FIX: VirtualBox not opening in Windows 10 problem

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If VirtualBox stopped working on your Windows 10 system you need to find the right fix without losing your recently saved files.

Most problems are related with recently applied Windows updates, which mean that we are discussing compatibility issues, about certain Windows 10 settings that must be adjusted, or about outdated drivers.

So, if VirtualBox is no longer opening on Windows 10, don’t panic; you just have to apply the workarounds that are explained and detailed in this tutorial.

The overall idea is that VirtualBox can stop working on Windows 10 without any apparent reasons. However, this is a common problem that can be addressed easily and without losing your files.

How to fix VirtualBox not opening in Windows 10

• Solution 1 – Reinstall VirtualBox
• Solution 2 – Update graphic drivers
• Solution 3 – Run the app in compatibility mode
• Solution 4 – Turn off 3D graphics acceleration feature

1. Reinstall VirtualBox

Usually, VirtualBox stops from working because of an incompatibility problem. In most situations, you might experience such malfunctions right after a Windows 10 update.

Thus, the right thing to do is to reinstall VirtualBox on your machine; here is what you should follow:

1. Right-click on the Windows Start icon.
2. From the list that will be displayed choose Control Panel.
3. Switch to category and then, under Programs, click on Uninstall.
4. Find the VirtualBox entry and uninstall the program from your computer.
5. Make sure you keep all the recently saved files.
6. Afterwards, reboot your Windows 10 device.
7. Next, download the latest version of VirtualBox and install it by following on-screen prompts.
8. That should be all; in the end you should be able to use VirtualBox on Windows 10 without further problems.

2. Update graphic drivers

Another thing you should do is to update your graphic drivers:

1. Right-click on the Windows Start icon.
2. Click on the Device Manager entry.
3. From Device Manager extend the Display adapters entry.
4. Right-click on your graphic drivers and choose Update.
5. Additionally, follow this dedicated tutorial and learn how to fix the video driver in VirtualBox.

We strongly suggest you update your driver automatically by using a dedicated tool. Download now TweakBit’s Driver Updater tool(approved by Microsoft and Norton Antivirus). It will keep your system away from permanent damage caused by the installation of the wrong driver version.

Как запустить VirtualBox, после обновления Win10?

После обновления win, перестал запускаться virtualbox. Открывается менеджер, но ни одна вирт.машина не запускается, даже только что созданная.

Что делал:
Переименовывал VMashina.vbox-prev VMashina.vbox,
Деинсталировал, а затем установил vbox v6.0.12, так же vbox v 6.0.16 и vbox 6.1.2.
Экспортировал нужную вирт.машину, экспорт прошел без ошибок, но при импорте (в процессе импорта) выскочила ошибка(не записал).
Сейчас временно скопировал вирт.диск на другой комп, там все работает.
Помогите запустить vbox, вирт.машины нужны.

• Вопрос задан более года назад
• 1508 просмотров

Поможет правка реестра:

All I did was go into the settings of each of my virtual boxes (ubuntu and xp), I disabled the Network adapter, then I was able to start the machines when network was disabled. I shut them down, then enabled network, and they magically started working. I’m running Virtual Box 3.2.8 r64453 on Win 7 as the host (sorry linux brothers and sisters) and I’m running Ubuntu 10.04, and Win XP virtuals. I think this happened because I just updated the Win 7 host, and it updated the RealTek gigabit network hardware. I also have my Ubuntu box setup to auto start when Win 7 boots. though I have yet to test if that still works. If I don’t reply again, then it worked. I’ll reboot right now. Cheers!

Solution (Workaround)
For some reason when the VboxDRV.sys kernel driver gets loaded and started on boot something breaks. Now it may be my anti-virus hooking into it but I have not tested that. I did try disabling (not uninstalling) the AV with no difference. The solution I found was to delay the startup of VboxDRV service by setting its startup type to Demand. This way VboxDRV.sys will load but not start on system boot and will only start when it is needed. Conveniently, running VirtualBox will trigger VboxDRV service to start and by that time the boot process should be complete and everything works without any issues (opening VMs without the error above).

I found this fix works best if done in this order:

Completely uninstall any VirtualBox currently installed
Restart the computer
Install the latest version of VirtualBox
After install completes do not restart the computer
Open the registry editor. Start > Run > regedit
Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\VBoxDrv
Edit the key called Start. Change it’s value from 1 to 3
Close the registry editor and restart your computer. After your computer restarts you should be able to use VirtualBox without any issues.

Upon restart you can confirm VBoxDrv did not start on boot by opening command prompt > type sc query vboxdrv > under STATE it should say STOPPED

Hope this helps someone. I know it’s not a proper fix but it’s the best one so far for people where reinstalling Windows or uninstalling their anti-virus is not an option.