Start VirtualBox and VM in Windows boot

I have an example of how to autostart a VirtualBox VM during Windows startup. I’m running Windows 10, but it shouldn’t be much different on Windows Server 2016.

The startup folder on my system is:

C:\Users\chriwill\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

In that folder I placed a batch file kubuntu.bat with following content:

"C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxManage.exe" startvm kubuntu --type headless

In my example the VM is named kubuntu. You’ll have to change it for your instance.

Addon:

If you need help finding the startup folder on your windows instance press keys Windows + R and enter shell:startup.

Reference: 8.19. VBoxManage startvm

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