Strange icon floating around any Virtual Machine started

[cyberwillis]

I just upgraded my Virtual Box Software from 6.xx to 7.0.8, more precisely r156879 and any time I start a virtual machine I get a floating icon wandering alone besides the VM had started.
This is a mistake enabled in the build or there is some way to disable it ?
I am running the VirtualBox on Ubuntu Linux 20.04.

Thank you for any advice.

[mpack]

I suspect that is a feature of Ubuntu (or rather, your currently selected GUI manager in Ubuntu), essentially the menu bar of the focus window is separated from that window and shown in a toolbar.

[fth0]

FWIW, there was another post in the last days with a similar screenshot:

Funny thing is that "some mechanism" was able to "steal" the hard disk icon from the VM window's status bar.

It seems to be a separate window, see viewtopic.php?f=1&t=109135#p534841.

[mpack]

Presumably VirtualBox is adding that icon to a host toolbar of some kind that's supposed to be part of the VM window and supplied as a Qt widget. Except perhaps this distro no longer has that toolbar or widget for some reason, so this is the fallback behaviour.

I'll keep an eye out for more reports of incompatibility with 20.04, but I think we're missing part of the puzzle, i.e. is an unusual desktop GUI being used?

[fth0]

FWIW, in the VirtualBox 7.0.8 discussion thread, the user RonSMeyer1 also provided a full desktop picture with an external link (in Re: Discuss the VirtualBox 7.0.8 release here).

The picture shows a Linux Mint desktop with three VirtualBox windows in the Linux Mint task bar, the left one for the VirtualBox Manager, the right one for the VM's window, and the middle one for the unexpected mini window titled VirtualBoxVM, which is the process name of the VM.

[fth0]

This is a mistake enabled in the build or there is some way to disable it ?

We don't know yet. Can you help us with some information?

What's your host OS and desktop?

Start a VM, open a shell on your host OS and list all VirtualBox processes (e.g. ps -elfH | grep -i box). Shut down the guest OS, and provide the (zipped) VBox.log file and the list of VirtualBox processes.

[allardp]

I'm having the same issue on Ubuntu 22.04. Recently I installed a update for VirtualBox, I'm using version 7.0.8 r156879, since this update I see the same icon hovering. If I close that window my "disk" icon in the bottom menu right disappears and turns black. Sometimes the floating window appears again but I also noticed that not all my VM's are having this issue straight away. Very strange.

offsite URL deleted. Attach files locally.

[cyberwillis]

This is a mistake enabled in the build or there is some way to disable it ?

We don't know yet. Can you help us with some information?

What's your host OS and desktop?

Start a VM, open a shell on your host OS and list all VirtualBox processes (e.g. ps -elfH | grep -i box). Shut down the guest OS, and provide the (zipped) VBox.log file and the list of VirtualBox processes.

Hi ... sorry for the delay.
I am using Ubuntu 20.04 with the Gnome Desktop.
The previous version 6.xx was fine then after installing this new one I started to see this extra window with just one icon on screen floating around.

[fth0]

A VirtualBox user on IRC reported the same issue and conducted some experiments with the following results:

• Host OS is Arch Linux, Desktop Environment is GNOME 43.4.
• There is only one VirtualBoxVM process creating both visible windows.
• If the VM window's status bar is disabled/enabled while the VM is running, the additional window goes away / comes back.
• If the VM window's HDD icon is disabled/enabled while the VM is running, the additional window goes away / comes back.
• If the VM window's DVD icon is disabled/enabled while the VM is running, the additional window stays.
• If the VM is switched from windowed mode to full-screen, scaled or seamless mode, the additional window goes away.

[TheMalteseFalcon]

I have exactly the same issue. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS host, Win 11 guest. I am attaching a screenshot of the strange icon window with VirtualBox 7.0.8. I have not experienced this before in the previous VB versions.

Is there a workaround for this please (other than closing the window manually)?

[ingo2]

Got the same trouble here with Host=Debian-Bookworm host (to be released as stable in 4 weeks) and all Linux Guests and Win10 guest.

When I configure the status-bar in the UI by de-selecting and re-enable the status icon for drive activity, I get the floating icon as shown in the above posting. I can grab the icon with the mouse and move it around in the VM-window. When I then close the settings and return to the standard VM-window, the floating icon disappears and in the status-bar at the bottom it is represented by a small black square - see attached screenshot. I'm no longer able to monitor the read/write activity as it was represented by green/red blinking dots in the drive icon.

black square instead of drive icon

Win10-VBox_2023-05-12.jpg (20.93 KiB) Viewed 2056 times

Additional information:
Host hardware is an Alder-Lake desktop,
CPU is Intel i5-12400 with i-GPU "UHD-Graphic 730" and NVMe-SSD as mass storage device.
Desktop system is XFCE 4.18

[scottgus1]

Has anyone experiencing this problem posted it on the Bugtracker? There's where the devs will learn about it. Post links to this topic and zipped vbox.log's on your ticket, and post your ticket link here.

[ingo2]

Found a dirty workaround:

The guilty part is the drive-icon. It does lot like to be the last one (utmost left) in the line on the status bar.
I just changed the settings of the status bar by: RMB on the status bar, select edit/modify, then place another item (I choose "record") using drag 'n drop at the left end of the line (one position left of the drive icon) and click "save".
That's it - drive icon is performing correct now indicating "read" and "wirte" actions.
I suspect the floating icon will also disappear and settle where it belongs for the other users in this thread.

I will not be going to file a bug report for this, as I am using a "not officially supported host" (Debian-Bookworm) and XFCE4 desktop (which is not Gnome or KDE or Unity). So developers will most likely ignore my complaint - at least I never got any response on bug reports.

[scottgus1]

I never got any response on bug reports.

The devs are really busy and admit they don't always have time to respond to the tickets. Of course, a ticket requires a repeatable process to demonstrate the issue, and zipped logs of VM runs when the issue occurred, so the devs can repeat the problem.

Nevertheless, reporting your fix on the Bugtracker would very likely help, especially if someone as actually reported the problem on the Bugtracker.

[ingo2]

Nevertheless, reporting your fix on the Bugtracker would very likely help, ...

Please - that's NOT a FIX, the drive icon utmost left is the default setting!