virtualbox.org

I accidentally put my .vdi in the wrong folder. How can I move it without starting from scratch?

This should be no problem, provided the VM does not use snapshots. If the VM uses snapshots you must delete them first using the UI.

Check what type of disk controller (e.g. IDE or SATA) the drive is currently attached to, and remember it.

Go to File|Virtual Media Manager..., find and select the VDI, click Release and then Remove (which will be enabled after the VDI is released). Do NOT answer yes when you are asked if you want to delete the file. Release removes the drive from the virtual controller of all VMs. Remove unregisters the VDI from whatever VM currently registers it.


Once the above is completed you can then shut down VirtualBox, move the VDI into the VM folder, alongside the .vbox file. Then run VirtualBox and use the Storage tab in the VM settings to add the drive back to the same type of disk controller it previously used (the original controller may still be present - if so then use it).

thanks very. very understandably explained.
unrelated but, in the user CP, how do I know which version of VB I'm using? All I see in about is v5.1.38. Nothing about OSE version or PUEL

OSE and PUEL refer to license types, not software versions. It was different in the past, meaning like a decade ago.

The VirtualBox main application is now open source, covered by GPL.

The extension pack is closed source, covered by the modern version of PUEL.

so in the User CP guess I'm using PUEL

I don't know what "user CP" means. As I said above, the main VirtualBox application is now GPL, not PUEL.

user Control Panel/Profile. Where your froum settings are.

Ah, you mean the forums. You should have said so. The forum configuration predates the current licensing so that selection is obsolete, so just choose PUEL unless you self compile.

good guess then on my part.