Trouble with Vbox after returning to it

[BlitzJG]

When I start up Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager I have two OS options, from two previous occasions. Most recently (around fall 2021), I was using a Linux VM with IIRC ubuntu to run some data analysis. Now on the occasion where I would need to return to the work I would simply open Oracle VM VirtualBox Manager and start the Linux and it would open to the VM like normal, with my shared folder accessible and all the relevant files I was accessing at the time.

After returning, with the intention of redoing some of the same analyses, when I open the same VM, it does not seem to reload/remember the previous machine state (or whatever the correct terminology is) as it had done so before. I haven't changed anything that I am aware of since the last use. I'm afraid to mess with anything without some guidance. Right now I opened the VM and it is just sitting as Linux with a black screen. Several previous attempts had it try and load ubuntu, claim that it wasn't installed and that I could install it from the .iso or continue as a trial, and then when I attempted to install it it said the same version already existed and gave me a few options with that, but I am reluctant to proceed with those either.

Please help, I can try and provide more details as requested, but just want the clarify that I am an amateur with Virtual Machines.

[scottgus1]

Kudos to you for asking for help and not going thrashing around trying stuff, possibly making things worse! We get a lot of the thrashers, and things get broken more.

I'm no Linux guru, so we might need further help on this as we go. But let's take a look at the VM's setup and see if any snapshots are involved, etc.

• Right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose Show in Explorer/Finder/File Manager. Zip the VM's .vbox file (not the .vbox-prev file), and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab. (Configure your host OS to show all extensions if the folder that opens does not show a .vbox file.)
• Start the VM from full normal shutdown, not save-state. Run until you see the problem happen, then shut down the VM from within the VM's OS if possible. If not possible, close the Virtualbox window for the VM with the Power Off option set.
  
  Right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose Show Log. Save the far left tab's log, zip it, and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.
• Take a screenshot of the VM's window while the screen is "sitting as Linux with a black screen", save it as a PNG. Scale down it by 50% if your host monitor is a 4K monster, then post the PNG file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

[BlitzJG]

Thank you for the promp reply

Starting the VM up, it goes through an ubuntu Checking disks process, the ubuntu startup screen with a Panther is displayed and then ends onto an Install page with Try Ubuntu and Install Ubuntu options. If I try and power off the machine through the arrow in the upper right hand corner (which I think is through the OS), it does nothing.

If I exit out of the installer, it takes me to ubuntu desktop and seems to be functioning fine. However, the mounted shared folder that is supposed to be accessible through this VM does not appear anywhere. When trying to power off from within the OS this way, it starts to shut down and then gives a "Please remove the installation medium, then press ENTER:" message.

"Take a screenshot of the VM's window while the screen is "sitting as Linux with a black screen", save it as a PNG. Scale down it by 50% if your host monitor is a 4K monster, then post the PNG file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab."
This doesn't seem to happen consistently. *EDIT, after about 30 minutes away from my laptop, I returned to an update message on the black screen, included the new photo too.

[BlitzJG]

Huge news, I left it on that previous weird update message screen, and just looked back at the VM and it has my original ubuntu state now loaded (or whatever you would call it). I see my original files and analysis folders!

I don't understand what's going on so any insight would be great, especially how to preserve this version and accessibility.

[scottgus1]

Thanks for the files and screenshots. You have no snapshots, which is good.

Please provide the VM log, per the second bullet point above. It could be the VM is running, just extremely slowly.

[BlitzJG]

Oops, I did take it but forgot to attach it.

[scottgus1]

Yep, thought so. Try disabling Hyper-V on the host. See HMR3Init: Attempting fall back to NEM (Hyper-V is active).