VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Windows hosts.
vfeo
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VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by vfeo »

VirtualBox manager has stopped starting. (More than 2 years everything is ok). The process starts and is visible in the task manager, but the window (VirtualBox manager) does not appear.
Reinstalling doesn't help. Log attached.

Intel (R) Core (TM) i5-6500 CPU
Virtualization in BIOS enabled
RAM 24 GB
Windows 10 Pro 21H1 (19043.1081)
All updates have been installed.
VirtualBox-6.1.22 (144080)
Attachments
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scottgus1
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Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by scottgus1 »

I have seen this happen to folks a few times but I haven't pinned down what causes it yet.

Let's try resetting Virtualbox temporarily.

1. Reboot the host so no Virtualbox processes are running.
2. Go to C:\Users\{you}
3. Move the .Virtualbox folder to the Desktop. (Note the period in the folder name)
4. Try Virtualbox again. If it starts, it will show an empty VM list, but all your VMs will still be there ready to re-register their .vbox files using the Machine menu Add command.

If Virtualbox still does not start after the above, then something has really broken on the host. In such case try uninstalling Virtualbox completely, and delete the Extension Pack folder left over in Virtualbox's installation folder, then rebooting the host, then reinstall using right-click-Run-As-Administrator.
vfeo
Posts: 11
Joined: 3. Jul 2021, 13:27
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux, Windows

Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by vfeo »

scottgus1 wrote:I have seen this happen to folks a few times but I haven't pinned down what causes it yet.

Let's try resetting Virtualbox temporarily.

1. Reboot the host so no Virtualbox processes are running.
2. Go to C:\Users\{you}
3. Move the .Virtualbox folder to the Desktop. (Note the period in the folder name)
4. Try Virtualbox again. If it starts, it will show an empty VM list, but all your VMs will still be there ready to re-register their .vbox files using the Machine menu Add command.

If Virtualbox still does not start after the above, then something has really broken on the host. In such case try uninstalling Virtualbox completely, and delete the Extension Pack folder left over in Virtualbox's installation folder, then rebooting the host, then reinstall using right-click-Run-As-Administrator.
Unfortunately, it's not helped to solve the problem. Are there any other ways to solve it?
scottgus1
Site Moderator
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Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by scottgus1 »

Please confirm you tried reinstalling Virtualbox with right-click-Run-As-Administrator.

Otherwise, I don't know anything else.
vfeo
Posts: 11
Joined: 3. Jul 2021, 13:27
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux, Windows

Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by vfeo »

scottgus1 wrote:Please confirm you tried reinstalling Virtualbox with right-click-Run-As-Administrator.

Otherwise, I don't know anything else.
Yes, that's exactly what I did.
scottgus1
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Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by scottgus1 »

OK< I'm stumped, then. Someone else will have to weigh in on this one.

Something on your host OS or a glitch in the host OS itself is interfering. Look at anything new that happened between when Virtualbox worked and when it didn't.
vfeo
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Primary OS: MS Windows 10
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Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by vfeo »

Nothing unusual happened. Some soft have been installed. But its removal did not affect. Maybe Windows updates affected this.
fth0
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Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by fth0 »

Please reboot the host, reproduce the issue, and post a zip file containing the contents of the .VirtualBox folder (where VirtualBox.xml resides).
vfeo
Posts: 11
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Primary OS: MS Windows 10
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Guest OSses: Linux, Windows

Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by vfeo »

fth0 wrote:Please reboot the host, reproduce the issue, and post a zip file containing the contents of the .VirtualBox folder (where VirtualBox.xml resides).
It is empty. One way to solve the problem was to clear it. It did not help.
fth0
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Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by fth0 »

vfeo wrote:It is empty.
Then post a zip file containing the contents of the previous .VirtualBox folder's content that you moved away (if you followed scottgus1's instructions closely). Please also check if there are other .VirtualBox folders in other users' folders (C:\Users\<other username>\.VirtualBox). As always, note the "."s in the folder names, which influences sorting in Explorer.
vfeo wrote:One way to solve the problem was to clear it.
The basic idea of this step was to remove the old VirtualBox.xml file, which contains the global (per-user) VirtualBox configuration, so that the VirtualBox Manager creates it anew, which should happen quite early after starting it. If even that is not happening ...
vfeo
Posts: 11
Joined: 3. Jul 2021, 13:27
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux, Windows

Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by vfeo »

fth0 wrote: Then post a zip file containing the contents of the previous .VirtualBox folder's content that you moved away (if you followed scottgus1's instructions closely). Please also check if there are other .VirtualBox folders in other users' folders (C:\Users\<other username>\.VirtualBox). As always, note the "."s in the folder names, which influences sorting in Explorer.
The folder .Virtualbox was deleted earlier. Before asking on the forum, I googled options for solving the problem.
fth0 wrote: The basic idea of this step was to remove the old VirtualBox.xml file, which contains the global (per-user) VirtualBox configuration, so that the VirtualBox Manager creates it anew, which should happen quite early after starting it. If even that is not happening ...
This is not happening. An empty .Virtualbox folder is created. Screenshots of processes are attached.
.
Attachments
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vbox_ps_1.png
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fth0
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Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by fth0 »

... I have several independent ideas to pursue (in the order of increasing complexity and knowledge required):

If you have so-called security software (e.g. anti-virus) installed, uninstall it for a test.

