Installing VirtualBox as a Service on Windows Using NSSM

In this article, we will guide you through the process of installing VirtualBox as a Windows service using NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager) and starting a Virtual Machine automatically as a service. This can be useful for scenarios where you need a Virtual Machine to run in the background, even when the user is not logged in.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure that you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. VirtualBox: You should have VirtualBox installed on your Windows machine. You can download it from the official VirtualBox website.

2. NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager): NSSM is a tool that allows you to create and manage Windows services. We recommend installing it via Chocolatey (Choco), a popular package manager for Windows. If you haven’t installed Choco, you can download and install it from the Chocolatey website.

   To install NSSM using Chocolatey, open a Command Prompt with administrator privileges and run the following command:

   1	choco install nssm

Installing VirtualBox as a Service

Now, let’s proceed with installing VirtualBox as a Windows service:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator: Right-click on the Command Prompt icon and select “Run as administrator” to ensure you have the necessary privileges.

2. Install VirtualBox as a Service: Run the following NSSM command to install VirtualBox as a service. Replace <VIRTUAL-MACHINE_NAME> with the name of your Virtual Machine:

   1	nssm install VirtualBoxVM

3. Configure Service Parameters:

   • Application Path: Set the path to the VBoxHeadless.exe executable. By default, it’s located in “C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxHeadless.exe.”

     1	Path: C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox\VBoxHeadless.exe

   • Arguments: Specify the -startvm parameter followed by the name of your Virtual Machine.

     1	Arguments: -startvm <VIRTUAL-MACHINE_NAME>

   

4. Save Configuration: Click on the “Install service” button to save the configuration. You should see a message indicating that the service has been installed.

5. Start the Service: You can start the service immediately using the following command:

   1	net start VirtualBoxVM

   This command will start your Virtual Machine as a service.

Managing the VirtualBox Service

You’ve successfully installed VirtualBox as a Windows service using NSSM. To manage the service, you can use standard Windows service management tools or commands, such as:

• To start the service:

  1	net start VirtualBoxVM

• To stop the service:

  1	net stop VirtualBoxVM

• To check the status of the service:

  1	sc query VirtualBoxVM

Now, your Virtual Machine will run as a service, allowing you to use it without the need for manual intervention, even when you are not logged into the system.