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On my old computer I just copied the folder VirtualBox VMs to my external harddrive. Now I would like to restore those VMs. How am I able to do this using the folder "VirtualBox VMs" that I copied? It does not contain any *.vdi files, only *.vbox files and *.vmdk files. Both host machines are Linux Kubuntu 14.4. To my knowledge, I have not further .VirtualBox folder saved.

Also I have an export of my VMs, namely *.ova files.

I had a look at What's the recommended way to move a VirtualBox VM to another computer? and https://srackham.wordpress.com/cloning-and-copying-virtualbox-virtual-machines/ but those seem to imply that I need more than I have.

Update: In any case, I get the VMs added but once I try to start them I get "Windows loads data...", the progress bar gets from 0 to full twice and then the machine reboots. It is the same as in Windows 7 VirtualBox image won't boot and I can't boot in safe mode but I do not have Hyper-V installed, which might have been the problem, so what can I do?

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1 Answers1

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Two methods are possible:

1. Export / Import

  1. Power you VM on your old computer down.
  2. From VirtualBox: Export your VM by going to "File"->"Export Applicance".
  3. Copy the resulting .ova file to your new computer.
  4. From VirtualBox: Import your VM by going to "File"->"Import Applicance".

2. Copy

  1. Copy your VM-Folder to the new computer, including your .vdi or .vmdk file. (These are your virtual disks.)
  2. In VirtualBox go to "Machine"->"Add" and select a .vbox file.
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