VB window flashes after long inactivity period

CaptainFlint · Post by **CaptainFlint** » 13. Oct 2008, 11:47

I work much with virtual machine and leave it running on my work computer for night. However, after I return the next day and login into my system I see both VB windows' buttons in the taskbar (main window and the virtual OS itself ) flashing as if requesting my attention. However, when I switch to them, there is nothing unusual, no messageboxes, nothing.

Unfortunately, I cannot reproduce this behaviour during my daywork. I thought this could be caused by a screensaver, or by switching the monitor into stand-by mode, but it seems not to be the case, because when I'm absent for a couple of hours, screensaver and stand-by mode are activated, but VB does not flash. The only possibility I see is changing the current date at the midnight, but I cannot check it because most of my licensed software reacts too nervously to the date/time changing to and fro (needs re-activation, or just stops working, or something else).

Host OS: WinXP SP3 Pro.
VirtualBox 2.0.2 (the problem appeared after upgrading 1.6.6 to 2.0.2).

Post by **Dest** » 13. Oct 2008, 17:38

Have you looked in the log files? I would suspect they log something if it's vbox that is giving you notice

CaptainFlint · Post by **CaptainFlint** » 13. Oct 2008, 17:53

Dest wrote:Have you looked in the log files? I would suspect they log something if it's vbox that is giving you notice

Yes, but I found nothing special. Besides, even if no virtual machine is running, the main VB window also flashes, and there is no log for it. I could find only global log for VBoxSVC in the \windows\system32 directory, but it contains only the following text:

Log created: 2008-10-06T16:04:04.998232500Z
Executable: C:\PROGRA~1\XVMVIR~1\VBoxSVC.exe
Commandline: C:\PROGRA~1\XVMVIR~1\VBoxSVC.exe -Embedding
Connection name VirtualBox Host Interface 1
Connection name VirtualBox Host Interface 2
Connection name VirtualBox Host Interface 1
Connection name VirtualBox Host Interface 2
… etc.

Post by **Sasquatch** » 14. Oct 2008, 00:10

Log files of the machines are stored in your user profile by default. Unless you changed the location of the machines, it's in C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\.virtualbox\<machine name>\Logs.

CaptainFlint · Post by **CaptainFlint** » 14. Oct 2008, 10:04

Sasquatch wrote:Log files of the machines are stored in your user profile by default. Unless you changed the location of the machines, it's in C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\.virtualbox\<machine name>\Logs.

As I already wrote above, the VB window flashes even when no VM is running. I have 12 VMs, which log of them should I look at?

Post by **Sasquatch** » 14. Oct 2008, 11:07

So not the VM GUI, but the VB Manager is flashing? I have no idea why it would do that. Perhaps indeed your initial conclusion, changing day, is the reason.

CaptainFlint · Post by **CaptainFlint** » 14. Oct 2008, 11:46

Sasquatch wrote:So not the VM GUI, but the VB Manager is flashing?

They both do — if present. I mean, if I have only VB Manager opened it flashes; if I have VB Manager and a VM opened they both flash. Did not try VB + two VMs or a VM without VB Manager yet… I'll try it this night.