Virtual machine inaccessible!

MikeDP · Post by **MikeDP** » 23. Jun 2007, 17:18

I just just got the above message when I tried to start my Win2K VM in VBox (1.4.0) and the VM is marked Inaccessible! It was all fine the last time I used it and I'm unsure what has changed (no updates have been applied since then). OS is Ubuntu 7.04.

The error says "The snapshots folder of a machine with snapshots cannot be changed (please discard all snapshots first)." The result code is 0x80004005, component is Machine.

I've found nothing in the help and no mention in the forums of this and am unsure what to do.

Any help would be much appreciated but be gentle, I'm fairly new to Linux and VERY new to virtualisation

michael · Post by **michael** » 28. Jun 2007, 12:43

If this is still relevant, then open the properties window for that VM, select "General" and the "Advanced" tab and check which directory is listed for snapshots. The default is

Code: Select all

/home/<your user>/.VirtualBox/<VM name>/Snapshots

Check to see if there are any snapshot files in that directory.

MikeDP · Post by **MikeDP** » 28. Jun 2007, 14:42

I had found these files thanks. Is it suggesting I should delete them? I had not tried to change any of them manually in any way before the error, I assume they are handled entirely by VB.

Should I just delete them?

Thanks, Mike

michael · Post by **michael** » 28. Jun 2007, 16:06

Please do not delete them manually. I was just wondering whether that setting was correct or whether your XML settings files were bad. You could either remove the snapshots (select them using the snapshots tab attached to the VM in the main GUI and select "discard snapshot") or revert to them (select "discard current state and snapshot" until they are all gone).

MikeDP · Post by **MikeDP** » 28. Jun 2007, 16:50

OK. Unfortunately (if I recollect, I'm not at the machine now) all the other tabs were grayed out and inaccessible - I could do nothing from inside VB with this virtual machine [other than delete it!]

If it's the XML file what next?

Mike

michael · Post by **michael** » 28. Jun 2007, 16:53

If you are alright with losing what you have done since taking the snapshots, you could delete the machine (if VirtualBox will let you do so) but keep the hard drive, and then create a new machine with the old hard drive.

MikeDP · Post by **MikeDP** » 28. Jun 2007, 17:32

Does that mean a re-install of W2000 or will I be able to find the existing one on the virtual disc?

Any idea what went wrong - to prevent it happening again?

Mike

michael · Post by **michael** » 28. Jun 2007, 17:35

You would lose everything you have done since the first snapshot you took. And no idea I'm afraid. Did you try to change the snapshot directory at any point, or to change the configuration files manually?

MikeDP · Post by **MikeDP** » 28. Jun 2007, 18:44

Not intentionally. Though I did have a look inside the XML file when I fixed the W2000 logon (msgina.dll?) issue, but I was careful not to change/save it.

Thanks for your help.

Mike