Note the wall clock time, reproduce the problem, open the Windows Event Manager and search for events near the wall clock time.

Use Sysinternals Process Monitor to further analyze what happens.
Simple07
Posts: 133
Joined: 5. Nov 2014, 16:05

Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by Simple07 »

Hi,
I have VirtualBox 6.1.22 installed on Windows 10 Build 19043.1110, and all is running fine. Now, you could try 5 things:
1- In the Task Manager right click on the VirtualBox Manager and choose "Bring to front" or "Maximize", it may be starting minimized.
2- Uninstall Oracle VirtualBox, delete the Oracle directory in Program Files, then reinstall VirtualBox (all your Virtual Machines should be safe).
3- Perform Disk Cleanup --> Clean up system files --> Choose all items to delete --> OK to delete system files (this might be a lot of gigabytes).
4- Create another Admin User (or enable and use the Administrator) on your Windows computer and try operating VirtualBox from the new user.
5- Failing all the above, we turn towards Windows.Open an Elevated (Admin) CMD and perform the following:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>CHKDSK C: /b /f /v /x /scan (may take a very long time or several hours, it is faster on SSD)
C:\WINDOWS\system32>DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
C:\WINDOWS\system32>DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore
C:\WINDOWS\system32>DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /source:WIM:E:\Sources\Install.wim:1 /LimitAccess (if you have Windows 19043 ISO mounted on Disk E)
C:\WINDOWS\system32>DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth (if you do not have the Windows ISO)
C:\WINDOWS\system32>SFC /SCANNOW

* Notice:
- You could try different Display Driver or Screen Resolution!!
- With respect to point 3, I have come across left-over files, especially in "C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Temp", causing all sorts of trouble.
- You could try (admin CMD) C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage startvm <VM name or UUID> --type gui or --type separate, --type headless will run a VM without the Manager, see if it makes a difference. Or try an older VirtualBox release (I am sure you've done that).
vfeo
Posts: 11
Joined: 3. Jul 2021, 13:27
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux, Windows

Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by vfeo »

If you have so-called security software (e.g. anti-virus) installed, uninstall it for a test.
No, only from Microsoft. (Shutdown does not solve)
Note the wall clock time, reproduce the problem, open the Windows Event Manager and search for events near the wall clock time.
Nothing out of the ordinary like for me
Use Sysinternals Process Monitor to further analyze what happens.
Screenshots are attached. I tried to analyze them. But everything ok as for me.
1- In the Task Manager right click on the VirtualBox Manager and choose "Bring to front" or "Maximize", it may be starting minimized.
This option ("Bring to front" or "Maximize") does not exist.
2- Uninstall Oracle VirtualBox, delete the Oracle directory in Program Files, then reinstall VirtualBox (all your Virtual Machines should be safe).
3- Perform Disk Cleanup --> Clean up system files --> Choose all items to delete --> OK to delete system files (this might be a lot of gigabytes).
4- Create another Admin User (or enable and use the Administrator) on your Windows computer and try operating VirtualBox from the new user.
Didn't help (But I have done this before, excluding p.4)
5- Failing all the above, we turn towards Windows.Open an Elevated (Admin) CMD and perform the following:

C:\WINDOWS\system32>CHKDSK C: /b /f /v /x /scan
Several bugs fixed, log attached.
C:\WINDOWS\system32>DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup
C:\WINDOWS\system32>DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore

C:\WINDOWS\system32>DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /source:WIM:E:\Sources\Install.wim:1 /LimitAccess (if you have Windows 19043 ISO mounted on Disk E)
(I’m use this option)
C:\WINDOWS\system32>SFC /SCANNOW
Everything is ok
You could try different Display Driver or Screen Resolution!
+
(Didn't help earlier and now)
- With respect to point 3, I have come across left-over files, especially in "C:\Users\<UserName>\AppData\Local\Temp", causing all sorts of trouble.
+
I cleaned and that and the other, I often do so
- You could try (admin CMD) C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox>VBoxManage startvm <VM name or UUID> --type gui or --type separate, --type headless will run a VM without the Manager, see if it makes a difference.
This is problem; I wrote earlier «The folder .Virtualbox was deleted earlier. Before asking on the forum, I googled options for solving the problem.» I think their configs were there. Now to try this, I need to add any of my VM from console. I will google it. (Or help with cmd line pls).
Or try an older VirtualBox release (I am sure you've done that).
I tried several but didn't help
fth0
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Re: VirtualBox manager has stopped starting

Post by fth0 »

You didn't succeed with attaching anything to your post. ;)
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