eCtune

vmware or virtualbox is not as processor intensive as you might think. you need a decent amount of ram though - especially if you are running some bloated linux distribution like ubuntu(!) best bet would be to install a slim distribution (debian as binary or gentoo for experienced users with cpu pow...

maybe your settings.xml file is really corrupted..... try to open it with a (text)editor and see if it has sane contents. you may save the settings.xml and copy one of a virgin ectune installation there to test. you may get mine here (should be virgin r17 installation)

that's the exact point you need to sync your distributor to what the ECU thinks your timing is!