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[Resolved] VirtualBox does not open, gives error message

Posted: 18. Aug 2019, 17:47
by CBR Ridin
When trying to run VB I get the following error:
Failed to acquire the VirtualBox COM object.

The application will now terminate.

Error in C:\Users\Moi\.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml (line 20) -- UUID "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}" has zero format.

F:\tinderbox\win-6.0\src\VBox\Main\src-server\VirtualBoxImpl.cpp[624] (long __cdecl VirtualBox::init(void)).

Result Code: E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component: VirtualBoxWrap
Interface: IVirtualBox {d0a0163f-e254-4e5b-a1f2-011cf991c38d}
Callee: IVirtualBoxClient {d2937a8e-cb8d-4382-90ba-b7da78a74573}
I have tried uninstalling, reboot and re-install. I have tried installing to another drive with reboots after uninstall and re-install.

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

CBR Ridin

Re: VirtualBox does not open, gives error message

Posted: 18. Aug 2019, 23:52
by socratis
It seems that your VirtualBox preferences file (C:\Users\Moi\.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml) is corrupted.
  • Go to the location where that file resides (C:\Users\Moi\.VirtualBox\). Delete that file.
  • There should be another file called "C:\Users\Moi\.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml-prev". Copy that file to "C:\Users\Moi\.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml".
  • Restart VirtualBox.

Re: VirtualBox does not open, gives error message

Posted: 19. Aug 2019, 12:15
by CBR Ridin
Thank you for your response. Deleting the file and renaming the .xml-prev to .xml (The files were in the same folder, so I renamed .xml-prev) returned the same error, or what looks like the same error:
Failed to acquire the VirtualBox COM object.

The application will now terminate.

Error in C:\Users\Moi\.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml (line 19) -- UUID "{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}" has zero format.

F:\tinderbox\win-6.0\src\VBox\Main\src-server\VirtualBoxImpl.cpp[624] (long __cdecl VirtualBox::init(void)).

Result Code: E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component: VirtualBoxWrap
Interface: IVirtualBox {d0a0163f-e254-4e5b-a1f2-011cf991c38d}
Callee: IVirtualBoxClient {d2937a8e-cb8d-4382-90ba-b7da78a74573}
As I have not been able to start the app to create a VM, I am going to try uninstalling the app, deleting the C:\Users\Moi\.VirtualBox\ folder (if it's still there after the uninstall) and seeing if re-installing will do the trick. Hopefully the installation is not creating this "zero fomat" .xml

CBR Ridin

Re: VirtualBox does not open, gives error message

Posted: 19. Aug 2019, 14:34
by scottgus1
FWIW just deleting (or moving, for saftey's sake) the .Virtualbox folder will reset Virtualbox. A new .Virtualbox folder with a new Virtualbox.xml will be made.

You will have to find your guest folders and register the .vbox files: see the main Virtualbox window, Machine menu, Add...

Also any settings you customized in the main Virtualbox window's File menu, Preferences, will have to be reset.

Re: VirtualBox does not open, gives error message

Posted: 20. Aug 2019, 12:21
by CBR Ridin
----Solved----

Deleting the C:\Users\Moi\.virtualbox folder did the trick. No re-install needed. Application started. As I was unable to start it to begin with, I had no guest folders to worry about. I am now happily creating my first VM.

Thank you both for your kind assistance.

CBR Ridin

Re: VirtualBox does not open, gives error message

Posted: 20. Aug 2019, 14:02
by socratis
Well, that option was always available; the nuclear option. We were simply trying to see if we could have resolved this peacefully. ;)

Marking as [Resolved].