virtualbox.org

After a disk crash I had to do a full reinstall (Windows 7 64-bits). Fortunately, all my data files (including VBox's virtual machines and disks), but not my profile files, were on a different drive. Unfortunately, unlike MS's Virtual PC, I cannot easily add an existing virtual machine into the management console.

Is there a quicker – and less error-prone – way of doing it than creating new, blank machines, then editing the XML file to replace the paths and machine UIDs to point to the actual ones?

I would suggest that the "use existing machine" item be added as a choice in the new machine creation wizard.

Thanks!

Each VM has a VDI and a XML file, without the xml your left with some typing work.

I think you're stuck with editing XML.

You can add an existing machine (that you have the xml for) using the command line. See section 8.3 of the user manual.
BUT the machine is not allowed to have any attached disk images attached, which still means editing the machine XML (to remove the attached disks) before they can be registered.
Possibly editing the machine xml to remove the hard disks then registering them then re-attaching the hard disks is easier than what you are doing (or not)?