 11:04:04 dancer.chaosreigns.com systemd[1]: Failed to start LSB: VirtualBox Linux kernel module. Setting up virtualbox (6.1.10-dfsg-1~ubuntu1.20.04.1) ... Installing new version of config file /etc/init.d/virtualbox ... vboxweb.service is a disabled or a static unit not running, not starting it. Setting up virtualbox-qt (6.1.10-dfsg-1~ubuntu1.20.04.1) ... Processing triggers for systemd (245.4-4ubuntu3.3) ... Processing triggers for ureadahead (0.100.0-21) ... Processing triggers for menu (2.1.47ubuntu4) ... $