Ubuntu 20.04 LTS host “VBoxClient: The virtualbox kernel service is not running”

[BluuSkyy]

I'm running Oracle VirtualBox VM 6.1 on an Ubuntu 20.04 LTS host.

The guest OS is Windows 10.

After booting up the computer and logging into my user account, I get a grey window that pops up at the top of the desktop that says: VBoxClient: The virtualbox kernel service is not running...

Mind you, this is without starting VirtualBox; this message just pops up almost immediately after logging into my desktop.

I can, however, start VirtualBox and run my guest OS without problems.

I have updated the Ubuntu OS several times since installing it, and I've reinstalled VB to keep it up to date.

What is causing this message to appear?

I ran sudo grep -i virtualbox /var/log/boot.log in the terminal and got

Starting VirtualBox Web Service...
[FAILED] Failed to start VirtualBox Web Service.
Starting VirtualBox Web Service...
[FAILED] Failed to start VirtualBox Web Service.
Starting VirtualBox Web Service...
[FAILED] Failed to start VirtualBox Web Service.
Starting VirtualBox Linux kernel module...
[ OK ] Started VirtualBox Linux kernel module.
as the output.


So, it appears that the kernel module is staring properly but not the kernel service.

When I run ls /etc/modules-load.d

I get cups-filters.conf modules.conf as the output.

If I open modules.conf, I get

# /etc/modules: kernel modules to load at boot time.
#
# This file contains the names of kernel modules that should be loaded
# at boot time, one per line. Lines beginning with "#" are ignored.
So, it appears that no kernel modules are being loaded at boot time.

I really don't know what to make of all this.

I get an error message that doesn't seem to really affect the function of VirtualBox.

But, it doesn't seem that the error message should exist because the kernel module is starting.

Though, it seems that that should not be possible as no modules are being loaded at boot time at all.

What's causing this problem, and how do I remedy it?

I don't want that message to pop up anymore.

Thanks....

[scottgus1]

'VboxClient' sounds like it is a Guest-Additions-sourced message. Some Linux distros, like Ubuntu, install a fork of Virtualbox Guest Additions in their ISOs, so when the Linux ISO gets installed in a Virtualbox guest, the Guest Additions are already there.

It appears that your host PC's OS also has the Virtualbox GAs pre-installed, and either the GAs think they need to activate, or are broken. Try uninstalling them from the host OS through the usual Linux methods. (Note that the above does not apply to the GAs ISO that is part of the Virtualbox installation: leave that ISO in place.)

[BluuSkyy]

'VboxClient' sounds like it is a Guest-Additions-sourced message. Some Linux distros, like Ubuntu, install a fork of Virtualbox Guest Additions in their ISOs, so when the Linux ISO gets installed in a Virtualbox guest, the Guest Additions are already there.

It appears that your host PC's OS also has the Virtualbox GAs pre-installed, and either the GAs think they need to activate, or are broken. Try uninstalling them from the host OS through the usual Linux methods. (Note that the above does not apply to the GAs ISO that is part of the Virtualbox installation: leave that ISO in place.)

OK.

So, you've saying the problem is that Guest Additions is preinstalled on my host Linux distribution with the expectation that my Linux OS was to be run as a guest, not a host.

Being that it is running as a host, I need to uninstall the preinstalled Guest Additions aspects from my host system.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to do that.

I know you advised using the usual Linux methods, though I don't know what those are.

I'm too inexperienced; can you help further?

[BluuSkyy]

Solved it.

Did some research online.

I went to my /opt folder and found a folder within for VBoxGuestAdditions.

In that folder I found an uninstall script.

I ran that script.

After rebooting, no more error message.

Done!

[scottgus1]

Excellent! Glad you found the way to uninstall them. (Frankly, I'm a Windows guy and didn't know how to uninstall them myself... )