Create Host-Only Interface fails with E_FAIL on Windows 10 (and sometimes 7)

[talr]

I'm facing an issue that i can see exists for many years on various windows OS in which creating Host-Only interface fails, from VBoxManage and from VB GUI. i saw it more randomly on windows 7 from several users, but on windows 10 the fail rate it much higher. I've gone on all workaround posted in various tickets and none worked.

using VB 4.3.X fails, but VB 5.0.16 succeed. from the change log and documentation i understand that windows 10 supposed to be supported by 4.3.x and not only by 5.0.x Can you tell if the bug fix for this issue on VB 5.x will be ported to 4.3.x? i can't move to VB 5.0.16 at the moment as too many users are using 4.3.32

I've conducted an install test on 2 clean windows 10 machine, and collected the install logs:

1. Windows 10 Enterprise x64 10240 (RTM)
2. Windows 10 Pro x64 1511 (02.2016)

On each one of these i've run the installer with the "-l" flag for two VB builds:

1. VirtualBox-5.0.16-105871 - latest release for VB 5.0.x
2. VirtualBox-4.3.37-106347 -latest beta build for 4.3.x

It seems there is no difference between the 2 windows machines with regards to the tests as it seems identical

with 4.3.37 i can see in the logs:

CreateHostOnlyInterface: Creating host-only interface
CreateHostOnlyInterface: NetAdpDir property = C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp\
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Resulting INF path = C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp\VBoxNetAdp.inf
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Calling VBoxDrvCfgInfInstall(C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp\VBoxNetAdp.inf)
vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx:enter
vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx: lpszInfPath=C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp\VBoxNetAdp.inf 

vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx: call _wsplitpath(C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp\VBoxNetAdp.inf, aMediaLocation, aDir, NULL, NULL)

vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx: after _wsplitpath(...) aMediaLocation=C: and aDir=\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp\

vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx: call wcscat(C:, \Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp\)
vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx: before call SetupCopyOEMInfW(lpszInfPath, aMediaLocation, SPOST_PATH, fCopyStyle, lpszDstName, cbDstName, pcbDstNameSize, lpszDstNameComponent)

vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx: after call SetupCopyOEMInfW(lpszInfPath, aMediaLocation, SPOST_PATH, fCopyStyle, lpszDstName, cbDstName, pcbDstNameSize, lpszDstNameComponent)

vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx: lpszInfPath=C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp\VBoxNetAdp.inf             fCopyStyle=0             lpszDstName=(null)             cbDstName=0             pcbDstNameSize=0             

vboxDrvCfgInfCopyEx:return S_OK

CreateHostOnlyInterface: VBoxDrvCfgInfInstall returns 0x0
[color=#FFFF00]UpdateHostOnlyInterfaces: VBoxNetCfgWinUpdateHostOnlyNetworkInterface failed, hr = 0xe000020b
CreateHostOnlyInterface: calling VBoxNetCfgWinCreateHostOnlyNetworkInterface
CLSIDFromString failed, hrc (0x800401f3)

CreateHostOnlyInterface: VBoxNetCfgWinCreateHostOnlyNetworkInterface returns 0x800401f3
CreateHostOnlyInterface: VBoxNetCfgWinCreateHostOnlyNetworkInterface failed, error = 0x800401f3[/color]
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Almost done...
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Returns success (ignoring all failures)

with 5.0.16 i can see in the logs:

CreateHostOnlyInterface: Creating host-only interface
CreateHostOnlyInterface: NetAdpDir property = C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp6\
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Resulting INF path = C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp6\VBoxNetAdp6.inf
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Calling VBoxDrvCfgInfInstall(C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\drivers\network\netadp6\VBoxNetAdp6.inf)
CreateHostOnlyInterface: VBoxDrvCfgInfInstall returns 0x0
UpdateHostOnlyInterfaces: VBoxNetCfgWinUpdateHostOnlyNetworkInterface failed, hr = 0xe000020b
CreateHostOnlyInterface: calling VBoxNetCfgWinCreateHostOnlyNetworkInterface
Ignoring component ms_server

Ignoring component ms_netbios

Ignoring component ms_ndiscap

Ignoring component ms_wfplwf_upper

Ignoring component ms_pacer

Ignoring component ms_wfplwf_lower

Ignoring component ms_ndisuio

Ignoring component ms_lldp

Ignoring component ms_netbt

Ignoring component ms_rdma_ndk

Ignoring component ms_tcpip

Ignoring component ms_lltdio

Ignoring component ms_implat

Ignoring component ms_tcpip6

Ignoring component ms_rspndr

Ignoring component ms_pppoe

Ignoring component ms_msclient

CreateHostOnlyInterface: VBoxNetCfgWinCreateHostOnlyNetworkInterface returns 0x0
CreateHostOnlyInterface: calling VBoxNetCfgWinEnableStaticIpConfig
VBoxNetCfgWinEnableStaticIpConfig: ip=0x138a8c0 mask=0xffffff

netIfWinFindAdapterClassById: IEnumWbemClassObject::Next -> hr=0x0 pclsObj=0000001038482F60 uReturn=1 42=42

netIfWinFindAdapterClassById: S_OK and 0000001038482F60

VBoxNetCfgWinEnableStaticIpConfig: returns 0x0

CreateHostOnlyInterface: VBoxNetCfgWinEnableStaticIpConfig returns 0x0
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Creating host-only interface done
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Almost done...
CreateHostOnlyInterface: Returns success (ignoring all failures)

I'm attaching all the install logs.

any help would be very appreciated.

posted also in the forum: ​https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=77118&sid=9ec7fce8d7e37ee3c20ee62ce57d6e47

[Aleksey Ilyushin]

VirtualBox 5.0 has introduced NDIS6 network drivers because using NDIS5 drivers in Windows 10 is problematic. My understanding, and this is my personal opinion, that since NDIS5 was marked as "obsolete" quite some time ago, Microsoft is reluctant to invest into resolving compatibility issues and wants us to move to NDIS6. I sincerely doubt that the issues with host-only you are describing many users had with Windows 7 are the same with the one you have with Windows 10. I will gladly reconsider if you can provide me with VBox.log produced by Windows 7 installation that fails with the same error code (0x800401f3).

[talr]

see attached log file for installation of VirtualBox 4.3.32 using the MSI installed in this case in windows 8.1 (Windows v6.3 (Build 9600: Service Pack 0)) same issue: CLSIDFromString failed, hrc (0x800401f3) creating host-only interface ends with E_FAIL