VirtualBox command line error

Question

I can run VirtualBox just fine, but when I run anything from the command line I get:

VBoxManage.exe: error: Failed to create the VirtualBox object!
VBoxManage.exe: error: Code CO_E_SERVER_EXEC_FAILURE (0x80080005) - Server execution failed (extended info not available)
VBoxManage.exe: error: Most likely, the VirtualBox COM server is not running or failed to start.

This is pretty new. It used to work. I honestly can't remember what changed between the time that it worked and now. This particular error happened when I tried to run one a machine headless:

vboxmanage startvm VIRTUALMACHINE --type headless

but it happens with any command line operation.

Solution 1

I discovered the solution here.

You must NOT run the cmd window as an Administrator to make VBoxManage.exe function without this error.

Solution 2

I got it working after first starting VBox as Admin and then using a prompt with elevated privileges to create the vmdk.

Comments

[PsychoData]

semi duplicate of superuser.com/questions/216692/…

[aserwin]

The 2 questions have nothing to do with one another. That one is asking how to do it, this one is asking about an error I get when I do it.

[PsychoData]

related question then.

[heronsanches]

I also had to uninstall virtualbox and reinstall it, running the installer as admin. I had installed virtualbox with chocolatey before (when it did not work).

[SharpC]

This didn't work for me and failed with VBoxManage.exe: error: Cannot open the raw disk '\\.\PhysicalDrive2': VERR_FILE_NOT_FOUND as I was trying to creating a linked USB drive: howtogeek.com/187721/how-to-boot-from-a-usb-drive-in-virtual‌​box. @Jens answer worked though.

[Dan Dascalescu]

That worked for me too with vagrant - do NOT run vagrant up as admin.