Problem after updating to Windows 10 1703

[treysis]

I was using a "VirtualBox Host-Only Network" adapter for my machines (to use bridged networking to pass IPv6-DHCP from my host to my guests). Today, I updated to Windows 10 1703 Creator's Update. Unfortunately, this deleted the VirtualBox Host-Only Network adapter from the network devices, and therefor, my VMs fail to start. More unfortunately, it is still listed with "VBoxManage list bridgedifs", but not with "list hostonlyifs". Therefor, I cannot remove it. If I add a new one, it will become "#2". How do I delete only "bridgedifs"?

[socratis]

1. Uninstall VirtualBox. Your VMs are going to be untouched.
2. Download (if you haven't already) the latest VirtualBox and its matching ExtPack. Store them in a common location, i.e. not on "Desktop", or "Documents", but to "Public/Downloads" for example.
3. Right-click on the installer and select "Run-as-Administrator". At the end of the installation, choose to "Start Oracle VM VirtualBox". Do not worry if your VMs do not show.
4. Go to File » Preferences » Extensions. Click on the icon with the orange, down-pointing arrow on the right. Select the ExtPack from the previous steps.
5. Quit VirtualBox. Re-start VirtualBox as you would normally, i.e. from the Desktop shortcut or the Start menu.

[treysis]

Did that. There's still this hidden "bridgedif". And if I create a new Host-Only Network adapter, it will always start with #2. Unfornately, VBoxManage ... remove only works with ... being hostonlyif, not bridgedif. Don't know what to do. It's not to do with the registry. It's something internal in VBox (or let's say, I can't find the setting in the registry).

[socratis]

It's not to do with the registry. It's something internal in VBox (or let's say, I can't find the setting in the registry).

I'm sorry but it is in Windows, there's nothing hidden in VirtualBox. Search for "remove hidden adapters".

[treysis]

No, it is not. There is no hidden adapter in Windows by this name. There's nothing in the registry as well. However, I can list it with "VBoxManage.exe list -l bridgedifs". So it is somehow in VBox. If there was just an option to remove it like with "hostonlyif"...

[socratis]

There is nothing to remove with the VBoxManage command as you're thinking, for one simple reason; it's not an option for VirtualBox. It's tied into the system's internals where VirtualBox is installed.

The Bridged adapter is a "filter" in each of your actual network cards. It gets installed during VirtualBox installation. If you want so desperately to not see it, there is a simple option; uninstall VirtualBox and re-install it as I told you before, but before you start clicking Next, Next, Next... read the installation options. You'll see a "VirtualBox Bridged Networking" option. Uncheck that.

[treysis]

I did the reinstall. I want the VirtualBox Bridged Networking. I just want the old, broken one removed. Because the new Bridged Networking adapter after reinstall has #1. Maybe it is a windows issue. But one that you cannot resolve by looking for "hidden adapters". VBox put it there and left it there. "hostonlyifs" can be removed with VBoxManage, just do "VBoxManage.exe hostonlyif remove name ...". Why do you say I am lying? Telling me I am imagining an issue is not going to resolve an issue that really exists

The thing is, the one of only two traces I can find of the adapter is a "VBoxManage list -l bridgedifs". I can neither find it in the registry, nor does it show up in the control panel. If I uninstall VBox it is right back there after I reinstall, but still hidden. The other trace is that if I create a host-only adapter, it will be created as #2, while before it was always without a number. So there is something left somewhere, and I'm trying to figure out what and where it is exactly.

[Martin]

Windows tries to remember old devices in case of them appearing again.
Maybe cleaning this up will also help here.
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/dan ... remove-it/

[socratis]

I didn't say you're lying, I said that VBoxManage has nothing to do with it.
I told you there is no VirtualBox command to do what you want. Period.
You insist on calling *me* a liar and trying to convince me that I'm hiding something from you!

Check the link that Martin gave you. I had already told you before to search for "hidden devices". Please do it!

[treysis]

And I told you that I did that and that it doesn't show up there. It is only visible from VBoxManage.

Well, there exists a command to remove hostonlyifs. So I thought why should it not be available for bridgedifs? That doesn't make sense to me. What's the reason for not allowing me to do that?

I'm not saying you're hiding something from me. But you are telling me my problem is not with VBox, while in fact it is. I am coming here to seek help, because I have no idea how to remove this VBox-specific bridge device. So I suppose there's some bug in VBox and it should be reported somewhere.

@Martin: So yes, I tried what's written in the link long before. But it doesn't help because the adapter doesn't show up in the list of the device manager.

[BillG]

Windows doesn't make things up either. If it is calling the adapter #2, it already has one with the same name. I have had similar problems in the past, both with VirtualBox upgrades and with Windows upgrades.

Exactly how are you checking this in Windows? When you open Device Manager, go to View and select Show hidden devices. Here is what mine looks like with and without this enabled. You can see they are quite different.

Device manager.PNG

Device ManagerShow.PNG

[BillG]

Another trick which has worked for me to solve adapter problems after upgrades is to go to the settings of the vm (while it is shut down), clear the checkbox from the adapter currently in use and enable a different one.

[socratis]

Well, there exists a command to remove hostonlyifs. So I thought why should it not be available for bridgedifs? That doesn't make sense to me. What's the reason for not allowing me to do that?

Because a HostOnly network can, and is created at will by a user. The Bridged network option is done at installation time (only) and it's a system device filter. Do you understand the differences? You can't do it from the command line ^[1] and most certainly you can't do it as a simple user; it needs administrator/root access. It's a different process/thinking altogether. That's what I've been trying to explain to you.

I am coming here to seek help, because I have no idea how to remove this VBox-specific bridge device. So I suppose there's some bug in VBox and it should be reported somewhere.

That was the problem. You don't know enough about how the whole VirtualBox logic works, yet you have an opinion and everything I was trying to point you to was "Nope, it's not that", because it wasn't fitting your theory. Your thinking would take you as far as creating a bug. For a perfectly normal operation.

Finally one last note; it's Windows only that creates such hidden devices. Their logic is unknown. But the problem is quite real and solvable, if you're willing to jump through some hoops.

---

^[1]: Technically you "could" do the installation of the device filters from the command line mimicking the operations done by the installer/uninstaller, but it's definitely not a VirtualBox/VBoxManage operation. It varies, depending on the host OS, and it is definitely a host OS procedure.

[treysis]

@Bill: I've done it exactly as you showed. And I know this. And this has helped in the past. But for some odd reason not in this instance. The "#2" is not added by Windows, but by VirtualBox in my case, when installing/adding the filter (and then the name gets passed to Windows). Also, there's no remnant of any "VirtualBox Host-Only Network (Adapter)" without number in the Windows registry.

I also did change the settings in the VM preferences. The problem is, if I want to use a Host-Only Network, I need to create one first (from File -> Preferences -> Network -> Host-only Networks; and this is also where the #2 get's added). If I don't create one, I cannot select one in the individual VM's settings.

I am more than willing to jump through some hoops, but the only one right now seems to be to do a clean install of Windows.

I do have administrator privileges on my machine. So is there a way to manually remove the device filter, if it isn't removed by the VBox uninstall procedure?

Edit: So maybe the problem is actually not the bridged interface at all, but the second Host-Only Network. But I can't seem to find a way to remove the #2 from the adapter. VBox creates it as #2 every time, and I don't find any first adapter. Also not in the device manager with hidden/not-connected devices shown. This is, how it looks:

[BillG]

I would be more impressed if you showed me what you see when you display device manager with show hidden devices selected ON THE HOST!

Or the adapter settings on the host.