Compacting or reducing snaps

[nics]

VirtualBox running very well, no complaints, using the latest version with host Win7 Pro 64-bit.
I generate new snaps before I update MS patches and/or upgrade installed programs.
The problem is that the list now becoming long and I know that 95% of these snaps I no longer require. I want to regain some space on the hard drive.
Read many tips how to achieve this but even more issues how it went wrong and data lost.

Can anybody refer me to the correct/official procedure?

Thanks

[mpack]

Conceptually, snapshots are markers on a timeline representing the history of the VM. If you no longer need that point on the timeline to be marked then you can simply delete the snapshot.

You are correct that snapshots are prone to catastrophic failure, but you presumably knew that when you chose to use them. It would certainly be wise to make a backup of the VM folder before you start deleting snapshots.

[nics]

Thanks mpack, everything worked 100%, no hiccups at all.

[mpack]

Well done. Yes, "hiccups" are more likely when the user is very short of disk space, which is of course exactly when he starts eyeing the space taken up by all those snapshots...