Insufficient permissions to access the source

[JBlondon]

I've used the current version of standalone converter several times and had no problems at all.

Now I want to convert a Windows-10 PC (retail key activated build 1903) to a Workstation VM, before I retire the machine.  I am logged in as the administrator and have "run as administrator" as well.  Before pressing the final button to submit I can read the source details, and the job submits (destination a LAN smb share) but fails with the above error.

I've disabled UAC as recommended somewhere, and joined the special VM ____ user to the administrators group although I never needed to do either thing previously.  I notice another user has hit the same problem in the last few days

Logs are attached in case anyone can help.  I may try uninstalling and re-installing when I get a moment and maybe updating to 1909, but I can't see why that  would help when it's the 1903 version I last converted.  Last option would be to use a backup of this machine to restore onto another existing or newly created VM, but I'd like to know why it's not working in any case.

Thanks for reading,

[POCEH · Accepted solution]

Definitely your error is

2020-01-29T15:52:11.205Z error vmware-converter-worker[13816] [Originator@6876 sub=task-5] No permissions to access \\JB-2\Library\Virtual Machines clean\Windows 10 Server\SERVER\SERVER.vmx. Error FileIO error: Permission denied for file  : \\JB-2\Library\Virtual Machines clean\Windows 10 Server\SERVER\SERVER.vmx.

So you need to check write permissions of you share, try to give access to Everyone.

HTH

[JBlondon]

Thanks for the post, which pointed me on the right direction at least.

Permissions on the share were correct.  I re-propagated them anyway and the conversion still failed.  But I tried again writing the VM to a USB stick. and it then ran fine.  So thanks again, and I'll mark it as correct.

Still, the error message specifies the source as the problem rather than the destination, which is completely non-helpful ...

JB

[POCEH]

Keep in mind that share is accessed from different users - your own user, probably your own elevated user and probably from local system user.

That why it's good to give wide read/write access to your share...

[petera703]

I too fell victim to this... wasted so much time today chasing the wrong problem because this unfortunate error message had me trying to find an explanation why the converter could not access the "source" when actually it was the target!!! Good work by the OP to work this out and post the solution here. 🙂 But VMware people it would be super helpful if the error message could actually be corrected so that the converter doesn't go on misleading everyone.

[scott28tt]

I don’t believe there is any further development on Converter Standalone these days.

[_DefToneR_]

In top of that misleading error, there is an issue that it will try to access share folder with a different user somehow. Or dont like network folders at all. 

[_DefToneR_]

BTW for some reason even on lates vcenter converter, despite the misleading error on "source" when is actually the target, looks like vCenter converter wont access any share, it just dont like it, even a public ones. 

If you will want to do it over network (specially if the machine is big and you dont have external drive), you can open the windows disk management, and create a VHD disk, and select the share folder. This will encapsulate the VM into a VHD file, which is not ideal, but vCenter will write the image to a "physical local disk" but is actually writing it to the network. 

Just remember to uncheck the "D:" (or whatever the drive you added to the VHD file) when converting the machine

[wkellogg]

Not going to debate "any further development" but there is at least 1 newer version, 6.4.0, which was released on 5.11.2023. Unsure what the release date on 6.3.0 was but it too was likely after this thread.

Same convert issue for me but I'm just going to put a 2nd hdd in the machine. 

[davemoto]

Same problem here -- trying to image the local system to an smb share *in a non-AD environment.*  Solved it by making the local VMware services login as the local user that has access to the SMB share.  Running it as SYSTEM won't work because this account can't access the share. Note: the local user has admin access on the local system as well.

[hobala]

Thank you so much: In fact I now changed all the three VMWare Converter services to the local user and now it works!