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Slipgate
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Migrated Windows XP SP 2 VM has error 0x0000008E

Hi folks,

A year ago I put together a new Windows 7 64-bit box to replace an old (2002) Intel 2.4 GHZ P4 running Windows XP Pofessional SP 2.

I've used VMWare to create a "pure" MS-DOS 6.22 box and a Windows 98 box. Recently I decided I'd use VMWare Converter Standalone and migrate my old XP box into a VM.

There were a few hiccups along the road to doing this - (think that hard drive error that occurs unless you switch to VMWare's SCSI controller and re-migrate) but I'm finally at a point where it's ALMOST working.

I can log in as Administrator on Safe Mode and do things there (at least, what's possible on a Safe Mode) but I can't log in on the normal, non-safe boot. After I log in, it says it needs to re-validate Windows or it won't operate, and I agree. Before it's fully displayed the desktop it triggers this message... see attached image.

I had some other issues at first that seem to have gone away as I uninstalled certain things in safe mode - for example, Daemon Tools since it was pointlessly adding CD/DVD drives to the VM config that weren't understood.

As we speak I'm right now virus scanning the drive just to make sure it doesn't have whatever virus some have said causes the error message I got... I suspect however that one of two things are the culprits.

Possiblity 1) RAM. My original box had 2 gigs of RAM (2048 mb) and the Converter said that VMWare couldn't do that much for this guest OS on the destination system and suggested 1904. I'm wondering if the change in RAM - especially to a size its original configuration couldn't support - is the culprit? I tried changing to 1536 but I'm wondering how much of the original hardware is influencing this - the original machine started at 512 mb RAM with 2 sticks of 256 and those two sticks were replaced with two 1024mb sticks at some point later to upgrade it to the 2gb it has now. I'm wondering if even 1536 isn't good and I should use 1024 as something that COULD exist in a two-sticks environment. I CAN go down to 512 if I must but I'm loathe to as there was a reason I gave it the additional RAM in the first place. Granted, in its VM form it's no longer the primary computer like it once was...

Possibility 2) Video card. I seriously suspect this. I couldn't boot until I went to safe mode, and when I did windows' autodetect installed a lot of hardware that corresponded either with my real machine's hardware or with whatever was being virtualized for it. However, all it installed for video was a "Base VGA" thing that had that yellow exclamation mark indicating it wasn't working. I removed that and a redundant copy of the VMware SCSI controller that wasn't working (I'd had to install it and re-migrate, but when I migrated it installed another one, and the second one worked so I got rid of the first with the exclamation point.) Anyway, my original hardware was an NVIdia... GeForce 2 MX, if I recall. (The computer was from 2002, remember). My current computer it's working on has an ATI Radeon HD 5700. I'm not sure if this accounts for the issue - FYI when I start in my normal mode everything's in full color and working right on screen until that BSOD happens, but yeah, video may be an issue. I'd like to install VMWare Tools but I can't get far enough on a normal boot to where I could do it and on the safe mode login as Administrator I tried to install VMWare Tools and it reported an error message about how Administrator settings have blocked this install from happening. I imaine it'd work on the normal mode boot but again if I could get that far I might not even need the VMWare Tools install. I had one thought - how does VMWare do the video? Does it tell the VM of a recent OS like Windows XP what my actual video card is? If I used the driver install CD that goes with my card from within the VM would that address the issue? (Though again I'd need to be able to do that in safe mode unless I could get the bluescreen to stop.)

Possibility 3) Not so much a possibility as a question. That warning when I log in normally about validating Windows - and when I say yes it eventually blue screens - what happens if I say no? I mean, the warning says I have to do it for Windows to operate, but if I say no, will Windows finish booting without that blue screen so I can install VMWare Tools? And I can then validate it later? Or will saying No put me in a permanent shut-down or trial mode?

If there is any information anyone needs to help me - whether about the old computer's hardware, the VM's settings, or my current computer's hardware - that I have not realized I need to provide, please ask. I'd really appreciate some help with this - see, I intend to make sure this virtualization is up and running and then wipe the original computer's hard drive completely and sell or donate off its components as I no longer need it otherwise. Naturally I'd like to make sure this VM is up and running and won't need me to reconvert from the original hardware again before I wipe the original hard drive ;P. (I'm also getting rid of another computer, but that one doesn't have anything I need to save on it.)

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Slipgate
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I've been futzing with this for a long time.

Liberal applications of safe mode, CCCleaner, Driver Sweeper, and on and on as well as disabling devices that aren't real that show up when I go into safe mode (so they don't try installing again each time) has me somewhere where I THINK I'm starting to tread water.

Also lots of uses of VGA mode.

When I thought I had it, I got some error 0x0000008E again.

Honestly, I've found XP VM migration (as opposed to fresh installation) very troublesome but I think I'm finally treading water on my own. When things are working PERFECTLY try to create a system restore of that moment (and don't let future uses of CCCleaner get rid of it) then back up the VM. In this case it was vital due to program installs, settings, and suchforth on my XP box that are not easily reproduced for me any more.

I'm hoping to declare this thread solved soon but I need one last litmus test that the "seemingly working" XP VM won't decide it's unhappy after all.

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