Virtual Box installer error

[pl4z]

I had Vbox installed, and I had my VM set up but due to an error in the Virtual Machine I uninstalled the Vbox (through Add/Remove programs). I wanted to install it again, but it errors out after I click "finish" in the installer (even after I run it as an administrator). Also I'm trying to install the windows host version

[scottgus1]

Please try this:
Open a Run-As-Admin command prompt. Note that you personal folders may not be accessible to the Admin command prompt, so it may be good to put the installer in a public folder that all accounts on the PC can access, like "C:\Users\Public\Downloads", or make your own new folder "C:\VBinstall".

Enter this in the command line:

"C:\VBinstall\VirtualBox-X.Y.Z-######-Win.exe"{space}--logging{space}--msi-log-file{space}"C:\VBinstall\textfile.txt"

So for 6.1.36 it should read:

"C:\VBinstall\VirtualBox-6.1.36-152435-Win.exe" --logging --msi-log-file "C:\VBinstall\msilog.txt'

Run the command. The log of the install should be in "textfile.txt". Zip that log file and post it here using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

[Stroichik]

Hello, i`m having same issue - cant repair 6.1.36 version or update it to 6.1.38 - installation just ends with an error.

[scottgus1]

Stroichik, thanks for the logs. I'm not good at interpreting MSI logs, but the .38 log has an error updating the network files. the .36 repair log seems to have trouble authenticating the installer file stored on the MSI database, I think. Probably a bit flip.

Try this, please:
Uninstall Virtualbox and reboot.
Go to "C:\Windows\System32\drivers", look for any files called 'Vbox*.sys' (there could be up to 5) and delete them.
Reboot again.
If you have any 3rd-party security or anti-malware software, disable the living daylights out of it for a moment.
Reinstall Virtualbox using right-click-Run-As-Administrator.

[Stroichik]

I really dont want to remove Vbox, untill i figure out what is wrong with it. Since there are posts on forums about people being unable to install Vbox back.

And only things i was doing with Vbox is just install it and update it 1 or 2 times since january 2022. Nothing else. Why its suddenly throwing errors left and right is a mystery to me.

[scottgus1]

I really dont want to remove Vbox

cant repair 6.1.36 version or update it to 6.1.38

A repair or an update involves an uninstall: can't do one without the other.

Why its suddenly throwing errors left and right

Windows has glitches during installs and uninstalls at times. The MSI database goes south, files get locked and cant be removed for updating, etc.

The post-uninstall manual deleting of the .sys files has fixed some of those "can't install" posts. Additionally, having a tested restorable host disk image or three is a good way to put the host OS back in order if the attempt to upgrade Virtualbox fails. You'll be doing tested restorable host disk images anyway, since anyone who cares about their computer does such backups, so you already have them to rely on.

[Stroichik]

I cant even uninstall Vbox.

when i try to remove it same thing happens, it just rollsback all changes and keeps VBox.

When i try repair VBox it shows me this message as seen in attachement

Vbox.png (19.95 KiB) Viewed 1852 times

[Stroichik]

such message do not appear, if i run installer of my exact version of VBox. But again same thing happens - it rollsback any changes, and wont repair or remove VBox

[scottgus1]

That message means your windows host has lost its copy of the MSI installer package that comes out of the downloaded installer during install time.

Make a temporary folder on you computer to hold the extracted files, like C:\VBOXMSI.
in a regular command prompt window, drag the downloaded exe file. The full path and file name of the exe will appear at the command prompt.
Type {space}--extract{space}--path{space}
Drag the temporary folder you made on the command window. The path and name of the folder will appear in the command window.
The command will look like this:

Code: Select all

drive:\path\to\VirtualBox-[versionnumber]-Win.exe --extract --path c:\VBOXMSI

The MSI will be in that temporary folder.

Note there's one annoying glitch with the MSI installer. A message box which does not have an accompanying icon in the taskbar will display the results of the last command. If you leave this message box open, further runs of commands with the .exe file will not do anything. You will have to find the message box and close it. And if you minimize all the windows with the Desktop Peek tool you may not be able to find it to close it. So close it as soon as you see what it says.

Once you have the .msi file, you have to rename it to the file name in the error message:

469jme.....msi

then point the error message box's browsing feature at where the msi file is located.

[Stroichik]

Ok, it was weird, but it did worked.
Repair created empty folder at default installation path and a .lnk file on desktop.
After that i could run Remove to delete Vbox 6.1.36

Although something was locking VBoxsup.sys, so i had to boot in safe mode to delete it. But after that i could install 7.0.0 version of VBox.
Looks like its working.

It said something about me missing Python Core and win32api bindings, though, during install. But i do have Python installed and pywin32 bindings. I hope its not a problem for later?
Thanks for help. Its first time i encountered program which didn't want to uninstall.