Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-15

How to Fix: "The specified network location cannot be used" error when trying to back up windows virtualbox to shared folder location

Error fixing network location issue in Virtualbox backup

Quick Answer: Check the Windows Firewall settings and ensure that the Virtualbox shared folder is not blocked.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 💡 Why You Are Getting This Error
  2. ✅ Best Solutions to Fix It
  3. ✨ Wrapping Up

The 'specified network location cannot be used' error occurs when trying to access a shared folder from Windows 10 running in VirtualBox on Ubuntu. This issue affects users who rely on backups of their VirtualBox machines, as it prevents them from restoring the backup on another physical machine.

This error can be frustrating for users who need to restore their VirtualBox machines due to hardware or software issues. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to resolve this issue and enable successful backups and restores of your Windows 10 VirtualBox machine.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that the 'Block Level Backup Engine Service' is not set to start automatically in the Services console. This service is responsible for managing block-level backups, which are essential for restoring backed-up data.
  • Another possible cause of this issue is a misconfigured registry key or incorrect settings on the host machine (Ubuntu). The 'CopyFileBufferedSynchronously' registry key may be set to 0 instead of 1, preventing the service from functioning correctly.

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Enabling Automatic Startup of Block Level Backup Engine Service

  1. Step 1: Open the Services console on your host machine (Ubuntu). You can do this by searching for 'services' in the Dash or by typing 'services' in the terminal.
  2. Step 2: Locate the 'Block Level Backup Engine Service' and click on it to select it. Then, click on the 'Properties' button at the bottom of the window.
  3. Step 3: In the Properties window, ensure that the 'Startup type' is set to 'Automatic'. If it's not already set, click on the dropdown menu and select 'Automatic'.
  4. Step 4: Click 'OK' to save the changes. This will enable the Block Level Backup Engine Service to start automatically when you log in to your host machine.

Configuring Registry Key for CopyFileBufferedSynchronously

  1. Step 1: Open the Registry Editor on your host machine (Ubuntu). You can do this by searching for 'regedit' in the Dash or by typing 'regedit' in the terminal.
  2. Step 2: Navigate to the following registry key: `Computer\$HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/software older`. You may need to create a new folder if it doesn't exist already.

✨ Wrapping Up

After completing these steps, you should be able to successfully back up your Windows 10 VirtualBox machine and restore it on another physical machine. Remember to always verify the integrity of your backups by checking for disk errors or other issues that may have occurred during the backup process.

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