VMware Cloud Community
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

vSphere converted Windows 2000 Server won't start

I just used the vSphere-Converter (Stand alone) to convert a running Windows 2000 sever. The conversion process completed without any errors. I can Power on the VM however it doesn't start the initial Windows boot up (halts with a dash). I've tried editting the video settings, adding RAM but can't get it going. The vSphere Client says the VM is up and running. Any help would be appreciated.

Reply
0 Kudos
22 Replies
RvdNieuwendijk
Leadership
Leadership

Have you read this article VMware Windows 2000 migration: Errors encoutered and solutions. Maybe it is the solution of your problem also.

Robert

Blog: https://rvdnieuwendijk.com/ | Twitter: @rvdnieuwendijk | Author of: https://www.packtpub.com/virtualization-and-cloud/learning-powercli-second-edition
Reply
0 Kudos
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

None of that seemed to apply. The vSphere Client remotely converted the system (although I did have to RDP into the system to manually force the VMware converter agent to start). On starting the converted Windows 2000 Server, I see the VMware splash screen then nothing. Also, the actual VM file resides on a server with ESXi installed (can't do much at the console other than some minor configuring of the server). Therefore the links in that article about mounting the image file and changing things doesn't work.

Reply
0 Kudos
golddiggie
Champion
Champion

What SCSI controller is the VM set to use? How about listing the VM's spec's so we can at least see what you've got there?

VMware VCP4

Consider awarding points for "helpful" and/or "correct" answers.

Reply
0 Kudos
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

Straight Conversion specs (OS is Windows 2000 Server):

Mem: 512M

CPU: 1

Video Card: Auto Detect video settings

VMCI: not enabled

Floppy: Client Device

Hard Disk 1: Virtual Device Node

CD/DVD: Client Device

Network Adpater: VM Network

USB Controller: Present

For the hard Drive I only have IDE options under Virtual Device Node

Reply
0 Kudos
Troy_Clavell
Immortal
Immortal

I would try to do the conversion again and in step 3 change the disk controller from IDE to SCSI and see if that helps.

Reply
0 Kudos
golddiggie
Champion
Champion

From what you posted earlier it sounds like you did a hot clone of the server. I would try a cold clone (boot from the converter cd). What were the actual spec's of the physical server you converted? I would disable the floppy device (at least no "Connect at power on" if not delete it completely). I would also uncheck the connect at power on for the optical drive. I woudl also go into the bios of the VM on startup (use the Options, Boot Options to force BIOS setup at next startup) and check things there.

Also, as Troy mentioned, convert the hard drive from IDE to SCSI when you do the cold convert/clone. I would also make sure you have a decent amount of free space on the boot drive. I never have a VM without a bare-bones minimum of a 15GB C drive with 20GB being preferred. I also install EVERYTHING that's not the OS onto a D drive (sized to what's needed). If you shrank the C drive at all during the clone process, redo the p2v and (if anything) increase it.

VMware VCP4

Consider awarding points for "helpful" and/or "correct" answers.

Reply
0 Kudos
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

Note I am using ESXi 4.0.1 with the free vSphere 4 client. I do not have access to a license for vSphere Converter Enterprise 3 (which is what the documentation seems to state) to get the Converter Boot CD.

I fixed 1 caution from step 3 (needed to have the latest sysprep download for 2k available in a certain folder - allows guest customization). Don't want to customize the server (already joined to the domain and running legacy software that needs to be kept).

I tried converting the drives SCSI Bus Logic (only other choice I had) but that failed. At least with IDE it converts it successfully, although it can't start. Boot drive has >25G free.

This is an old system that I need to convert because, well, its really old. It runs Cold Fusion (yeah, an entirely other dilemma) for external cert courses.

Reply
0 Kudos
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

The (very) frustrating thing in all this is when I power on the converted VM, it powers on and the vSphere client shows no errors giving me no clue as to why it sits there (console) with a black screen and a single dash in the upper left corner.

Power On virtual machine

machine_name

Completed

root

4/1/2010 9:04:59 AM

4/1/2010 9:04:59 AM

4/1/2010 9:04:59 AM

Reply
0 Kudos
AnsgarOnTVE
Contributor
Contributor

I had the same problem with the old vmware converter 3 doing a conversion of a windows 2000 server. But i found a very simple workaround.

Delete the VM but keep the vmdk-files and then setup a new VM using these vmdk as an existing vmdk. After that the server booted nicely.

Ansgar

Reply
0 Kudos
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

Sounds promising ... How did you do that? Use the Remove from Inventory option? Can I then browse the ESXi server for the files when creating a new VM?

Reply
0 Kudos
AnsgarOnTVE
Contributor
Contributor

I removed the VM from inventory to keep all files. Then I deleted all files except the vmdks. When setting up the new VM you have the choice to use an existing vmdk as a drive. As far as I remember you can browse for the existing vmdks, it's now some time ago I did that.

