I’m having a very persistent issue with GNS3 and I’ve tried reinstalling everything multiple times, but the problem keeps coming back.

🔧 Setup:

• Windows 11
• GNS3 latest version (clean reinstall done)
• Oracle VirtualBox GNS3 VM
• VM shows IP (192.168.56.x)
• VM is detected inside GNS3

❌ Problem:

• GNS3 is stuck on: “waiting for localhost:3080”
• Cannot connect to controller
• VM is detected but no green dot appears
• Error: “Cannot connect to compute GNS3 VM … /qemu/capabilities”
• VM shows IP but:
  • ping fails
  • web interface sometimes not reachable
• Even after reinstalling everything, same issue persists

🧪 What I already tried:

• Full reinstall of GNS3
• Reinstalled GNS3 VM in VirtualBox
• Checked VirtualBox adapter settings
• Tried Host-only + NAT
• Disabled/checked firewall rules
• Verified VM is running and detected in GNS3
• Confirmed versions match

Current situation:

GNS3 can see the VM and VirtualBox integration works, but it never fully connects (no green dot, no compute access, controller never becomes active).

It feels like:
👉 VM is visible
👉 But GNS3 cannot actually communicate with it or the local server never starts properly

What I need help with:

• Why does GNS3 keep failing to connect to localhost:3080?
• Why is the VM detected but not usable?
• Is this a controller issue or VM QEMU backend issue?
• What is the cleanest fix for this (reinstall didn’t help)?

If anyone has seen this exact state before, I’d really appreciate a fix because I’m stuck in a loop even after full reinstall.