Annoying warning message (machine is started) not allowing making changes

Discussions about using Windows guests in VirtualBox.
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PdrNG
Posts: 1
Joined: 13. Nov 2020, 10:16

Annoying warning message (machine is started) not allowing making changes

Post by PdrNG »

Dear VirtualBox maestros

I have VirtualBox with multipass (new Ubuntu instances manager) on windows 8.1 (company requirements, sorry), so I can create new instances of Ubuntu from a single command line in matter of seconds.
Then, as the “instance cloud” is some kind of virtual/private to multipass, I load VirtualBox from a admin PS with:
& $env:USERPROFILE\Desktop\PSTools\PsExec.exe -s -i $env:VBOX_MSI_INSTALL_PATH\VirtualBox.exe

But I have an issue, with POWERED OFF instances, as I try to make changes (i.e. add a network adapter), the following warning message appear annoyingly every 1 second after I close it.
“The virtual machine you are changing has been started. Only certain settings can be changed while a machine is running. All other changes will be lost if you close this window now”
Giving me only one second (aprox) since I close the window to it pop-ups again.
Machine is Powered off, and able to “suffer” changes, indeed during this second I can (one of hundred tries) to make a change (enable new network interface) and this setting apply correctly.
This happened whereas all instances are down, or another instance is running
Only way to avoid this message is to close the multipass app from taskbar,

I guess, the multipasss app is doing some refreshing thing, or reading something, that mix-up VirtualBox confusing it, so a Powered Off machine seems some short of active for the settings window

Any help ??
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Annoying warning message (machine is started) not allowing making changes

Post by scottgus1 »

If there is any way for you to start a guest directly from the main Virtualbox window, try to do so.

If you can start a stable guest directly from Virtualbox, then the problem is in the multipass configuration, which we wouldn't know how to fix.
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: Annoying warning message (machine is started) not allowing making changes

Post by RemonK17 »

I had the same problem! I had a script running in the background that called

Code: Select all

vboxmanage showvminfo "W7_64" | grep -c "running (since"
vboxmanage showvminfo triggered the warning in my case!
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