Error message when running a VM from a shortcut created by VBox 5.2

[WhatHaveYou]

2018-10-26_05-08.png (18.85 KiB) Viewed 7000 times

I imagine I could fix this by editing the shortcut (once I've located it on my system; I find it via a launcher) but this is something that is going to bite a lot of users who upgrade from version 5.2. Unless the problem is specific to my system.

Running the VM in question by launching it through the VBox application does not present the problem.

[socratis]

by editing the shortcut (once I've located it on my system; I find it via a launcher)

• Where did you get that shortcut?
• What does it point to if you edit it?
• Did you uninstall VirtualBox prior to installing the beta?
• Can you try a clean uninstall/re-install?
• What is your host?

[WhatHaveYou]

• Where did you get that shortcut?
I made it via VirtualBox - its 'add a shortcut to desktop' function.

• What does it point to if you edit it?

Its content (I found it; I had moved it off the desktop) is:

Code: Select all

/usr/lib/virtualbox/VirtualBox --comment "Win10 Home" --startvm "064d2e5d-3735-4765-920a-64aa5ae86593"

• Did you uninstall VirtualBox prior to installing the beta?

Initially, no. But then the beta would not install. At that point, I uninstalled the old Vbox.

• Can you try a clean uninstall/re-install?

I have just tried reinstallation, though admittedly it was not fully clean because I did not remove any stuff in my $HOME. The error persisted. Yet, the problem seems to owe to the combination of the `--startvm` in the shortcut with the new version of Vbox, no?

• What is your host?

Mint 19 x64 Cinnamon.

[michaln]

Yet, the problem seems to owe to the combination of the `--startvm` in the shortcut with the new version of Vbox, no?

Yes. The VM Manager and VM processes used to use the same executable. That, for numerous reasons, was a bad idea and the VM Manager executable (VirtualBox) and VM process executable (VirtualBoxVM) are now separate. VirtualBoxVM takes --startvm, VirtualBox does not.

[WhatHaveYou]

Thanks for the information.

Virtual Box 6 might want to preserve backward compatibility, in the form of compatibility with shortcuts created with earlier versions. It seems to me that not doing that would be a bad idea.

[mpack]

Backwards compatibility creates its own problem, like cumbersome loading. VirtualBox.exe would have to load first, recognize that the parameter is in error, and run VirtualBoxVM instead. All to fix a one-off problem.

As long as the error message is clear (and that dialog above looks pretty damn clear to me!) then I see no problem.

[WhatHaveYou]

All to fix a one-off problem that will, roughly and a bit polemically put, 'break userspace'. Also, the next version of VirtualBox could skip the check. So, I think it would be a good idea.

[socratis]

Not too many people use shortcuts. Having VirtualBox launch the main app, just to launch the helper, might be a security risk. And one-off is not that difficult to fix a shortcut. About less than 0.1% of the users will be affected...

[WhatHaveYou]

Might we - those of us who are / will be affected - at least have a nicer, i.e. more informative, error message, please? (You'll have to say in that message, if it is to be truly informative, that something that worked no longer does .. )

[fishnet37222]

FYI, this error also occurs when double-clicking shortcuts created by the beta. I think the beta should be updated to create shortcuts using the correct target.

[socratis]

@fishnet37222
I did a quick search, and you've previously posted on both "OSX Hosts" and on "Windows Hosts", so I'm not sure which host you're referring to. BTW, you should have told us, I shouldn't have to go searching for it...

But on my OSX 10.11.6 host, the "Create Alias on the Desktop" creates simply an alias to the VBOX file on the desktop, not to an executable with arguments. If you double-click that, it will open VirtualBox if closed, but it won't launch the VM, as it used to. That's another issue in the beta, see "Dbl-clicking on OVA, VBOX does nothing.".

[fishnet37222]

This is on the Windows 10 host. The shortcut created by the beta was initially targeting ""C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VirtualBox.exe" --comment "Fedora" --startvm "{591b3bbf-5049-4101-bbf6-082fa29b1745}"". After I manually changed the executable name to VirtualBoxVM.exe, it launched without any errors.