VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Windows hosts.
saberman
Posts: 286
Joined: 21. Dec 2009, 00:32
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP, 7, 8.1, 10

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by saberman »

>Added ACPI commands for power button and sleep button (requires guest additions to be installed in the guest OS)

Small problem when running using the VB GUI and VBoxHeadlessTray signals the guest to shutdown -- it does not recognize when the quest has completed shutdown and powered off. It continues to show the status as Stopping instead of Powered Down.

Other than that it is wonderfull.
Yuriy.Samorodov
Posts: 2
Joined: 6. May 2010, 14:55
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Ubuntu Linux

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by Yuriy.Samorodov »

Hello to you all!

I've got a problem using VboxHeadlessTray 1.2 with VirtualBox 3.1.6. Maybe I do something wrong.
First to all, I installed VBoxheadlesstray into the different folder than Virtualbox. Then I run vboxheadlesstray. On prompt, I chose VM. I leave "Run Virtual Machine" checkbox turned on. After this I have got a tray Icon. Baloontip talled, that VM was not started.
I rebooted host OS, but nothing changed. There is no any effect by clicking in the vboxheadlesstray menu items. When I run VirtualBox GUI and start VM, I get VBoxHeadlessTray changing. Baloon tip informs me, that VM is running.
So, my question is what I do wrong? Is VBoxHeadless compatitable with VirtualBox 3.1.6?
Yuriy.Samorodov
Posts: 2
Joined: 6. May 2010, 14:55
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Ubuntu Linux

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by Yuriy.Samorodov »

Maybe, I am doing something wrong, but I couldn't make work even VBoxHeadlessTray even with VirtualBox 3.1.2, wich are officialy required.
I have checked VBoxHeadlessTray logs and found out this information.
When I try to start VM using VBoxHeadlessTray:

Code: Select all

06/05/2010 19:27:02.000 Registering virtualbox callback
06/05/2010 19:27:02.000 Adding autorun entries
When I exit VBoxHeadlessTray, those strings are added to the logs:

Code: Select all

06/05/2010 19:26:24.281 Removing autorun entries
06/05/2010 19:26:24.281 Machine stopped or not launched by us, exiting immediately
06/05/2010 19:26:24.281 Unregistering virtualbox callback
06/05/2010 19:26:24.281 Releasing Machine
06/05/2010 19:26:24.281 Releasing VirtualBox
There are no any other entries in VBoxHeadlessTray logs.
I need your help!
funlovin
Posts: 5
Joined: 7. Jul 2008, 16:22

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by funlovin »

Hi,

are there any plans to make this tool work
with the new version 3.2.0?

Thanks for this great tool!
varu0612
Posts: 13
Joined: 20. May 2010, 23:04
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: CentOS, RH

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by varu0612 »

Can be this feature implemented in the new release?

Cheers
nrs
Posts: 1
Joined: 24. May 2010, 19:25
Primary OS: MS Windows 2008
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: CentOS, Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by nrs »

As others have stated this does not appear to be working in the new version of virtualbox (3.2.0). A few posts ago, fluxsmith made mention that he had installed an older version of vbox to a path other than the default and vboxheadlesstray (holy crap that's a long name, is it okay if I just call it vbht from now on) did not appear to be working. He was able to determine that this was because vbht looks in a hard coded path for the vbox files and does not take the value from registry. He was further able to fix his problem by adding a junction to link the directories to each other.

Knowing that 3.2.0 installs to a different path than the older releases (C:\Program Files\Sun\VirtualBox for older releases and C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox for 3.2.0) I went about making a junction for Program Files\Oracle to Program Files\Sun in hopes of getting vbht to work.

