I have an aging SQL server (Windows Server 2003, MSSQL 2000) that I want to virtualize. The VMs I've created so far just reboot continuously.
There's no bluescreen - Windows Server seems to start and the login window appears, then the VM reboots.
I've tried:
1. running vCenter Converter standalone (5.0.0) from my workstation (remote)
2. running vCenter Converter standalone (5.0.0) from the server (local)
3. running vCenter Converter standalone (5.0.0) from the server with MSSQLSERVER services stopped via the control panel (are there other services that need to be stopped?)
4. running vCenter Converter standalone (5.0.0) from the server, and saving as VM hardware version7
Google indicates that it can be done - but I haven't found the winning combination. Any other suggestions?
Mike
Missed where you said you couldn't boot into safe mode.
Try to disable DEP before you run the converter, and disable any services that you suspect could be causing a problem. If you can successufully load the OS after the conversion, turn stuff back on one at a time and reboot until you find the culprit.
If that doesn't work...
What settings did you use when you set up the converter task? Did you change any of the defaults? Did you allow the "reconfigure virtual machine" option in order to correct the hardware drivers?
Hello and welcome to the communities.
Note: Discussion successfully moved from VMware ESXi 5 to Converter
try changing the controller on your virutalized version.
try vmscsi, and if that doesnt work try another one.
I have an aging SQL server (Windows Server 2003, MSSQL 2000) that I want to virtualize. The VMs I've created so far just reboot continuously.There's no bluescreen - Windows Server seems to start and the login window appears, then the VM reboots.
Have you tried booting this server into safe mode and removed all hardware agents / services and any devices that are no longer required in the virtualised server? There is often a fair amount of tidying up that needs to be done after a P2V process.
Thanks, changing the controller didn't help.
Hi jrmunday, the VM won't start in any mode (safe mode, last known good settings, normal). I was thinking about a cold clone approach?
Try booting into safe mode, and if it will let you, turn off Data Execution Prevention (DEP) in Windows performance options. I ran into this before with an old Win 2003 / SQL 2000 server, I think this was a solution/workaround to get the VM to quit crashing. The real cause may be a driver/service that is installed on your physical server (the server hardware vendor's management software, and certain host security sofware such as Cisco's CSA agent has caused problems for me in the past).
Missed where you said you couldn't boot into safe mode.
Try to disable DEP before you run the converter, and disable any services that you suspect could be causing a problem. If you can successufully load the OS after the conversion, turn stuff back on one at a time and reboot until you find the culprit.
If that doesn't work...
What settings did you use when you set up the converter task? Did you change any of the defaults? Did you allow the "reconfigure virtual machine" option in order to correct the hardware drivers?
Thanks for the help. There was a 3rd party licensing server running on the physical machine that wouldn't start at all in a VM. Disabling that application got me up and running.
Mike
