Automatically add virtual machine on log in.

[KyleAH]

Virtual machine is Windows XP professional 32.

Host machine is Widows 10 64 in an active directory environment.

I have the virtual machine saved in a public documents folder, and I want the virtual machine to start when a user logs into it. Is there a way to automatically add a virtual machine on login for each respective user? I have a bat file that launches the virtual machine on login, but it only works if the virtual machine has already been added to VirtualBox.

Here's my code to start the vm:
PAUSE
"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" startvm 39bab4e3-de43-4247-8c20-35f63fa35058

[scottgus1]

it only works if the virtual machine has already been added to VirtualBox.

This is expected. Virtualbox runs in the user space and requires the guest to be registered in Virtualbox first before it can run. Different users can see different lists of guests.

You can use the ' Vboxmanage registervm "driveletter:\path\to\.vboxfile" ' command to register the guest in your batch file before you start the guest.

In my test, if the guest is already registered, the "registervm" command errors out and allows the next start command to run.

[KyleAH]

so I did a work around if anyone is interested.

1. virtual machine is located in public folder. Name MCA74 Clone
2. bat file runs a vbs file at login
3. vbs file checks if a shortcut to the VM on the desktop exists. If yes, then starts vm. If no, then adds virtual machine, adds shortcut to desktop and then starts vm. (note: the pauses are necessary in some places, but not in others...

.bat file at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup
wscript "C:\Users\Public\AddVM.vbs"

.vbs file located in C:\Users\Public

Code: Select all

Set x = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
Set objFileSys = CreateObject("scripting.FileSystemObject")

yLink = "MCA74 Clone.lnk"
zDesktop = x.SpecialFolders("Desktop")

If objFileSys.FileExists(zDesktop & "\" & yLink) Then
x.run """C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VirtualBox.exe"""
wscript.sleep 2000
x.sendkeys "{ENTER}"

ELSE    
x.run """C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VirtualBox.exe"""
wscript.sleep 2000
x.sendkeys "^a"
wscript.sleep 2000
x.sendkeys "C:\Users\Public\New group\MCA74 Clone"
wscript.sleep 500
x.sendkeys "{ENTER}"
wscript.sleep 300
x.sendkeys "MCA74 Clone.vbox"
wscript.sleep 500
x.sendkeys "{ENTER}"
wscript.sleep 1000
x.sendkeys "m"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys ("+{F10}")
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 300
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 150
x.sendkeys "{DOWN}"
wscript.sleep 300
x.sendkeys "{ENTER}"
wscript.sleep 1000
x.sendkeys "m"
x.sendkeys "{ENTER}"
End If

[socratis]

I haven't written scripts for years (Windows at least), but Scott's solution seems to be ... simpler and (thus) more robust. Because it doesn't depend on the existence or not of a shortcut in the users' desktop, it's independent of that.