[vbox-dev] Location of VirtualBox configuration file

Fri Oct 28 14:34:42 GMT 2016

I think the web documentation needs clarification on this matter, it is missleading I think (but the devs will confirm the actual behaviour).

Here, this is purely a matter of proprer configuration in terms of Windows and user profile/env.
I'm surprised you don't have issues with other software doing it the way you did so far.

Could you give a try to USERPROFILE and see if that helps?

On 28 October 2016 16:28:40 CEST, Malcolm Clarke <Malcolm.Clarke at brunel.ac.uk> wrote:
>Dear Maxine
>
>It seems the web documentation is not keeping up with changes to the
>software?
>
>Ideas why the global configuration is not being picked up? Could it be
>using HOMEDRIVE HOMEPATH in one place and USERPROFILE elsewhere?
>
>Regards
>
>Malcolm
>
>On 28/10/2016 15:13, Maxime Dor wrote:
>I believe the variable that is used by software to determine the actual
>home directory of a user is USERPROFILE which is computed from
>HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH.
>If you change HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH during login with a profile
>script, USERPROFILE is already set at that point
>
>On 28/10/16 15:38, Malcolm Clarke wrote:
>
>We continue to have problems with this location issue.
>
>In our labs the students have a profile script that set HOMEDRIVE to h:
>and HOMEPATH to \. I am expecting directories to be created and files
>stored in the locations H:\.
>
>This is not the case.
>
>Instead directories are created and files stored in
>
>c:\users\xxxxxx\.virtualbox , etc
>
>I might be able to understand this behaviour, but we are finding that
>the global configuration file is reinitialised every time the
>VirtualBox is started - the previous configuration file being renamed
>to "-prev".
>
>Even if the HOMEDRIVE is not respected, I would at least expect the
>global configuration file to be used again.
>
>Our environment is Windows 10.
>
>We are investigating, but this is the information we have so far on the
>issue.
>
>We have yet to try VBOX_USER_HOME as a workaround, but I wanted to
>bring the other behaviour to your intention in case it is affecting
>others.
>
>You may understand the frustration of our students having to set up the
>global and VM configuration every time they use VirtualBox. I have a
>mutiny on my hands!
>
>Regards
>
>Malcolm
>
>On 16/10/2016 17:22, Andreas Löffler wrote:
>Hi Malcolm,
>
>VBOX_USER_HOME also should work on Windows if you set this as
>system-wide variable. This of course means that this only can point to
>one profile at a time.
>
>If you mount the current user's profile always to the same location
>(e.g. "X:\VirtualBox") you can give this at least a try.
>
>Kind regards / Mit freundlichen Grüßen
>
>******************************************************************
>Andreas Löffler             | VirtualBox Engineering
>Principal Software Engineer | Oracle Virtualization
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>
>On 14.10.2016 19:19, Klaus Espenlaub wrote:
>Max's answer is correct for every supported host OS besides Windows. As
>usual, on Windows everything is more difficult. On this OS it's COM
>which starts the API service, VBoxSVC.exe, and I don't know a way right
>now to reliably pass it the required env variable...
>
>On 14.10.2016 19:02, Maxime Dor wrote:
>Hi Malcolm,
>
>You can change the location using the ||VBOX_USER_HOME|| env variable.
>More info here: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch10.html#idm9569
>
>Max
>
>On 14/10/16 18:52, Malcolm Clarke wrote:
>Dear All
>
>Although VirtualBox holds a parameter for the location of the
>configuration files of the virtual machines, is there any way to
>control the location of the configuration file of Virtual Box?
>Currently it installs itself in a directory ".VirtualBox" in the
>user's default directory.
>
>Is there a switch or otherwise to place this directory and its
>configuration file in another specified location?
>
>I ask this because we are using Virtual Box with students in a lab.
>They are allocated a home drive which is connected every time they
>log on to a machine, but we do not operate roaming profiles. Although
>they can retain the VM configuration directories and files by
>configuring to their home drive, they "lose" the Virtual Box
>configuration file every time they move to another machine.
>
>Regards
>
>Malcolm
>
>--
>
>*Malcolm Clarke *BSc (Hons), PhD
>
>Reader in Telemedicine and Data Communication Systems
>
>T+44 (0) 1895 265053
>
>
>
>*Brunel University London*
>
>College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences
>
>Department of Computer Science
>
>
>
>HNZW010, Heinz Wolff Building, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex,
>UB8 3PH
>
>
>
>*www.brunel.ac.uk <http://www.brunel.ac.uk/><http://www.brunel.ac.uk/>*
>
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>--
>Malcolm Clarke BSc (Hons), PhD
>Reader in Telemedicine and Data Communication Systems
>T +44 (0) 1895 265053
>
>Brunel University London
>College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences
>Department of Computer Science
>
>HNZW010, Heinz Wolff Building, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8
>3PH
>
>www.brunel.ac.uk<http://www.brunel.ac.uk/>
>
>Connect with the university on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook
>
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>--
>Malcolm Clarke BSc (Hons), PhD
>Reader in Telemedicine and Data Communication Systems
>T +44 (0) 1895 265053
>
>Brunel University London
>College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences
>Department of Computer Science
>
>HNZW010, Heinz Wolff Building, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8
>3PH
>
>www.brunel.ac.uk<http://www.brunel.ac.uk/>
>
>Connect with the university on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook

-- 
Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity or typos.
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