My snapshots aren't appearing in the GUI. Help please...

[NeUserGuy]

I had to reformat my OS and I was able to create a new VM image and then overwrite it with my backed up image. The problem is that my latest changes are on a snapshot and not the base image. I copied the backed up snapshots into the default folder so they are definitely in the correct directory but they are not showing up in the GUI under the snapshots tab.

Am I supposed to edit the XML file to make them appear? If someone could point me to the solution I would be very grateful.

[noteirak]

Are you trying to force snapshot on another base disk than the one they were made from?
Did you restore a backup of your VM, and wish to now include the snapshot?

Either way, you're about to destroy your data... And do not edit the XML file directly, as this will most likely break everything.

A little bit more precise info on what you've done exactly so far would help.

[mpack]

When you make a backup of a VM you need to back up the entire VM folder contents, not just one VDI file. Likewise when you restore you need to restore all of the files, not just one or two. Also, mention of xml makes me wonder what version you are using, since the procedure for backup and restore has changed a lot over the past 2+ years (which is when the .xml was replaced by .vbox).

If you have a broken snapshot chain and no valid control file then manually editing the xml is not a practical option. One of the few solutions is to put all of the VDI files (base plus snapshots) together into one folder, then use CloneVDI to clone the most recent snapshot file (do not clone the base). The result will be a merged VDI you can build a new VM around. For this to work the VDI files present must form a valid snapshot chain.

[NeUserGuy]

Ok, so I have the same VM on 2 different computers except they weren't in synch and when I reformatted my Desktop's OS I copied the image file and snapshots folder from my laptop and then copied into a new VM that I created on the newly formatted Desktop. I actually only copied the .VDI image and the snapshots folder because copying the machine file would result in an error. Everything works fine except the snapshots won't show up so I am stuck with the base image which doesn't include several changes.

What I want to do is have the same VM with the latest snapshot that I have on my laptop, on my Desktop. I figure if I can set this up then all I have to do is copy over the latest snapshot to synch them up which is much easier than copying the entire image.

Is there something I can copy from the VM on my laptop that will make the indentical VM on my Desktop recognize the snapshots?

[noteirak]

I actually only copied the .VDI image and the snapshots folder because copying the machine file would result in an error.

Which error? Is it related to a UUID maybe? I think you are trying to bypass a sane protection from Virtualbox because you are not trying to understand what is going on - which can only lead to disaster

Is there something I can copy from the VM on my laptop that will make the indentical VM on my Desktop recognize the snapshots?

Yes, the VM folder, like mpack already pointed out.

[mpack]

Snapshots don't work the way you think. Complex changes are made to the control files every time you take a snapshot - a snapshot does not consist just of an additional file for one of the VMs disks, and it is not practically possible for a non-expert to copy difference files around. Even an expert would have issues keeping the control files synched.

Ironically, your VM would be much more portable if you hadn't used snapshots at all. I would say: get yourself a bigger external drive for transport, and don't be lazy - allow time for copying the whole VDI file, though bear in mind the 4GB file size limit on FAT formatted drives (e.g. reformat in NTFS or exFAT).

[ChipMcK]

for reference: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=51714