[SOLVED] Can´t save file on Disk after migration

[VGBH]

I have a strange problem with a Windows Server 2016 and third-party Software.

I migrated the Server with the Import Wizard from ESXi. Like every other import, this worked without problems.
Now I have to open a tool, to create a license file. When I want to save the license.txt file, it is not possible to save the file. I tried different locations on the Server and checked the permissions. I am able to save files with other applications (Notepad, Notepad++, Firefox). There is no warning message or log. I also disabled the Antivirus. Checkdisk status has no errors.
The Guest Tools (0.1.240) are installed and the QEMU Guest Agent options are all ticked.



I started the old server on the ESXI Server again (without network) and tried the same procedure on this server. I was able to save the file without problems.
Someone has a idea what is going on here? The easy answer is: yes, this is a problem of the third party software but it is working on a esxi server, so something happened during the import.

 

[Falk R.]

I have a similar problem with a customer.
The software even claims that the files are corrupt.
If I mount the VMDK from the PVE back into the ESXi (same file, no copy) then the problem is gone.

This can be reproduced. However, the manufacturer says that he does not know why his software is causing the problem.
The solution was to reinstall the software.

 

[gfngfn256]

Not having any idea what that "third-party Software" is, I'm very limited in my help. What I imagine is going on, is that the licensing software has detected a HW change since it was installed & this cannot complete. This is similar to a Windows VM being moved on a server & it then usually requires reauthenticating due to the detected HW change.

 

[gfngfn256]

One other thing that comes to mind; you seem to infer that it is only a file-write problem. IDK how you know that, but can you see in the "Software" the text of that license.txt file? Can you copy that text to Notepad & then save it?

 

[VGBH]

I have a similar problem with a customer.
The software even claims that the files are corrupt.
If I mount the VMDK from the PVE back into the ESXi (same file, no copy) then the problem is gone.

This can be reproduced. However, the manufacturer says that he does not know why his software is causing the problem.
The solution was to reinstall the software.

Do you think a DISM check can maybe fix this?

Not having any idea what that "third-party Software" is, I'm very limited in my help. What I imagine is going on, is that the licensing software has detected a HW change since it was installed & this cannot complete. This is similar to a Windows VM being moved on a server & it then usually requires reauthenticating due to the detected HW change.

It is a geoinformation system. I was prepared for some license problems after migrations but not for this problem.

One other thing that comes to mind; you seem to infer that it is only a file-write problem. IDK how you know that, but can you see in the "Software" the text of that license.txt file? Can you copy that text to Notepad & then save it?

In the application, I have to save the file first. There is a big save button. After a click on this button, a windows save prompt appear. I can only change the filename. The file type is always .txt. It is not possible to see the text.

 

[Falk R.]

Do you think a DISM check can maybe fix this?

You can try anything if you have a snapshot or backup.

Can't you save the file anywhere? Not even on an additional disk?

 

[milew]

It's not clear what you can't save. Are you running a Windows application in which you save a file?
Saving just that one file doesn't work and the entire system works fine?

 

[gfngfn256]

In the original VM on the ESXi server, does/did it allow you to save that license.txt file anywhere? It maybe that the licensing software limits the location availability of that file. with the new HW detection, it is not allowing a save.

Another point, I guess you maybe having an issue with repeating this licensing procedure on an already "licensed" but HW changed system. If I were you contact that third-party Software vendor on how to relicense a moved (working) VM.

 

[sw-omit]

Two more idea's:
1. What is the disk-type on proxmox, Sata or scsi? And have you tried attaching a drive of the other type and saving it there?
2. What you could try is running the Microsoft Sysinternal's "Procmon" [1] process while it is trying to write to get a more deep-dive in the calls made, and perhaps why it goes wrong. Be sure to start the capture right before and stop right after, and have as many other programs closed as you can to limit the "noise" in the logs, and then start filtering from there. Don't look just at the license-process though, as it might be calling other processes, but filtering on that license-process might be a start to help find the problem-timepoint.

[1] https://learn.microsoft.com/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

 

[gfngfn256]

1. What is the disk-type on proxmox

Unlikely to have any bearing on the problem, as the OP points out that he can save files from other Windows programs.

I'm pretty sure it is a licensing error & not a file-write error. (Maybe slightly file-write orientated, with the original license hard-coding the storage-location to some original HW? IDK).

I think the OP should try relicensing the software (maybe with the help of the original software vendor) - and that will probably work.

 

[VGBH]

I had a long meeting with the software vendor and the only solution was to repair the installation of the product/module with the license application. We also tried an online activation but there was also an problem with the connection. The firewall was not the issue.
After the repair-installation we were able to activate the product online and also save the license text file. Something broke during the migration.

This is the solution:

Falk R. said:

I have a similar problem with a customer.
The software even claims that the files are corrupt.
If I mount the VMDK from the PVE back into the ESXi (same file, no copy) then the problem is gone.

This can be reproduced. However, the manufacturer says that he does not know why his software is causing the problem.
The solution was to reinstall the software.

Other questions answered:

Do you think a DISM check can maybe fix this?

You can try anything if you have a snapshot or backup.

Can't you save the file anywhere? Not even on an additional disk?

No, It was not possible. Not even on a file share.

It's not clear what you can't save. Are you running a Windows application in which you save a file?
Saving just that one file doesn't work and the entire system works fine?

I was not able to save a simple .txt-file. Yes, just saving this file was not possible. There were not problems with other applications.

In the original VM on the ESXi server, does/did it allow you to save that license.txt file anywhere?

Yes, with the VM on the ESXi Server I was able to save the file everywhere.

1. What is the disk-type on proxmox, Sata or scsi? And have you tried attaching a drive of the other type and saving it there?

The disk-type is sata with SCSI single. SCSI disk-type does not works for me when I migrate a VM.


Thank you guys for your time and help!

 

[gfngfn256]

Looks like what I suspected.
Happy you got it working. Maybe tag prefix the thread-title with [SOLVED], (upper right hand corner under title).

 

[sw-omit]

The disk-type is sata with SCSI single. SCSI disk-type does not works for me when I migrate a VM.

For me when I was migrating this was true as well, but with a few simple steps we could migrate them to scsi after the esxi to proxmox migration was done:
- Attach a new disk as scsi, and format/create a partition on it within windows, OR if you already have a second disk, change that one over to scsi (detach, re-attach) and put it back to online.
- Reboot (not straight to shutdown, it needs to see the scsi drive during a boot once)
- Shutdown
- Disconnect the C: disk-drive
- Re-attach it as scsi
- Set the options -> boot order to start from this scsi disk
- Start the VM again.

 

[Falk R.]

You don’t need to format. You need only 1 SCSI Device present at the Virtio Installation time.
I use always a 1GB Dummy disk and let the Disk offline.

 

[VGBH]

For me when I was migrating this was true as well, but with a few simple steps we could migrate them to scsi after the esxi to proxmox migration was done:
- Attach a new disk as scsi, and format/create a partition on it within windows, OR if you already have a second disk, change that one over to scsi (detach, re-attach) and put it back to online.
- Reboot (not straight to shutdown, it needs to see the scsi drive during a boot once)
- Shutdown
- Disconnect the C: disk-drive
- Re-attach it as scsi
- Set the options -> boot order to start from this scsi disk
- Start the VM again.

Thank you! I will try this out.