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VM_a1
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Contributor

"Operating System not found" errors on multiple VMs

I'm currently running Workstation Pro 16.2.3 but was getting the same problem when using 16.2.1 and possibly early versions (it's been going on for 4 months now and I tried several versions during testing).

Essentially lots of my VMs, regardless of windows version installed (they're all Windows based VMs), have been failing to boot. When they haven't found the boot disk they've attempted a network boot before failing completely saying "operating system not found" or something similar depending on the windows version installed.

This is now affecting multiple VMs and I am unable to work. I thought it was a Windows update and have even tried a completely separate laptop. I've even taken clean copies of the VMs and had the same thing happen, so it seems to be Windows/ VMware issue but cannot pinpoint where.

I'm at a loss as to what else I can do and am desperate for any assistance anyone can offer.

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scott28tt
VMware Employee
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"clean copies"?

Do you get the same with newly-created VMs?

Do you have backups of the folders which contain the VMs?

Do you have snapshots of the VMs?

 


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continuum
Immortal
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Your problem description is very vague.
Please concentrate on a single VM and explain bettter - attach a vmware.log please.

Ulli


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Do you need support with a VMFS recovery problem ? - send a message via skype "sanbarrow"
I do not support Workstation 16 at this time ...

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VM_a1
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Hi Scott28tt,

Thanks for the reply. I'm sorry my post was vague but I don't really know how else to describe. Anyway, when I say "clean copies" of the VM I mean one that was backed up from when it was created.

I've just run one of these "clean copies" again and it started booting up fine, but then "blue screened" on me (see attached). So I powered down the VM and restarted it and it has done exactly what the others have done - failed to fined the boot disk and tried a network boot... See other attached file.

I've attached the last 3 VMWare.log files in case anyone can shed any light on my problem.

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VM_a1
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Hi continuum,

I'm sorry my problem description is vague but I don't know how else to describe it. My base PC is a Windows 10 laptop. and until December I hadn't had any issue with my VMs. Then one particular one (Win7 guest OS) started misbehaving, sometimes booting, sometimes not whilst I was away on a customer site using it. Anyway I  was able to get by.. just!. Then in January it fell over terminally and completely failed to boot, always trying to network boot.

I then tried other VMs (we use lots of VMs to support different PLC platforms/ controls software versions / etc) and they too started doing very similar, i.e. on power up they would seem to fail to recognise the boot disk or operating system and would either try and network boot or just fail (on WinXP guest OS based VMs).

We thought well it must be a host PC windows update issue or something that had broken VMware. So tried another newly setup laptop but this also showed very similar behaviour, both with existing VMs and also "clean" copies of the VM from when they were first created, to eliminate anything I may have done to it. Again we were not sure if this was due to a windows update, as part of setting up the new laptop it was allow to do any windows updates. Being in a corporate environment these are pushed updates on existing laptops or we can force it to fetch whatever updates are available for new builds.

So I'm afraid I really am struggling to be more specific as its very difficult to tie to anything I know. We had a load of forced driver updates in December about the time the problems started. But I've done a driver integrity check in case. We use HP laptops so have run HP Support Assistant and installed anything it said needed updating, including firmware but still no joy.

However I have just tried to launch a "clean" Win7 guest OS based VM and initially it started booting ok, but then blue screened. So I reset the VM and tried to boot again. This time it did what the others have done and tried to network boot before failing. So I have attached the screen shots of this along with the last 3 vmware.log files.

Any advice you can offer will be really appreciated as I currently am struggling to do my job without my VMs and my IT support has almost given up....

I'm pulling what little hair I have left out very rapidly!!!

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VM_a1
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Any thoughts anyone please...?

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SchaalPatrick
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VM_a1
Contributor
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Hi @SchaalPatrick thank you ever so much for your reply.

I've run "clean" copies of the same VMs on this and a separate newly built laptop and the same thing has happened. So That for me has ruled out my laptop as the cause as it it seems to be machine independent.

Also as I've run a "clean" copy of the VM from our backups and they've also failed it makes me thing it has to be a Windows or VMWare compatibility issue. The only thing that has happened is the laptops have had Windows updates and Driver updates pushed out to them.

I've also got other people to run the VMs once they've stopped booting for me and they don't boot. So I think once the VMs become broken that's it, unless you know of some other way we can force it.

I have attached logs to my other posts but happy to supply anything else reasonable you may think will help to pinpoint the problem.

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SchaalPatrick
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RDPetruska
Leadership
Leadership

You could also try testing with Workstation 16.1.2 instead of the 16.2.x versions.  There are several issues with the newer builds - not sure if this is one, as I haven't personally seen this, but it's worth a try.

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SchaalPatrick
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VM_a1
Contributor
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@RDPetruska Thank you I will enquire about that. Unfortunately we get our software packages from a corporate catalaogue as they manage our volume license agreements. It currently lists 16.2.2 only for both Workstation Pro and Workstation Player.

But I will speak with IT and see what I can do.

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VM_a1
Contributor
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@SchaalPatrick Thanks again for the reply. I think we did try to roll back the laptop but I seem to recall there wasn't one available.

However I have literally just in the last 10 minutes been given yet another laptop to try. Before I do anything I will see about downgrading the version to 16.1.X as both you and @RDPetruska  have suggested and see where that goes.

On the topic of issues is there a register or list of known issues with each version?

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continuum
Immortal
Immortal

> On the topic of issues is there a register or list of known issues with each version?

Not that I know about.
It would look too strange .... feature X appeared in version x, feature X became buggy in version y, feature was silently removed  in version z ...
who would want to publish a list like that 😎

 

________________________________________________
Do you need support with a VMFS recovery problem ? - send a message via skype "sanbarrow"
I do not support Workstation 16 at this time ...

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VM_a1
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Hi @continuum yeah I get your point 🤔.

Not sure if you have had chance to look at the logs to see if it points to anything beyond trying an earlier version?

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VM_a1
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@RDPetruska Do you know where I could download a previous version? Unfortunately our licensing used to be managed locally but following a recent restructuring we only get what our softwar catalogue permits, and that is currently 16.2.2.

I want to try a 16.0.x or 16.1.x just to test if I have the same issues.

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RDPetruska
Leadership
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The same download page on here (My VMware link) - once you select major version, you can then select a minor version to download.

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VM_a1
Contributor
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@RDPetruska I managed to find a 15.5.6 installer from our software archives (when we managed our licensing). However if I try to run a VM that was "broken" in 16.2.3 it still won't boot. So I think the virtual disks (VMDK files) have become corrupted.....

Is there a way to repair these at all?

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continuum
Immortal
Immortal

A broken virtual disk will be detectable in the vmware.log.

 

 


________________________________________________
Do you need support with a VMFS recovery problem ? - send a message via skype "sanbarrow"
I do not support Workstation 16 at this time ...

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SchaalPatrick
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