VirtualBox GUI can't close if VM was saved from CLI while the "VM Close" dialog was opened

[Jim Klimov]

VirtualBox 4.2.0 release on Solaris x86_64 (OpenIndiana oi_151a7): I tried to close a VirtualBox X11 GUI console of a VM with the GNOME window-manager "Close" button, which presented me with the proper dialog to Save or Poweroff the VM. Without closing the dialog, I saved the VM state with command-line VBoxManage utility. The GUI window and dialog did not go away at this moment, as usually happens when I save the VM state with external CLI, with the VM GUI window title bar progressing with Running - Saving - Saved - (window closes itself). Instead, when I picked a "Save VM" option in the VM close dialog, it failed (a dialog popped up and said the VM is already saved - which is true) and changed the title bar to reflect the Saved state. Now the window can not be closed with the window manager close-button, nor does it do anything when I choose the Machine/Close menu item (or press Host+Q); it only responds to "kill -9" of the VirtualBox process. The VM also can not be started (is locked) while this window exists.

This is a bad situation; the GUI window should either close itself when the VM is no longer running (as it does in other cases), or at least allow itself to be closed interactively, and thus unlock the VM resources.

[Jim Klimov]

The same situation happens if I choose "Poweroff" in the GUI menu after the VM was saved externally.

Also, results of this situation are even worse: after the VirtualBox GUI window was killed, the VM resources did get unlocked, but the VM becomes "aborted" though it was previously "saved" - so upon restart of the VM GUI, the VM is not restored from saved state but restarted from scratch.

[aeichner]

Please reopen if still relevant with a recent VirtualBox release.