diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 618602fd..f4ad79fc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -176,6 +176,9 @@ small collection of user feedback
 * Windows: msys2-python 3.8.6 occasionally throws `RuntimeError: release unlocked lock` when leaving a scoped mutex in up2k
   * this is an msys2 bug, the regular windows edition of python is fine
 
+* VirtualBox: sqlite throws `Disk I/O Error` when running in a VM and the up2k database is in a vboxsf
+  * use `--hist` or the `hist` volflag (`-v [...]:chist=/tmp/foo`) to place the db inside the vm instead
+
 
 # the browser
 
diff --git a/copyparty/u2idx.py b/copyparty/u2idx.py
index 2a495037..e6f404df 100644
--- a/copyparty/u2idx.py
+++ b/copyparty/u2idx.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import time
 import threading
 from datetime import datetime
 
+from .__init__ import unicode
 from .util import s3dec, Pebkac, min_ex
 from .up2k import up2k_wark_from_hashlist
 
@@ -90,6 +91,8 @@ class U2idx(object):
         mt_ctr = 0
         mt_keycmp = "substr(up.w,1,16)"
         mt_keycmp2 = None
+        ptn_lc = re.compile(r" (mt[0-9]+\.v) ([=<!>]+) \? $")
+        ptn_lcv = re.compile(r"[a-zA-Z]")
 
         while True:
             uq = uq.strip()
@@ -182,6 +185,21 @@ class U2idx(object):
             va.append(v)
             is_key = True
 
+            # lowercase tag searches
+            m = ptn_lc.search(q)
+            if not m or not ptn_lcv.search(unicode(v)):
+                continue
+
+            va.pop()
+            va.append(v.lower())
+            q = q[: m.start()]
+
+            field, oper = m.groups()
+            if oper in ["=", "=="]:
+                q += " {} like ? ".format(field)
+            else:
+                q += " lower({}) {} ? ".format(field, oper)
+
         try:
             return self.run_query(vols, joins + "where " + q, va)
         except Exception as ex:
diff --git a/copyparty/up2k.py b/copyparty/up2k.py
index 788c1437..415f96a3 100644
--- a/copyparty/up2k.py
+++ b/copyparty/up2k.py
@@ -596,7 +596,7 @@ class Up2k(object):
             c2 = conn.cursor()
             c3 = conn.cursor()
             n_left = cur.execute("select count(w) from up").fetchone()[0]
-            for w, rd, fn in cur.execute("select w, rd, fn from up"):
+            for w, rd, fn in cur.execute("select w, rd, fn from up order by rd, fn"):
                 n_left -= 1
                 q = "select w from mt where w = ?"
                 if c2.execute(q, (w[:16],)).fetchone():
@@ -1512,7 +1512,7 @@ def up2k_chunksize(filesize):
 
 
 def up2k_wark_from_hashlist(salt, filesize, hashes):
-    """ server-reproducible file identifier, independent of name or location """
+    """server-reproducible file identifier, independent of name or location"""
     ident = [salt, str(filesize)]
     ident.extend(hashes)
     ident = "\n".join(ident)