VBoxSVC.exe crashes on Windows with VBox 4.3.8 when setting VBOX_USER_HOME

[dyle71]

Unable to set a dedicated different VBOX home path. Virtual Box COM Server is unable to work with new settings.

C:\Users\dyle>"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" --version
4.3.8r92456

C:\Users\dyle>"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" list systemproperties
API version:                     4_3
Minimum guest RAM size:          4 Megabytes
Maximum guest RAM size:          2097152 Megabytes
Minimum video RAM size:          1 Megabytes
Maximum video RAM size:          256 Megabytes
Maximum guest monitor count:     64
Minimum guest CPU count:         1
Maximum guest CPU count:         32
Virtual disk limit (info):       2199022206976 Bytes
Maximum Serial Port count:       2
Maximum Parallel Port count:     2
Maximum Boot Position:           4
Maximum PIIX3 Network Adapter count:   8
Maximum ICH9 Network Adapter count:   36
Maximum PIIX3 IDE Controllers:   1
Maximum ICH9 IDE Controllers:    1
Maximum IDE Port count:          2
Maximum Devices per IDE Port:    2
Maximum PIIX3 SATA Controllers:  1
Maximum ICH9 SATA Controllers:   8
Maximum SATA Port count:         30
Maximum Devices per SATA Port:   1
Maximum PIIX3 SCSI Controllers:  1
Maximum ICH9 SCSI Controllers:   8
Maximum SCSI Port count:         16
Maximum Devices per SCSI Port:   1
Maximum SAS PIIX3 Controllers:   1
Maximum SAS ICH9 Controllers:    8
Maximum SAS Port count:          8
Maximum Devices per SAS Port:    1
Maximum PIIX3 Floppy Controllers:1
Maximum ICH9 Floppy Controllers: 1
Maximum Floppy Port count:       1
Maximum Devices per Floppy Port: 2
Default machine folder:          C:\Users\dyle\VirtualBox VMs
Exclusive HW virtualization use: off
Default hard disk format:        VDI
VRDE auth library:               VBoxAuth
Webservice auth. library:        VBoxAuth
Remote desktop ExtPack:
Log history count:               3
Default frontend:
Autostart database path:
Default Guest Additions ISO:     C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox/VBoxGuestAdditions.iso

C:\Users\dyle>del .VirtualBox
Möchten Sie "C:\Users\dyle\.VirtualBox\*" löschen (J/N)? j

C:\Users\dyle>set VBOX_USER_HOME="C:\Users\dyle\AppData\Local\Temp"

C:\Users\dyle>"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" list systemproperties
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.

I've deleted the ~/.VirtualBox folder in between to start with a new fresh instance.

For us this is a project killer, as I'm unable to work with a dedicated VBox machine and environment path not located at the standard user paths. This sets our project at risk.

[dyle71]

To add: this is run as normal user without elevated user rights (Run As Administrator).

Reseting VBOX_USER_HOME does work again, but this creates the VBox files again in the Users's home, which is a No-Go.

[Klaus Espenlaub]

I'm very unsure if this can possibly work (in a usable fashion, beyond some manual test), because on Windows VBoxSVC is launched by COM service management, and this means it's not possible to get the environment variable set where it needs to be.

On all other platforms we use XPCOM, and that has a different VBoxSVC launch logic, it is started by the API client who does the first API call, and thus it's possible to pass environment variables by having them in place at the API client.