Unable to import Windows servers from ESXi

[ElBech]

I tested several ways to import a Windows Server 2019 VM from ESXi (version 7), here are the configs I was able to test:

- processor: host / Disk : prepared for VirtIO / BIOS : SeaBIOS (my machine has no UEFI on Vmware )/ Machine : by default(i440fx) / SCSI controller : VirtIO = innacessible_boot_device

- processor: x86-64-v2-AES / Disk : prepared for VirtIO / BIOS : SeaBIOS / Machine : by default(i440fx) / SCSI controller : VirtIO = innacessible_boot_device

- processor : host / Disk : prepared for VirtIO / BIOS : SeaBIOS / Machine : by default(i440fx) / SCSI controller : LSI 53C895A = innacessible_boot_device

I've tested many other configurations, but I won't list them all again, as it would take too long. all these configurations lead to the same problem: innacessible_boot_device

I've also tried importing by deleting VMware tools on the machine before importing, it didn't change anything.

I tried importing from the command line by importing the .vmdk file and converting the .vmdk file to .qcow2.

However, I do have one rather interesting lead.

When I detach the disk from my windows server 2019 VM that won't boot, and attach it to a running Windows, this Windows can read the disk and its contents without any problem.



This could confirm that there are no problems with the disks, but that they are indeed a blocking parameter when the server starts up. Could this be due to a VMware setting that needs to be modified in the BIOS?



If you need more information, don't hesitate

 

[mariol]

Hello and welcome to Proxmox Community Forum

Basically, it should be possible to boot your VM with IDE/SATA for the boot device. VirtIO only works after the drivers for this have been installed in the VM [1].

[1] https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Paravirtualized_Block_Drivers_for_Windows

 

[ElBech]

Hello and welcome to Proxmox Community Forum

Basically, it should be possible to boot your VM with IDE/SATA for the boot device. VirtIO only works after the drivers for this have been installed in the VM [1].

[1] https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Paravirtualized_Block_Drivers_for_Windows

Yes, I've seen this documentation before, but even when the disks are SATA or IDE, the VM doesn't start. The boot order is on sata0

 

[mariol]

Yes, I've seen this documentation before, but even when the disks are SATA or IDE, the VM doesn't start. The boot order is on sata0

Thank you for your answer. Ok, and if you change it to IDE and the bootorder too on IDE, it doesn't start either, right?
Please post a screenshot from the windows error message at the boot process and a screenshot from you VM config from VMware.

 

[ElBech]

Thank you for your answer. Ok, and if you change it to IDE and the bootorder too on IDE, it doesn't start either, right?
Please post a screenshot from the windows error message at the boot process and a screenshot from you VM config from VMware.

Yes, disk on IDE and boot on IDE don't work either. Here is the error screen at Windows startup and the machine config on VMware.

 

[mariol]

It looks like you have a driver problem. Have you tried using Mergeide.reg (forces the server to load generic IDE drivers)? This has to be done in the Windows VM. But if the VM is running on ESXi. (Please create a backup/snapshot before execute). Then shut down the VM and transfer it to Proxmox. Create a snapshot of the VM on Proxmox so that you can test it with other options. Next, test whether you can boot with IDE.

If you can boot in the "Windows Recovery Mode" you can also add the VirtIO SCSI driver manually to the server.

[1] https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/b...hy-zu-virtueller-maschine.134685/#post-606101

 

[ElBech]

Hello,


I'm following up to close this topic. Here’s why I couldn’t start any Windows servers:

• The Windows servers I was trying to import were replicas of Windows VMs created using Iperius Backup. These replicas worked perfectly on VMware, so I assumed they would work on Proxmox as well. Since I couldn’t shut down production machines during the day, this was the only method I could use.
• One day, someone suggested, “You should test on an actual production machine.” So, I shut down a server in the middle of the night and ran the import using Proxmox’s built-in tools.

I tested this method on all my Windows servers, and they all worked perfectly.


I don’t have a technical explanation for why the Iperius Backup replicas wouldn’t start, but if this helps anyone, I’d recommend avoiding this method for migrations.