VirtualBox 6.1.4 on Win 10 critical error on start

[tjod]

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Failed to acquire the VirtualBox COM object.

The application will now terminate.

Error in C:\Users\<username>\.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml (line 33) -- UUID &quot;{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}&quot; has zero format.

F:\tinderbox\win-rel\src\VBox\Main\src-server\VirtualBoxImpl.cpp[740] (long cdecl VirtualBox::init(void)).

Result Code: E_FAIL (0x80004005) Component: VirtualBoxWrap Interface: IVirtualBox {d0a0163f-e254-4e5b-a1f2-011cf991c38d} Callee: IVirtualBoxClient {d2937a8e-cb8d-4382-90ba-b7da78a74573}

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Not sure where the reference to the F:\drive is coming from since I have no F: drive.

Also, Line 33 or the referenced XML file has no resemblance to the error message about UUID 0000... zero format, but instead reads

" <ExtraDataItem name="HostOnly/{69874491-c60a-44dc-a52d-f9e8b3f35315}/Name" value="VirtualBox Host-Only Ethernet Adapter"/>

</ExtraData>"

Cannot provide log in usual manner since UI won't run.

[paulson]

As discussed in the forums previously:

​https://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=68620

It would appear that the file C:\Users\<username>\.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml isn't in a parseable format by VirtualBox for some reason. Perhaps the file was corrupted due to a full hard disk or an abrupt exit of VirtualBox due to the host system powering down with a VM still running. Regardless, there should be a file named C:\Users\<username>\.VirtualBox\VirtualBox.xml-prev which is a backup copy of the VirtualBox.xml file which you should try in place of VirtualBox.xml and then see if VirtualBox is able to start up. The reference to F:\... is from the VirtualBox application and is a reference to its build setup.