virtualbox.org

Hello,
to make a long story short: After a HD crash with severe physical damages I could rescue my MacOS10.6 host from a TimeCapsule - so far so good
Unfortunately the backup did not include my WindowsServer2003 guest With big efforts I've got the 60GB *.vdi file extracted from the damaged HD. Unfortunately the machine was in action when the crash happened
How can I make this machine running again - just copy to the place where it was before and start it? Or do I have to import it in a special way?
Thank You
layman (newbie)

Create a new guest. But not a new VDI, instead point to the existing vdi image.

layman wrote: Unfortunately the backup did not include my WindowsServer2003 guest

Time Machine was designed to backup documents after creating and after editing.
Time Machine was NOT designed to backup documents while the document is being edited.
Various editors have auto-save feature/facility for backup of the document in the midst of editing, replacing the entire document upon closing.

VirtualBox, like the other virtualisers, is based on the "document template".

When a virtual machine is running or active, it is being edited - the virtual disk file is open and being altered. Time Machine can NOT produce a valid backup of an open document. If the document (virtual disk) has been split into files of less than 2GB, any individual file at any given moment may be closed and Time Machine, during a time slice, may backup that individual file before it is edited with the 'current' data.

While most virtualisers have a snapshot feature/facility, none are a full functional auto-save. They create only a delta update to the virtual disk, not a replacement. The user is required to cause the replacement of the virtual disk by the merging of the snapshot updates with the 'base' virtual disk.

Time Machine backups are not dependable unless the virtual machine has been shutdown.

A backup of saved-state virtual machine is iffy IMHO, as Time Machine may NOT have backed up the full configuration of files comprising a virtual machine during a single time slice.

Copying the folder of a shutdown virtual machine to another hard disk makes an excellent backup with VBox Version 4.x

While everything that ChipMcK says is true, I feel I should point out that if the VM has been shut down many times in the past then the backed up VDI is likely to be usable, albeit with minor corruption from the crash. You should build a new VM around the recovered VDI as suggested by Stefan.

However, if this VM used snapshots then kiss your data goodbye...

Dont use automatic backups. then you are lost. Better use in future manually backuped files. Then you have the control and not a peace of software.

Hopefully you get your data back!

Thank You - my future procedure of backups will be annother, for shure. I know that I've made several mistakes

I depend on the (at the moment probably lost) data - when I don't get my data back - I have woked for nothing from NYE until today

A data-rescue company owned a lot of money for extracting the damaged HD. At the Moment there are *.vdi, compreg.dat, VirtualBox.xml, xpti.dat and the "Machines" folder. But where is the "Delta" hidden?
I think I have tested every combination, but when I use the extracted *.vdi the mashine crashes (without displaying any error) while the Windows System starts (Windows logo with running points).
Other combinations generate a running machine but with the old data from NYE.

There seem to be some explanations:
1. *.vdi damaged - is there a way to test the file?
2. the "Delta" is missing - where exactly is it stored?
3. Others?

Ideas? Any solution in sight?

You don't need to worry about "deltas" unless you used snapshots, which so far you have not mentioned using.

You seem to be missing a VM description file, called either <vmname>.vbox, or <vmname.xml>.
The ".dat" files don't come from VirtualBox.
Does "*.vdi" imply more than one VDI?

I do hope that the data rescue service is reliable. What was the point of a backup if you have to pay someone else for the restore? There is no real way to test the relibility of the data of a VDI except (a) mount it in a VM and and (b) run a disk check. Both (a) and (b) establish different levels of data validity.

WARNING: Make sure you manually back up your VDI and other files before you mess with them further or mount them in a VM.