VM WS2003 freezes, only reboot helps

[chacho]

I have a bit of a problem gurus and masters out there, and I don´t know what the cause is. The issue is that I have a Windows Server 2003, of course is a VM, running on a cluster composed by 6 ESXs 3.5 U4, my VC is 2.5. Well, that VM is a DNS, therefore consumes very few resources, so it says the preformace graphs from VC. But from time to time (almos 2 times in a day) I have to reboot the VM because it freezes and nothing can be done neither using a Remote Desktop Connectio nor a ViClientConsole acces. When I try to log in via Remote Desktop appears the classic Window message "Apliyng your personal settings" and NEVER has passed that. Then I must reboot, but it hurts not knowing the problem.

The VM was a physical server that had the same issue before the conversion, the server had 4 Gb of RAM and sometimes when the admin (me) tryed to acces either Remote or Local on the very server the system hanged. So I asume is a VIRUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please has somebody solved this issue.

Do you think it might be a virus ?

Do you think microsoft coul have a KB allready on this issue ?

Thanks in advance.

[a_p_]

I assume you converted the system!?

From what you say I could think of an issue with applying group policies. Can you check the event log for entries which were created at the time when the system freezes.

Which other roles - besides DNS - are configured on the system?

André

[Rajeev_S]

Are you able to login as local admin? If yes please check the login scripts

Else, you can try removing the non present devices from the device manager, check the below post

http://communities.vmware.com/thread/129871

Hope this helps!

Award Points if helpful!!

[chacho]

No Rajeev. the thing got worst, I can´t even log in on the VM´s console neither using RDConection. When I type the password/user it recognizes it an denies/lets me log in, but when the windows should appear, nothing does, so i have a big screen with no explorer, but the apache server the VM has installed is indeed working, because a try to acces via http://myvmaddress and I can. ç

Anyway yor reply was helpfull, though I didn´t understand very well what they were discusing on the thread, could you explain to me. Would appreciate it.

Got the points for helpfull.

[chacho]

Well here I have a bit of the solution.

The problem was I think because the physical server had two CPUs and when I converted to a VM I leaved the VM only with one CPU, and the HAL that was installed on the WS2003 was multiprocesor. So I turned off the VM, added another vCPU, started and could loging and see the explorer, as it was before.

But still have the problems of the freezings, I'm working and suddenly the Guest OS inside the VM stops responding, nothin can be done, except rebooting.

As i asked before, could this be a virus ?

[Rajeev_S]

did you checked the application/system events as said earlier. Also does it utilize high mem/cpu resource when its hung? Did you run any virus scan on the system? and is there any specfic time system hangs.

earlier post was about deleteing non present devices from device manager,

open command prompt, type

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1

In device manager, select view>show hidden deivces. Delete unwanted/unused devices.

This is best pratice to do after p2v.

Award Points if helpful!!

[sabya1232003]

Please follow the proper steps after P2V migration : Uninstall the physical H/W drivers and mgmt tools,Remove the Serial ports (entries can be found on the Edit section of VM resources) and Install the VMware tools.Need to remove few startup scripts also.

If the above does not help you have to check the issue from OS end and the application/services compatibility on VM Infra

[chacho]

I'll try to do it right know to see the result.

By the way I changed the adapter, because it was using BusLogic after conversion and LSI is the recomended adapter for ws2003. after the change thge VM was working the same. It functions as long as I enter via console or RDP, then it crashes. Maybe it has something to do with tohse devices I must remove. I'll do it and tell you later.

Thanks for the help anyway. Aprecciate it