Ansgar

Reply
0 Kudos
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

sigh feeling somewhat defeated here. Created a new VM (Custom). Was able to use the converted systems vmdk file but got the same result - black screen with a dash.

Reply
0 Kudos
Troy_Clavell
Immortal
Immortal

maybe this will of some solace

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1006296

Reply
0 Kudos
golddiggie
Champion
Champion

IF the original server (physical) has more than one thread/core/cpu, then you need to assign (at least) 2 vCPU's to the VM... This is why I was asking for such details earlier. If you reduce the processors, or change it from a multiprocessor to uniprocessor (or the other way around) then the HAL is not valid and you won't be able to boot the server. Windows Server 2003 SP2 did away with needing the same HAL to be used, or having to perform additional tasks to change the HAL manually. Server 2003 SP2 does it more on the fly, well, on startup at least, rebooting after it corrects the HAL so that you have the correct one assigned. Try it out for yourself... Make a Server 2003 SP2 VM, give it either 1 or 2 vCPU's at creation, update it (completely), power off the VM and change the vCPU to the other option. Start it up again and you'll see that it goes through the process of adjusting/recreating the HAL and then reboots (or prompts for a reboot) and then comes up with the correct processor type/count listed and is happy...

VMware VCP4

Consider awarding points for "helpful" and/or "correct" answers.

Reply
0 Kudos
a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

This issue somehow reminds me of the good old days, where we sometimes had issues with Windows NT/2000 (on physical systems) which only booted to the blinking cursor.

There were two main issues which caused this behavior:

1.) The boot partition is not partition(1)

Create a Windows 2000/XP boot disk as described in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305595/en-us.

Add some additional lines to the boot.ini, for to boot from different partitions.

Example:

\[boot loader\]

timeout=30

Default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows

\[operating systems\]

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\windows="Windows 2000 - Partition 1"

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\windows="Windows 2000 - Partition 2"

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(3)\windows="Windows 2000 - Partition 3"

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(4)\windows="Windows 2000 - Partition 4"

Just take a look into your original boot.ini and check whether or not partition(1) is the boot partition.

2.) The boot sector is damaged.

I always had an MS-DOS boot disk, from which I was able to boot and run "fdisk /mbr"

There are also other tools like mbrfix... to recreate the master boot record.

You can use e.g. WinImage to create a floppy disk image.

If nothing else helps, you could try to convert the machine using Vizioncore's vConverter.

André

Reply
0 Kudos
RvdNieuwendijk
Leadership
Leadership

If you change the number of CPU's in Windows Server 2003 from one to two, Windows will detect the new hardware and change the HAL driver to multiprocessor CPU. However if you change the number of CPU's back to one afterwards, you have to change the HAL driver to uniprocessor yourself. Also if you P2V a server with multiple CPU's and give the VM only one CPU you have to do this. See: How to P2V Multi-processor Servers to Uni-processor VMs.

Robert

Blog: https://rvdnieuwendijk.com/ | Twitter: @rvdnieuwendijk | Author of: https://www.packtpub.com/virtualization-and-cloud/learning-powercli-second-edition
Reply
0 Kudos
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

Tried this but no change .... I modified the physical systems boot.ini and then converted. Still the same black screen with a cursor.

The only machine I was able to properly converter was a VMware Workstation 6.5 virtual machine. Its the only one that will start.

Reply
0 Kudos
spaterso
Contributor
Contributor

OK, after many hours I have at least a starting system, but here's what I had to do to get it.

On the PM there are 2 disks. unfortunately disk 0 is partition d: -> g: and for some reason e: is an active partition. disk 1 is c:\ with the system. I ended up P2V the system with just the c:\ drive, choosing the SCSI Bus Logic adapter and presto it worked. If I imported everything at onceI got the black screen with a cursor

Now I have the task of somehow virtualizing the disk 0 contents and attaching them to the VM. Is there any quick and dirty way of doing this without causing havoc in the VM. Potentially just create a new disk, partition it the same as the PM, somehow copy the contents and attach it to the VM?

Reply
0 Kudos
golddiggie
Champion
Champion

Depending on what's on the disks, other than C, on the PM, just make a vDisk on the converted VM, format it, and then connect to it from the PM and copy the files to it. I would use the command from start/run to connect... such as
VM'sDomainName\d$

I had to do something similar when blades I was P2Ving had secondardy drives that were on a fiber storage array. I did the conversion of the local drives, then simply connected the VM's additional volumes to the physical system via the run command and moved the files over. Depending on how many files (and GB's) it could take some time to move...

VMware VCP4

Consider awarding points for "helpful" and/or "correct" answers.