"The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Linux hosts.
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RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

"The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

When i try to change some settings i get this warning every few seconds!
"The virtual machine you are changing has been started...."
But it's not started!

When i boot my host, i can edit what i want, no warning. Once i start and close the guest, i get this warning every time i want to edit some settings. I have to boot my host again to edit settings without this warning!

I had the same problem on Linux Mint 19 and now i'm on Mint 20.
Virtualbox version 6.1.30 r148432 (Qt5.12.8 )
scottgus1
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Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by scottgus1 »

This is an unusual situation and does not happen under normal Virtualbox operation.
RemonK17 wrote:Once i start and close the guest, i get this warning every time i want to edit some settings.
How are you starting and closing the VM? How are you editing the settings?
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

With Virtualbox Manager
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

Correction: It happens even after a fresh boot and not started the guest at all! It only takes longer before the warning pops up! But after that every few seconds i get the warning!
I have a Windows 7 guest and a Windows XP guest and it only happens with the Windows 7 guest.
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

I just found out what's causing this error! I have a script running that checks every few seconds if the Windows 7 VM (on second workspace) is running or not. When i stop that script, no warnings, when i start it, i get the warnings!
The line in the script is:

Code: Select all

vboxmanage showvminfo "W7_64" | grep -c "running (since" 
So 'showvminfo' triggers this warning, what i think is a bug? Just showing the info does not mean it is running!
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

I solved my problem by changed the script to get my info from

Code: Select all

vboxmanage list runningvms
But i still think its a bug that showinfo thinks the vm is running!
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by scottgus1 »

Great that you kept up the hunt and found the problem!

That does sound like an interesting possible bug there. Please post about this on the Bugtracker.
fth0
Volunteer
Posts: 5668
Joined: 14. Feb 2019, 03:06
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux, Windows 10, ...
Location: Germany

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by fth0 »

I've searched the VirtualBox 6.1.30 source code for the substring "The virtual machine you" (case-insensitive) without success. Are you sure about the exact wording of the error message, and if so, which application wrote that message?
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

It comes from Virtualbox Manager. But it is in Dutch. I don't know the exact warning in English?
I saw another topic that posted the warning in English, so i copied it on my search for an answer.
Maybe if you start a VM and then try to edit the settings (in my case USB settings) then see if the warning pops up??

I posted in that other topic: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=100656
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

scottgus1 wrote:Great that you kept up the hunt and found the problem!

That does sound like an interesting possible bug there. Please post about this on the Bugtracker.
I don't give up easily! ;)
But i added a ticket to bugtracker, https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/20929.
Hope i did it correct.
fth0
Volunteer
Posts: 5668
Joined: 14. Feb 2019, 03:06
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Linux, Windows 10, ...
Location: Germany

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by fth0 »

scottgus1 wrote:This is an unusual situation and does not happen under normal Virtualbox operation.
RemonK17 wrote:Maybe if you start a VM and then try to edit the settings (in my case USB settings) then see if the warning pops up??
No. When the VM is really running, the VirtualBox Manager only allows to change a small subset of the settings, and the other settings are not accessible (grayed out).
RemonK17 wrote:It comes from Virtualbox Manager. But it is in Dutch. I don't know the exact warning in English?
The exact wording in Dutch would be better then. ;)
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

If you want to reproduce the warning then:

* Start vboxmanager
* Without starting the VM, open one of the settings windows and leave it open
* Then go to a terminal and enter vboxmanage showinfo "vmname".
The warning pops up immediatly!

The warning in Dutch is:
"De virtuele machine die u aan het veranderen bent werd opgestart. Slechts bepaalde instellingen kunnen worden veranderd wanneer een machine draait. Alle andere veranderingen gaan verloren bij het afsluiten van dit venster."
fth0
Volunteer
Posts: 5668
Joined: 14. Feb 2019, 03:06
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Guest OSses: Linux, Windows 10, ...
Location: Germany

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by fth0 »

Thanks for the instructions. After having seen the warning, I think I can explain it:

If the VM is not already running, the VBoxManage showvminfo command locks the VM's configuration and creates a (temporary) session for the VM. This is equivalent to the first steps of starting a VM, and the VirtualBox Manager informs the user that they cannot change major parts of the VM's configuration any more.

Technically speaking, the warning could use the term "locked" instead of "started", but I doubt that the common user would really understand that better (without knowing the background). Regarding the ticket in the Bugtracker, I wouldn't hold my breath ... ;)
RemonK17
Posts: 10
Joined: 4. May 2022, 13:44

Re: "The virtual machine you are changing has been started" (but it's not!)

Post by RemonK17 »

I don't mind if it gets fixed or not. I have found a new way for my bash script to find out if a vm is running. But it seems odd that it says the VM is running while it's not. It sets the investigation to the cause of this warning on the wrong foot! I always thought Virtualbox did not exit a guest clean and left some code/program or whatever, lost in memory and that this was the reason it still thought it was running. And the reason i didn't get the warning after a fresh boot was because my script starts 30 mins after a fresh system boot of the host, after that every few seconds it checks...
I lived with this error for over a year because i already had it back in Mint 19 (just as my bash script). Just recently i created a Windows XP guest and noticed that it did not give me the same warning as the Windows 7 guest did.. so that left me thinking what the difference was between those two guests and that lead me back to my script only calling for the windows 7 guests info.

What i try to say is that a good clear warning leads easier to a solution! Maybe somewhere IN the message saying that a vboxmanage showvminfo instance is started from terminal and that's why some settings are locked.
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