virtualbox.org

hi everyone, I'm new to Virtual box and getting frustrated here. Ive done a search but can't find any help - and what I found in the manual & wiki seemed not to match what I am experienceing (though I am sure it is me that has got this wrong)

VB 4.3.6 r91406
Host Win 7
Guests Linux Mint LXDE and open SUSE

I installed Linux Mint, removed the .iso from the virtual CD drive, restarted. Fine.

Ran a session, then used the Mint Logout -> shutdown sequence to close down the virtual machine, expecting to be able to start it again. Now every attempt to start gives me this error, after the machine flashes onto the host screen for a fraction of a second.

Now, what did I do wrong? I got a prompt after the box had powered down from the virtual operating system and I selected the "power down" option. The manual says this is like pulling the plug; and after the screen goes black on a real computer it is OK to pull the plug, yes? Clearly that was a mistake. But please, what should I have done? Saved the state, maybe, even though the "state" was in virtual halt?

Are you supposed never to power down the VM, just pause it after savng the state? But suppose you WANT to power it down?

And how do I start the machine? Neither double clicking it nor highlight and the start arrow seem to want to power it up again. The manual says it would restart with disk checks after the plug is pulled, but the disks should have been properly signed off, surely? Am I thinking too literally here?

And if I want to delete this machine, which I tried, the folders remain with the log files even if I ask for the files to be discarded, and I can neither delete the folders from Windows nor from VB, nor can I re-use the same machine name. How do I tidy up the mess I made of my windows filespace, which even when Virtual Box is no longer running, claims that the folders are open in VB so they can't be removed??

Sorry, I realise this is a real newb type question, but I seems to have missed the point somewhere before getting really started.

River~~

And then I have somehow got myself into the same mess from openSUSE as well.

It would help if you posted the guests log file ( as an attachment )

trueriver wrote:Are you supposed never to power down the VM, just pause it after savng the state? But suppose you WANT to power it down?

You are supposed to power down the VM as much as you're supposed to power down a physical system.

And how do I start the machine? Neither double clicking it nor highlight and the start arrow seem to want to power it up again.

That ought to work. I can't quite imagine why it doesn't, especially since you were able to start it at least once.

And if I want to delete this machine, which I tried, the folders remain with the log files even if I ask for the files to be discarded, and I can neither delete the folders from Windows nor from VB, nor can I re-use the same machine name.

What do you mean "can't delete the folders from Windows"? Why not? This sounds like some kind of permissions problem, although I don't know how you got there.

hi perryg and michaln

Thanks for your attempts to help, they are appreciated.

The issues were nothing to do with virtual box.

Having now installed a WORKING hard drive in the host system everything works exactly as expected, and clicking the shutdown button within the guest OS GUI does indeed power things down. Had it done that first off then I would have not ot myself into a tizzy he other day.

I'm still no sure in detail why Win7 behaved exactly as it did, and by coincidence just when I started to play with a new piece of software; but the clue came soon after my post here when Firefox also started to play up, and then followed by everything else....

Many thanks
River~~

Thanks for letting us know what the problem really was!