Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Mac OS X hosts.
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Samuelbrown
Posts: 5
Joined: 6. Dec 2022, 16:19

Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by Samuelbrown »

Hi all,

Thanks for taking the time to read the post.

I've got an issue that I've seen many have before. However I'm getting no joy fixing it like others have.

My hard drive on my mac filled and it crashed the VM.
I have cleared space on the drive now but am unable to start the VM.

I have:

Renamed the -prem vbox in the directory.
(copying the old one out) - rebooted.

No joy.

I've put the above back in place.

Renamed the -prem xml file in the library directory.
(copying the old one out) - rebooted.

No joy.

I've renamed the -prem vbox & -prem xml file.

Rebooted. No joy!


Very very willing to take any other suggestions anybody else has as I'm a bit lost for how to trouble shoot it next.

NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0X80004005) is the error code.
Many thanks in advance.
Attachments
Error
Error
Screenshot 2022-12-06 at 14.22.39.jpg (87.32 KiB) Viewed 2553 times
VirtualBox.xml
xml
(2.29 KiB) Downloaded 9 times
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by scottgus1 »

The error says "HA.vbox" was bad. Posting that file instead of "Virtualbox.xml" might have helped more.
Samuelbrown wrote:Renamed the -prem vbox in the directory.
I assume you meant:
Renamed the .vbox-prev in the directory.
The method to do this is to remove or rename "HA.vbox" to something else, then rename "HA.vbox-prev" to "HA.vbox".

If this is not what you did, then please try it.

If this is what you did, then the error has migrated to HA.vbox-prev, too. the .vbox-prev file is made when Virtualbox needs to write a new .vbox file, which it does on many occasions. The .vbox file contains all the hardware settings for the VM. It's essentially the VM's "motherboard". The .vbox-prev is the previous setup of the VM, saved as a backup if the write of the new .vbox file goes bad.

You may need to call up an HA.vbox from your most recent host OS backup. Hopefully you haven't been using snapshots, else the fix may mean data loss.

Alternatively, if you didn't use any snapshots, make a new VM using the same configuration the old VM used, then use the existing disk for the new VM.
Samuelbrown
Posts: 5
Joined: 6. Dec 2022, 16:19

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by Samuelbrown »

Hey,

Thanks for the reply.

Yes. Both HA.vbox-prem and virtualbox.xml-prem were renamed as the original which gave me the same error message (with the originals renamed and moved to a different location).

Yep, Unfortunately I've been using snapshots. I was hoping I'd be able to restore it from a snapshot, but that doesn't seem to be the case? - lesson learnt for the future if not and will also back up the host!

I see. Create a new VM and import the old snapshot?
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by mpack »

You can't restore a damaged VM from a snapshot. Snapshots are data for the VM. But if the VM is dead then all of the snapshots are useless. Snapshots are also useless to a different VM, so there's no such thing as "importing" a snapshot.

If you want to protect a VM from damage then you need a backup, not a snapshot.
Samuelbrown
Posts: 5
Joined: 6. Dec 2022, 16:19

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by Samuelbrown »

Thanks for the info above!! Lesson learnt!

I believe I've tried everything now.

Renaming both -prem files of the vbox and xml files and replacing the originals.

Any last suggestions before I start spending 20+ hours setting it up from scratch again??

I've attached the vbox but as a txt incase anybody finds that useful! Happy to do the same with the -prem files as well!
Many thanks
Attachments
vbox.txt
vbox file
(16.34 KiB) Downloaded 19 times
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by scottgus1 »

Yep, that .vbox file is bunged up, and in a really strange way, too.

It does end right in the middle of the XML, as expected from the error. But there's also some odd additions.

Here's the normal start to a .vbox file:
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!--
** DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE.
Here's the start of your .vbox file:
{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\cocoartf1671\cocoasubrtf600
{\fonttbl\f0\fswiss\fcharset0 Helvetica;}
{\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;}
{\*\expandedcolortbl;;}
\paperw11900\paperh16840\margl1440\margr1440\vieww20780\viewh15680\viewkind0
\pard\tx566\tx1133\tx1700\tx2267\tx2834\tx3401\tx3968\tx4535\tx5102\tx5669\tx6236\tx6803\pardirnatural\partightenfactor0

\f0\fs24 \cf0 <?xml version="1.0"?>\
<!--\
** DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE.\
Extra character mush, definitely breaking the file. Did you open the .vbox in a rich text editor, save it, then change the extension?

Anyhow, the .vbox file ends in the middle of a snapshot description and doesn't contain the current state. This .vbox file is toast.

You may be able to clone the snapshots and base disk to a single disk by using Mpack's CloneVDI if you can get it to run on your Mac. Or copy the VM folder to a Windows PC and Run CloneVDI on the disks from there.

Then make a new VM around the cloned single disk.
Samuelbrown
Posts: 5
Joined: 6. Dec 2022, 16:19

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by Samuelbrown »

Yes - it doesn't allow me to just upload the vbox or a rtf. Is there a better way to send it??
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by mpack »

If some port of the Wine app still exists for Mac then you can run CloneVDI on a Mac under that.
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by mpack »

Zip any file you want to upload.
Samuelbrown
Posts: 5
Joined: 6. Dec 2022, 16:19

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by Samuelbrown »

Zipping worked!
Attachments
VirtualBox.xml.zip
xml zipped
(1.44 KiB) Downloaded 13 times
Archive.zip
vbox + vbox-prem
(5.44 KiB) Downloaded 8 times
scottgus1
Site Moderator
Posts: 20965
Joined: 30. Dec 2009, 20:14
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows, Linux

Re: Premature end of data in tag VirtualBox line 8.

Post by scottgus1 »

Both of the files are cut off before they end correctly. They'll not be any good anymore. Time for CloneVDI and a new no-snapshot VM, and good backups.

Side note, not important for the issue: It really was ".vbox-prem" extension, not ".vbox-prev", and that is puzzling to me. Language setting differences?
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