Virtualbox Error Cannot register the hard disk because a hard disk with UUID already exists solution

Cannot register the hard disk '/some/path/windows-marking.vdi' {f54def00-2252-43f5-9178-0998636cad61} because a hard disk '/other-path/windows-marking.vdi' with UUID {f54def00-2252-43f5-9178-0998636cad61} already exists.

Result Code:
NS_ERROR_INVALID_ARG (0x80070057)
Component:
VirtualBoxWrap
Interface:
IVirtualBox {0169423f-46b4-cde9-91af-1e9d5b6cd945}
Callee RC:
VBOX_E_OBJECT_NOT_FOUND (0x80BB0001)



What causes the error?

This is common if you are restoring a virtualbox VM or let's say you had the .vdi file on a certain partition whether remote share or just another partition.  For example I wanted to move my .vdi from HDD to my SSD partition and got the error above.
 

And no, removing the original .vdi from VBOX won't fix it.  It stores the UUID in the .vbox config file and it cannot be edited directly because VirtualBox will just overwrite any change (I tried to just remove the UUID of the old HDD but the change got overwritten).
 

How to solve the error?

Virtualbox has a command that can assign your .vdi a new UUID which will fix the problem:

VBoxManage internalcommands sethduuid /some/path/windows-marking.vdi
UUID changed to: 4a8debca-b235-4478-8264-c2667a053930

Just change the path to the file in bold above to yours and it will create a new UUID.  When you go back into Virtualbox to add the Virtual Disk it will work.
 

VBOX error Cannot register the hard disk '/some/path/windows-marking.vdi' {f54def00-2252-43f5-9178-0998636cad61} because a hard disk '/other-path/windows-marking.vdi' with UUID {f54def00-2252-43f5-9178-0998636cad61} already exists.


Tags:

virtualbox, register, disk, uuid, solutioncannot, marking, vdi, def, cad, ns_error_invalid_arg, component, virtualboxwrap, interface, ivirtualbox, cde, af, callee, rc, vbox_e_object_not_found, bb, restoring, vm, partition, hdd, ssd, removing, vbox, config, edited, overwrite, overwritten, assign, vboxmanage, internalcommands, sethduuid, debca, bold, virtual,

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