VBox Fails to Start Linux VM

[Don865]

I am hosting VBox 5.2.16 (current release) on Win 10.0.17134 (current release). VBox failed (repeatedly) to open a previously (successfully) opened and (normally) closed down Linux (Ubuntu 14.04.5) instance with this error (copied from the log.1 file):

00:00:02.953185 VMSetError: F:\tinderbox\win-5.2\src\VBox\Main\src-client\ConsoleImpl2.cpp(5564) int __cdecl Console::i_configNetwork(const char *,unsigned int,unsigned int,struct INetworkAdapter *,struct CFGMNODE *,struct CFGMNODE *,struct CFGMNODE *,bool,bool); rc=VERR_INTERNAL_ERROR
00:00:02.953236 VMSetError: Interface ('VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter') is not a Host-Only Adapter interface
00:00:02.953903 ERROR [COM]: aRC=E_FAIL (0x80004005) aIID={872da645-4a9b-1727-bee2-5585105b9eed} aComponent={ConsoleWrap} aText={Interface ('VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter') is not a Host-Only Adapter interface (VERR_INTERNAL_ERROR)}, preserve=false aResultDetail=0

I also checked the Hardening Log, and found no errors.

When I checked the Host Network Manager, I found the expected host network definition. When I checked the properties, I found that the information looked as expected. Then, I checked the interface hardware definition for the instance. The Advanced > Promiscuous Mode was set to Deny.

I changed the PM setting to Allow All, shut down VBox, restarted VBox, and tried to start this instance. It started with no issues and is currently running.

I have the same symptoms on several other Linux instances, haven't tried this fix yet, but suspect it will work. I spent most of this afternoon looking at the above error in Google searches with no applicable / useful results.

I hope this post saves someone else some time if / when they run into this issue.

If anyone has insight as to why this is happening, I hope they will share it here.

TIA.

[socratis]

...Promiscuous Mode was set to Deny. I changed the PM setting to Allow All ... It started with no issues

That can't be it. "Deny" is the default mode and if that was the source of your problem, then everybody and their 2nd cousin would complain.

What I believe happened was that you had an invalid setting in the HostOnly network. Once in the Settings, VirtualBox tried to re-validate the selected settings, found something amiss and corrected it for you when you hit OK.

Same thing happens for example if I move my VM from computer A to computer B, with Bridged mode. The NIC on A doesn't exist on B. Just entering in the Network settings is enough for VirtualBox to "adjust" which adapter it's Bridging to. And with the HostOnly adapter, same thing.