Non Blinking Underscore - No Boot

[Zeon101]

Hi Everyone,

I'm getting a strange error after using VMware converter to move a server running Windows 2003 R2 from Vmware Server to ESXi 4. All I get is a solid white cursor and nothing else happens. Also if I try to boot from the 2003 .iso I get a blue screen with an error as it loads.

The only thing I did that could cause this during the transfer was to shrink the size of the two partitions, however I did this on the original conversion from physical host to vmware server without error. Ideas?

[danm66 · Accepted solution]

I'm not sure since you mentioned the bsod from the installation .iso, but when you see the blank screen with a cursor in the upper left corner it usually means that it the vm is trying to boot from an IDE controller when ESX only supports LSI Logic, BusLogic or the LSI SAS as the boot controller. What may get you out of that position is to start Standalone Converter up, click on the Configure Machine button at the top and point it at the VM to reconfigure to use one of the mentioned controllers.

[Zeon101]

Oh right, the IDE would explain it. Its strange VMware converter would allow em to convert to ESXi without forcing a change in the disk controller. I need to put the sysprep files on the server and I will then try and change the controller.

[Zeon101]

The hard drive controller was the reason the machine was not booting. Unfortunately using the configure machine utility I couldn't change any settings. Luckily I still had the vmware server source so I did another conversion, however on the edit options screen I changed the controller from IDE to LSI Logic.

Its strange that converter, knowing I was converting to ESX did not force this however.