Guest OS Blue-Screen / Windows Error Recovery

[SKIRK505]

I have a newly installed ESXi 5 Environment with three Host servers. After some recent Host issues, I have one Guest (Windows 2008 R2) that blue-screens when I start it.

This is a VM Version 8 Guest, and is not a P2V guest. When it starts, it gives the normal “Microsoft Corporation” logo while it loads windows, but then very rapidly flashes a Blue-Screen dump. It only displays it for a split second before then quickly going to a Vmware logo, and then to the Windows Error Recovery screen.

I’m looking for any documentation or recommendations on how..

1)      1) Pause the Blue-Screen message long enough for me get the error codes

Or

2)       2) The recommended method for building a new Guest and recovering the old guest OS/Data.

[kopper27]

so you're saying is a clean installation that has never worked?

did you try reinstalling again? did you select LSI SAS for Win 2008?

have you tried pressing F8 to inter in safe mode?

regards

[a_p_]

For option 1.) you could boot the VM from the Windows 2008 R2 DVD (ISO) into Repair Mode, open a Command Prompt and run Regedit to set/edit the following key (I'm not 100% sure whether this is still available in Windows 2008 R2):

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CrashControl]
"AutoReboot"=dword:00000000

André

[RParker · Accepted solution]

SKIRK505 wrote:

I have a newly installed ESXi 5 Environment with three Host servers. After some recent Host issues, I have one Guest (Windows 2008 R2) that blue-screens when I start it.

This is a VM Version 8 Guest, and is not a P2V guest. When it starts, it gives the normal “Microsoft Corporation” logo while it loads windows, but then very rapidly flashes a Blue-Screen dump. It only displays it for a split second before then quickly going to a Vmware logo, and then to the Windows Error Recovery screen.

I’m looking for any documentation or recommendations on how..

1)      1) Pause the Blue-Screen message long enough for me get the error codes

Or

2)       2) The recommended method for building a new Guest and recovering the old guest OS/Data.

1 is easy.  Press F8 immediately following power on / reboot, and I do mean IMMEDIATE.  You should get a prompt, there is an option to start the log and DON'T restart on blue screen / error.  That will keep the screen up so you can see the error message.

2 is equally as easy, install new GUEST in another VM, attach the original VM disk as a 2nd drive.

[SKIRK505]

Outstanding.. I was able to get into the Safe Mode options by rapidly hitting F8 while it was going through its normal recovery cycle. It took a few tries, but I finaly got it through before it Blue-Sceened, and was able to successfully get the VM back up using the boot from last known good config. I've since then rebooted it a few times and it looks good.

Thanks guys