Re: Restoring VirtualBox VM

Eric,


can you show the content of the vbox file?


I've more than once hand edited one to get it working.


Cheers


Rudy

On 24-02-2025 19:23, Eric Beversluis via Any discussion of rdiff-backup 
wrote:
> Thanks, Rudy.
>
> I tried that, using first
>     /VirtualBox VMs/Windows 10 VM, then
>     /VirtualBox VMs/Windows 10 VM/Windows 10 VM.vbox
> and then, that same command after renaming Windows 10 VM.vbox-prev to 
> Windows 10VM.vbox.
>
> This is what I got back from the command:
>
> eric@fedora:~$ vboxmanage registervm '/home/eric/VirtualBox VMs'
> VBoxManage: error: Document is empty.
> VBoxManage: error: Location: '/home/eric/VirtualBox VMs', line 1 (0), 
> column 1.
> VBoxManage: error: 
> /home/vbox/tinderbox/build-VBox-7.1/svn/src/VBox/Main/src-server/MachineImpl.cpp[691] 
> (nsresult Machine::initFromSettings(VirtualBox*, const com::Utf8Str&, 
> const com::Guid*, const com::Utf8Str&))
> VBoxManage: error: Details: code NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005), 
> component MachineWrap, interface IMachine, callee nsISupports
> VBoxManage: error: Context: "OpenMachine(Bstr(a->argv[0]).raw(), 
> Bstr(strPassword).raw(), machine.asOutParam()))" at line 159 of file 
> VBoxManageMisc.cpp
>
> eric@fedora:~$ vboxmanage registervm '/home/eric/VirtualBox 
> VMs/Windows 10 VM.vbox'
> VBoxManage: error: Runtime error opening '/home/eric/VirtualBox 
> VMs/Windows 10 VM.vbox' for reading VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (File not 
> found.).
> VBoxManage: error: 
> /home/vbox/tinderbox/build-VBox-7.1/svn/src/VBox/Main/src-server/MachineImpl.cpp[691] 
> (nsresult Machine::initFromSettings(VirtualBox*, const com::Utf8Str&, 
> const com::Guid*, const com::Utf8Str&))
> VBoxManage: error: Details: code NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005), 
> component MachineWrap, interface IMachine, callee nsISupports
> VBoxManage: error: Context: "OpenMachine(Bstr(a->argv[0]).raw(), 
> Bstr(strPassword).raw(), machine.asOutParam()))" at line 159 of file 
> VBoxManageMisc.cpp
>
> eric@fedora:~$ vboxmanage registervm '/home/eric/VirtualBox 
> VMs/Windows 10 VM.vbox'
> VBoxManage: error: Runtime error opening '/home/eric/VirtualBox 
> VMs/Windows 10 VM.vbox' for reading VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND (File not 
> found.).
> VBoxManage: error: 
> /home/vbox/tinderbox/build-VBox-7.1/svn/src/VBox/Main/src-server/MachineImpl.cpp[691] 
> (nsresult Machine::initFromSettings(VirtualBox*, const com::Utf8Str&, 
> const com::Guid*, const com::Utf8Str&))
> VBoxManage: error: Details: code NS_ERROR_FAILURE (0x80004005), 
> component MachineWrap, interface IMachine, callee nsISupports
> VBoxManage: error: Context: "OpenMachine(Bstr(a->argv[0]).raw(), 
> Bstr(strPassword).raw(), machine.asOutParam()))" at line 159 of file 
> VBoxManageMisc.cpp
>
> I don't know if this means anything to you. I'll also post these 
> results on my threat at VirtualBox.
>
> I always have the VMs shut down when I run rdiff-backup.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Eric Beversluis
> www.ericbeversluis.com
> 2x Honorable Mention--Writer's Digest Contest
>
>
> On 2/24/25 12:05 PM, Rudy Zijlstra wrote:
>> Eric,
>>
>>
>> When restoring from a file backup, you may need to re-register the 
>> VM. That is fully delete it, put the files in place from backup, and 
>> then vboxmanage registervm <abs path to vbox file>
>>
>>
>> This is on the assumption the external backup was made while the VM 
>> was NOT running. If it was running during the copy, there is no 
>> guarantee the backup file is consistent. It might still work, but the 
>> key word there is "might"
>>
>>
>> Cheers
>>
>>
>> Rudy
>>
>>
>> On 23-02-2025 20:43, Eric Beversluis via Any discussion of 
>> rdiff-backup wrote:
>>> Eric, sorry about not addressing the list. I don't know what made me 
>>> think you had replied off-list.
>>>
