E_FAIL (0x80004005) with 3 linked cloned vm's

[nrdgalor]

Hi,

There is an issue on a server that has VirtualBox-5.2.6-120293-Win installed on a Win 2012 R2 host with 32 GB of memory, e3-1225@3.31 GHz and a 1TB mirror array. The setup has been running for about 2 years. In the last year we have been testing clones for a future vdi implementation. The 3 tester vdi vms are a linked clones and 2 were being tested live. As we usually update the system with the windows updates on the guest as well as the host, we had a problem this time. After the usual windows updates and reboots on the guests, we updated the host. After the host came back the 3 clones were in an inaccessible status. Attached are the folder structures and errors of the machines. There is an image of the host as well. Since 2 were being tested live, the users saved some data they need, so that is what we are trying to accomplish. NOTE: There is no backup from prior to the updates, so restoring is not an option. If the machines can't be brought back on-line, it won't be bad, but there is the minimal pressure by the higher ups to see if those files can be accessed (since they can't follow their own policy to write only to the corp share).

This was the initial error, also in the txt file (same for all 3 clones):

Hard disk 'C:\VM-STORAGE\nmmw011\Snapshots\{b9eaa9bb-86e1-4868-aca4-5071b2ece98e}.vdi' with UUID {b9eaa9bb-86e1-4868-aca4-5071b2ece98e} cannot be directly attached to the virtual machine 'nmmw011' ('C:\VM-STORAGE\nmmw011\nmmw011.vbox') because it has 1 differencing child hard disks.
Result Code: E_FAIL (0x80004005)
Component: MachineWrap
Interface: IMachine {5047460a-265d-4538-b23e-ddba5fb84976}

Troubleshooting done:

1. Upgraded to 5.22, then to the latest 6.0.12.
2. tried ubuntuforums org thread 756556 (https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=756556) - after this was done, the machines changed to Powered Off state, but still did not start. This was the error

   Failed to open a session for the virtual machine nmmw011.
   Could not open the medium 'C:\VM-STORAGE\nmmw011\Snapshots\{2d838e69-f9b4-4cc5-a560-5945020d3179}.vdi'.
   VD: error VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND opening image file 'C:\VM-STORAGE\nmmw011\Snapshots\{2d838e69-f9b4-4cc5-a560-5945020d3179}.vdi' (VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND).
   Result Code: E_FAIL (0x80004005)

3. Tried matching the names of the vdi files with the .vbox file
4. irc #vbox chat - was informed by socratis to stop the tinkering and review how clones use snapshots to understand how to correctly use clones: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=84332

Look forward to trying to get this to work. If not, I fully understand that the possible outcome is that those clones are dead.

Thanks.

[scottgus1]

I suspect that what you'll need to do is right-click the base VM and each of the clones, choose Show In Explorer, then zip and post, using Upload Attachment, each guest's .vbox file. Should be 4 .vbox files. You can put them all in the same zip file, but be sure the file names identify which guest is which. Also, try to start each guest and report the exact error message that goes with each guest (if there's a Copy button that goes with the error message, use it to post the error message) and note which error message is for which guest.

[nrdgalor]

After all the tinkering from the other day, we ran back all the changes. VBox 6.0.12 back to 5.2.6. Reverted all the modified .vbox files back to the original files.

As requested, the error messages and the .vbox files are in the zip. The clones can not be started with the current .vbox files and they each have an error message on the right pane. Captured in the attached image. The only time that the clones can be started and then get an error is when the .vbox file is deleted and the .vbox-prev is renamed to .vbox. The error message that it spits out is the message from #2 of the original troubleshooting post. Let me know if you want the info of each guest in that config as well.

The base vm works fine. It starts up/shuts down with no issues.

[nrdgalor]

Here is an screen shot of the master tree as well, just in case it helps.