VBoxManage Commands
By default, the VBoxManage command (VBoxManage.exe) on Windows is located in the C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox directory. You need to change to this directory or place this directory in the PATH environment variable.
1. To list all existing virtual hard drives:
VBoxManage list hdds
For example:
UUID: 1817c1f6-6888-4105-b46d-e3135a99cfcb
Parent UUID: base
Format: VDI
Location: C:VasudevVirtualBoxWindows XPWindows XP.vdi
State: inaccessible
Type: normal
UUID: 260bd00a-d35e-47b5-8c4d-1821ec008818
Parent UUID: 1817c1f6-6888-4105-b46d-e3135a99cfcb
Format: VDI
Location: E:VirtualBoxWindows XPSnapshots/{260bd00a-d35e-47b5-8c4d-1821ec0
08818}.vdi
State: created
Type: normal
UUID: 712e180b-bbf0-4d0d-ac64-81d545a5669e
Parent UUID: 1817c1f6-6888-4105-b46d-e3135a99cfcb
Format: VDI
Location: E:VirtualBoxWindows XPSnapshots/{712e180b-bbf0-4d0d-ac64-81d545a
5669e}.vdi
State: created
Type: normal
2. To remove an existing or inaccessible virtual hard drive:
VBoxManage closemedium disk|dvd|floppy <uuid>|<filename>
[--delete]
For example:
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe closemedium disk 1817c1f6-6888
-4105-b46d-e3135a99cfcb
VBoxManage.exe: error: Cannot close medium 'C:VasudevVirtualBoxWindows XPWin
dows XP.vdi' because it has 2 child media
VBoxManage.exe: error: Details: code VBOX_E_OBJECT_IN_USE (0x80bb000c), componen
t Medium, interface IMedium, callee IUnknown
Context: "Close()" at line 1186 of file VBoxManageDisk.cpp
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe closemedium disk 260bd00a-d35e
-47b5-8c4d-1821ec008818
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe closemedium disk 712e180b-bbf0
-4d0d-ac64-81d545a5669e
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe closemedium disk 1817c1f6-6888
-4105-b46d-e3135a99cfcb
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>
3. To start a virtual machine without a console (i.e. ‘headless’):
VBoxManage startvm <uuid>|<name>...
[--type gui|sdl|headless]
dsfdfs
4. After manually copying a VirtualBox hard drive in Windows Explorer and adding it to a newly created VM in the VirtualBox GUI, the following error appears:
Failed to open the hard disk J:VirtualBoxPatch11iPatch11i1.vdi.
Cannot register the hard disk 'J:VirtualBoxPatch11iPatch11i1.vdi'
{d2696d49-07c6-46bd-9e31-84b4c5fa649b} because a hard disk
'I:VirtualBoxOEL5VIS4BIOEL5VIS4I1.vdi' with UUID
{d2696d49-07c6-46bd-9e31-84b4c5fa649b} already exists.
| Result Code: |
E_INVALIDARG (0x80070057) |
| Component: |
VirtualBox |
| Interface: |
IVirtualBox {c28be65f-1a8f-43b4-81f1-eb60cb516e66} |
Use the internalcommands parameter with VBoxManage.exe to set a change the hard drive’s UUID:
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe internalcommands
Oracle VM VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version 4.1.16
(C) 2005-2012 Oracle Corporation
All rights reserved.
Usage: VBoxManage internalcommands <command> [command arguments]
Commands:
loadsyms <vmname>|<uuid> <symfile> [delta] [module] [module address]
This will instruct DBGF to load the given symbolfile
during initialization.
unloadsyms <vmname>|<uuid> <symfile>
Removes <symfile> from the list of symbol files that
should be loaded during DBF initialization.
sethduuid <filepath> [<uuid>]
Assigns a new UUID to the given image file. This way, multiple copies
of a container can be registered.
sethdparentuuid <filepath> <uuid>
Assigns a new parent UUID to the given image file.
dumphdinfo <filepath>
Prints information about the image at the given location.
listpartitions -rawdisk <diskname>
Lists all partitions on <diskname>.
createrawvmdk -filename <filename> -rawdisk <diskname>
[-partitions <list of partition numbers> [-mbr <filename>] ]
[-relative]
Creates a new VMDK image which gives access to an entite host disk (if
the parameter -partitions is not specified) or some partitions of a
host disk. If access to individual partitions is granted, then the
parameter -mbr can be used to specify an alternative MBR to be used
(the partitioning information in the MBR file is ignored).
The diskname is on Linux e.g. /dev/sda, and on Windows e.g.
\.PhysicalDrive0).
On Linux or FreeBSD host the parameter -relative causes a VMDK file to
be created which refers to individual partitions instead to the entire
disk.
The necessary partition numbers can be queried with
VBoxManage internalcommands listpartitions
renamevmdk -from <filename> -to <filename>
Renames an existing VMDK image, including the base file and all its exten
ts.
converttoraw [-format <fileformat>] <filename> <outputfile>
Convert image to raw, writing to file.
converthd [-srcformat VDI|VMDK|VHD|RAW]
[-dstformat VDI|VMDK|VHD|RAW]
<inputfile> <outputfile>
converts hard disk images between formats
modinstall
Installs the necessary driver for the host OS
moduninstall
Deinstalls the driver
debuglog <vmname>|<uuid> [--enable|--disable] [--flags todo]
[--groups todo] [--destinations todo]
Controls debug logging.
passwordhash <passsword>
Generates a password hash.
gueststats <vmname>|<uuid> [--interval <seconds>]
Obtains and prints internal guest statistics.
Sets the update interval if specified.
WARNING: This is a development tool and shall only be used to analyse
problems. It is completely unsupported and will change in
incompatible ways without warning.
Syntax error: Command missing
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe internalcommands sethduuid J:
VirtualBoxPatch11iPatch11i1.vdi
UUID changed to: d716cc7b-749a-4e0d-83b5-c0abc379f18a
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe internalcommands sethduuid J:
VirtualBoxPatch11iPatch11i2.vdi
UUID changed to: 280d9129-f190-4422-82e1-083f6f750814
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe internalcommands sethduuid J:
VirtualBoxPatch11iPatch11i3.vdi
UUID changed to: e577df83-d2e5-49e9-9a2c-18a29dd8fc84
C:Program FilesOracleVirtualBox>VBoxManage.exe internalcommands sethduuid J:
VirtualBoxPatch11iPatch11i4.vdi
UUID changed to: bf722d45-9fdd-4a9f-a9ec-f646f6156c3d
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