ntoskrnl.exe missing - how to fix?

[davros222]

I have 3 servers and ESXi seemed like the right way to take advantage of virtualisation for system upgrades. However, I've had endless little problems and so far been unable to get any VM to actually boot. For example no matter how many ISO writers I try, no ISO I create will boot to the windows install.

I created a VM using vmware converter and get the following error on boot:

"Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:

/system32/ntoskrnl.exe.

Please re-install a copy of the above file"

Can anyone tell me how to do this, please? I am using Infrastructure client. I have no other VMs on the server (can't get any ISOs to boot, including 2 different writers and the official MS download - but that's a problem for another thread maybe).

I know how to move files to the server using IC, but this doesn't seem to enable me to put a file within a VM.

Please help - I've extensively searched for answers and this is my last attempt before just giving up on virtualization entirely.

[nick_couchman]

If you burn those ISOs to a disc and throw it into a physical machine, do they boot correctly?

[davros222]

yes, I burned two of the ISOs to disk and they both booted correctly. To me it seems that ESXi is sensitive in some way (although I can't imagine how). I've seen lots of blogs and forum posts on this and they all ended either with the person gave up or they said 'I kept trying and eventually it worked'. I could keep trying different ISOs and I expect I'd find one that worked eventually, but I'm doing this in my 'spare' time to find out if my business is going to pursue virtualization or not. If I can't just create an ISO or convert a physical machine without spending hours and hours on it, then really virtualization is not for us.

Then again, maybe I'm missing something - this is a new technology for me and the documentation isn't exactly easy and most of the documentation assumes the reader is in an enterprise environment while I'm in an SMB.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Welcome to the VMware Community forums. Your post has been moved to the VI: Virtual Machine and Guest OS forum.

Dave Mishchenko

VMware Communities User Moderator

For the VMs that you converted, did the source have a management partition. You might need to edit boot.ini to correct this. For the VMs you try to create from scratch, are you checking the connect at power on option? You might also try copying the VM to the datastore and use that CD option.

[K-MaC]

Hello Dave, while not related to your ntoskrnl issue, I seem to recall that another gentleman was having issues with ISO files as well. It turned out that when he removed all the capital letters from the iso file name that it worked for him.

Cheers

Kevin

[davros222]

Dave, thanks for moving my post to the correct area : )

The machine I converted is server 2003 std with no management partition, however, it would still make sense to check the boot.ini. How do I do this without being able to boot the OS? As far as I can tell there is no way to access this file from infrastructure client? On the ESXi server itself all I have is the basic configuration.

Yes, I checked the 'connect at power on' option. When I pointed the virtual CD at an ISO of ESXi it booted to that and offered me the install options, so I know this server will boot to an ISO, just none of the windows ISOs I've created so far.

You suggest 'You might also try copying the VM to the datastore and use that CD option'. I've got no idea what that means but I'd like to try it. I can access the datastore from Infrastructure Client and this shows the VM files but I can't see how that helps?

[davros222]

Kevin, thanks. I had found the post recommending no capitals in the iso filename and tried that already. I tried a few other things like that I found on forums but so far no success. I'm sure the answer is just keep creating ISOs and it will eventually work. Maybe I should just keep trying...

[Dave_Mishchenko]

In the datastore browser, you'll have icons that allow you to copy files to and from ESXi. Once you have copied up an ISO image, you can edit the CD for the VM and choose the datastore ISO option.

To boot the VM you could use a Linux live CD or create a bart PE boot CD with the MOA tool from here www.sanbarrow.com.

[davros222]

Thanks for your help : )

I think the ntoskrnl.exe problem was a corrupted conversion - I re-did the conversion and it worked correctly. The only thing I did differently was to leave the partition size constant (the first time I set to 'minimise').

[davros222]

I finally 'solved' the problem with ISOs - by installing direct from the windows DVD, which I had not realised was possible.

I set the CD/DVD to 'client', then start the VM, then click 'connect CD/DVD', then reset the VM. The VM then boots to the windows DVD in my client (local) machine.