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On my old computer I just copied the folder VirtualBox VMs to my external harddrive. Now I would like to restore those VMs. How am I able to do this using the folder "VirtualBox VMs" that I copied? It does not contain any *.vdi files, only *.vbox files and *.vmdk files. Both host machines are Linux Kubuntu 14.4. To my knowledge, I have not further .VirtualBox folder saved.

Also I have an export of my VMs, namely *.ova files.

I had a look at What's the recommended way to move a VirtualBox VM to another computer? and https://srackham.wordpress.com/cloning-and-copying-virtualbox-virtual-machines/ but those seem to imply that I need more than I have.

Update: In any case, I get the VMs added but once I try to start them I get "Windows loads data...", the progress bar gets from 0 to full twice and then the machine reboots. It is the same as in Windows 7 VirtualBox image won't boot and I can't boot in safe mode but I do not have Hyper-V installed, which might have been the problem, so what can I do?

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Make42
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  • You need to find your *vdi* files on the old computer as a starting point and copy those over to the portable hard drive too. Without the *vdi* files you're screwed. Then follow these instructions: http://superuser.com/questions/745844/how-can-i-import-an-existing-vbox-virtual-machine-in-virtualbox – misha256 Mar 10 '16 at 19:11
  • @misha256: What if I don't find them? Do I have to say good-bye to the idea? Also: Where might be a good place to start looking? – Make42 Mar 10 '16 at 19:13
  • You have to find them. I assume that, on the old PC, your VMs were running fine right? If so then the *vdi* files must exit. On the other hand, if the *vdi* files got deleted somehow, then I'm afraid it's good-bye to the idea. – misha256 Mar 10 '16 at 19:16
  • @misha256: Where might I find them on a linux machine? I'd like to narrow the search down. (I exported all VMs to *.odv so this is my backup plan.) – Make42 Mar 10 '16 at 19:19
  • @misha256: Shouldn't the *.vdi files be in the folder "VirtualBox VMs" as well? There they aren't and haven't been though. – Make42 Mar 10 '16 at 19:31
  • Note that as long as you have the old VMs Hard disk files, you can always create a new VM with the same hardware specs, and attach the existing disk files to it. – Frank Thomas Mar 10 '16 at 19:42
  • @FrankThomas: How do I do that? Can you elaborate? – Make42 Mar 10 '16 at 19:42
  • create a new virtual machine exactly as you normally would, but at the end, before you boot off it, edit the settings to attach the existing disks to the new VM. But upon rereading what specific files you have, you don't have the old virtual disks, just the machine definition so kind of the opposite of what I had hoped. There is nothing that can be done unless you can get the hard disk files back. – Frank Thomas Mar 10 '16 at 19:48
  • @FrankThomas: I take it that the *.vdi files are the hard disk files and the *.vbox files are the machine definitions. However, I do have *.vmdk files. Do those help? (They are really large ~64GB.) – Make42 Mar 10 '16 at 19:55
  • yes, your VMDK/VDI/VHD/etc files are the hard disks. it sounds like you have the whole virtualmachine recovered, so see this thread on how to import it into a new VBox install: http://superuser.com/questions/745844/how-can-i-import-an-existing-vbox-virtual-machine-in-virtualbox be sure to reinstall the client tools once you get it booted. – Frank Thomas Mar 10 '16 at 20:03
  • Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/36839/discussion-between-make42-and-frank-thomas). – Make42 Mar 11 '16 at 14:38
  • Chat never works out for me. sorry. – Frank Thomas Mar 11 '16 at 15:42
  • @FrankThomas: I was able to add the VM, but when I start it, "Windows loads data" over and over again, then stops and starts the VM anew... What to do? My issue also applies to the VM that I got after importing the ova image. – Make42 Mar 11 '16 at 17:02
  • @FrankThomas: I also tried to make a new VM with using the old vmdk file as the hard drive, but the issue remains. – Make42 Mar 11 '16 at 17:08
  • @FrankThomas: Now I tried it with an ova about which I know that it definetely should have worked. I still get the same issue, so I think it is not about the images, but about the VirtualBox itself, or the combination with my machine. – Make42 Mar 11 '16 at 17:34
  • It sounds like you have managed to successfully import the VM, but that now you are having trouble booting it. I recommend you create a new question, with screenshots of your issue, to get the best possible responses. – Frank Thomas Mar 11 '16 at 17:50
  • Done: http://superuser.com/questions/1051717/imported-vms-dont-start-but-load-in-infinite-loop – Make42 Mar 11 '16 at 18:00
  • glad you got it worked out. Cheers! – Frank Thomas Mar 11 '16 at 23:00

1 Answers1

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Two methods are possible:

1. Export / Import

  1. Power you VM on your old computer down.
  2. From VirtualBox: Export your VM by going to "File"->"Export Applicance".
  3. Copy the resulting .ova file to your new computer.
  4. From VirtualBox: Import your VM by going to "File"->"Import Applicance".

2. Copy

  1. Copy your VM-Folder to the new computer, including your .vdi or .vmdk file. (These are your virtual disks.)
  2. In VirtualBox go to "Machine"->"Add" and select a .vbox file.
Make42
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