Unfortunately this did not work properly - when I tried to run the exe from the command line and specify the vm name (vboxheadlesstray.exe CentOS) I received the following error message
Failed to create VirtualBox COM server - No such interface supported.


however -interestingly enough, the VM *DID* start running, though no tray icon for vbht ever showed up.
sledge77
Posts: 2
Joined: 1. Nov 2009, 12:49
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Win XP, Ubuntu

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by sledge77 »

It seems that there is an update for VboxHeadlessTray on http://github.com/toptensoftware/VBoxHeadlessTray.
helpdeskherb
Posts: 5
Joined: 1. Jun 2010, 00:48
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Contact:

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by helpdeskherb »

First let me say thanks for a nice utility. However, with the new 3.2 version, I'm seeing an issue and thought I would post in case anyone else is having the same. Host is Win7Pro, guest is WinXP. Prior, using VirtualBox 3.1.8 and VBoxHeadlessTray v1.2 all worked as expected. However, with the new VirtualBox 3.2.0 and the updated VBoxHeadlessTray 3.2 a problem with accessing the VM using RDP via the Tray Icon fails with an RDP error: "Your computer could not connect to another console session on the remote computer because you already have a console session in progress." Yet there is no other console session in progress. I am able to successfully connect via a direct RDP session when I launch mstsc.exe from Win7, however, when attempting to connect via the Tray Icon the error is consistently generated. The other aspects of the tool seem to be working as they have in the previous version, save the RDP function. Since I am only testing, it is not critical but thought it should be noted. I checked the TopTenSoftware website but did not find an update. Again, thanks for a great utility. ~Herb

*** To follow up, I fresh installed Windows 7 64bit on a new HP and this wonderful utility is working flawlessly. Thanks!!
Host: Windows 7 Pro 64bit
Guest: Windows Vista Business 32bit
Guest: Windows 2008
VirtualBox: 3.2.6
VboxHeadlessTray: 3.2.0.2
Last edited by helpdeskherb on 6. Jul 2010, 19:12, edited 1 time in total.
antonmos
Posts: 7
Joined: 3. Jan 2010, 02:38
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: ubuntu 9.10

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by antonmos »

Thanks for this excellent tool.

Would it be possible to add automatic checking for new versions of VirtualBox? Since i use VBoxHeadlessTray i never run the VBox Gui, so I am never notified about updates.

Thanks!
bradr
Posts: 12
Joined: 23. Oct 2009, 13:27
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Ubuntu

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by bradr »

I've just put up a new build that fixes the two most pressing issues:

1. It should now work when VirtualBox is installed in a non-standard location.
2. It launches VBoxHeadless.exe with the "--vrdp config" command line options so RDP isn't always turned on.

I'm not sure when/if I'll get time to look into other issues mentioned here, but the source is up on github...

Brad
sledge77
Posts: 2
Joined: 1. Nov 2009, 12:49
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Win XP, Ubuntu

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by sledge77 »

Hi Brad,
thanks for this tool. Really a fine piece of software.
But... There is always a but :D

I've seen following issue:
VBoxHeadlessTray is running a machine
I shut down / restart Windows
After the restart the VM doesn't start.

The VBoxHeadlessTray icon is there and shows the VM as saved.
If I try to start the VM via VBox itself I get an error that the state cannot be resumed.

I have to discard the saved state. After that the VM is working again.
This happened several times now. Maybo someone else can confirm this?

Host is Win 7 Ultimate 64bit
Guest is WinXP Pro 32bit

Thanks for reading

Sledge77
BUZ81
Posts: 1
Joined: 24. Jul 2010, 14:12
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Win XP Pro

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by BUZ81 »

Here goes another working great but...post.

When shutting down the guest VM is being shutdown rather than saved.

I am running the latest Vbox and tray programs.
The physical computer is running Win 7 Ult 32bit
The guest is XP Pro SP3

Keep up the good work.
dskdskdsk
Posts: 1
Joined: 8. Aug 2010, 04:25
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Debian, CentOS

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by dskdskdsk »

thanks for this brad! you are my hero.
kory
Posts: 1
Joined: 20. Aug 2010, 18:37
Primary OS: MS Windows 7
VBox Version: OSE Debian
Guest OSses: Win7

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by kory »

I just got this going and it seems to be working great, just have one question.

Is there a way we can have this run in the start of Windows to make sure that my VMs are started when windows boots?
saberman
Posts: 286
Joined: 21. Dec 2009, 00:32
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows XP, 7, 8.1, 10

Re: VBoxHeadlessTray - free utility to run VMs in Windows tray

Post by saberman »

I run VMs for development/testing and there fore have the VMs' desktops as windows on my machine.

Is there a way to change add a checkbox shown when VBoxHeadlessTray starts to Open VirtualBox GUI?
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