>>> Thanks for digging into this for me. I'll study the VB forum links 
>>> you found and return to the qq I've posted there. Hopefully I'll get 
>>> some love there.
>>>
>>>
>>> Eric Beversluis
>>> www.ericbeversluis.com
>>> 2x Honorable Mention--Writer's Digest Contest
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2/23/25 12:36 PM, EricZolf wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> please keep the discussion on the mailing list (and don't address 
>>>> me directly), you never know who might be able to help, or who 
>>>> might need the solution.
>>>>
>>>> On 23/02/2025 13:07, Eric Beversluis wrote:
>>>>> Hi Eric,
>>>>>
>>>>> When I tried to reproduce the original VM by clicking on the .vbox 
>>>>> file, I got this error message:
>>>>>
>>>>> Failed to open virtual machines located in .../VirtualBox 
>>>>> VMs/Windows10 VM/Windows 10 VM.vbox. Callee RC: 
>>>>> NX_ERROR_INVALID_ARG (0X80070057)
>>>>
>>>> You are probably better off asking in a VirtualBox forum. Reading 
>>>> through https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?t=110774 I get 
>>>> the impression that the issue is some expectations on the devices 
>>>> (there the ISO) being available on the host, which are most 
>>>> probably not part of the backup.
>>>> See especially the comment 
>>>> https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?p=544847&sid=1dd533b8b7d03facbea8b6d9e371a3c3#p544847
>>>>
>>>>> Nearly as I can tell from searching, that's a kind of generic 
>>>>> error message that doesn't help much.
>>>>
>>>> You are possibly right, I wouldn't know, I haven't used VirtualBox 
>>>> for decades.
>>>>
>>>>> I think I should also be able to create a new VM by importing the 
>>>>> old .vdi image. But when I try that approach, VirtualBox can't 
>>>>> find the .vdi image, even though it's in the 'VirtualBox VMs' 
>>>>> directory.
>>>>>
>>>>> Somewhere in my vague memory, from years ago when I was more 
>>>>> active with this stuff, there's the idea that copying an image as 
>>>>> image is different from copying the files in an image. Could that 
>>>>> be relevant here? I definitely would have run rdiff-backup with 
>>>>> the VM shut down.
>>>>
>>>> Well, you can do backup from within the VM, at the OS level, or 
>>>> from outside at the VM image level, but apparently here you've done 
>>>> it from outside.
>>>>
>>>> Sorry I can't help more but it sounds more like a VirtualBox than 
>>>> an rdiff-backup issue.
>>>>
>>>> KR, Eric
>>>>
>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>>
>>>>> Eric Beversluis
>>>>> www.ericbeversluis.com
>>>>> 2x Honorable Mention--Writer's Digest Contest
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 2/23/25 2:46 AM, EricZolf wrote:
>>>>>> Hi,
>>>>>> I have no clue of virtual box but which error message do you get?
>>>>>> Did you backup the image while the VM was switched off? Else it 
>>>>>> could get inconsistent...
>>>>>> KR, Eric
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On February 23, 2025 4:48:18 AM UTC, Eric Beversluis via Any 
>>>>>> discussion of rdiff-backup <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>>>>> I've been backing up my VirtualBox VM as part of my 
>>>>>>> rdiff-backiup of my Home directory (Fedora 40).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> My Window 10 VM got destroyed, and I'm trying to recreate it, 
>>>>>>> but VirtualBox does not seem to be able to recognize or deal 
>>>>>>> with my restored rdiff-backup files of the VM. Everything seems 
>>>>>>> to be there, but VB doesn't seem to recognize the .vdi file at 
>>>>>>> all and I get an error when I click on the .vbox file, which is 
>>>>>>> supposedly what retriggers the new VM.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Does anyone know why I can't restore from my rdiff-backup of the 
>>>>>>> virtual machine? I thought I was being very prudent with backing 
>>>>>>> up the VM.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>