VMware vSphere -> Proxmox migration "Windows failed to start"

[nycvelo]

Greetings. I am evaluating Proxmox VE 7.0-8 for possible use as an alternative to an existing VMware vSphere cluster. Linux, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD machines all migrated OK but there's an issue with Windows VMs.

After exporting a Windows 7 VM [1] from vSphere and importing to qcow2 format using the "Importing" procedure described in the Proxmox docs [2], the VM boots but then returns a "Windows failed to start" error.

I've searched this forum and elsewhere, and haven't found a solution. I think I still have a Win 7 Pro ISO but haven't used it here.

What's the recommended way to get a Windows VM out of vSphere and into Proxmox VE? Thanks in advance for pointers.

[1] Yeah, yeah, I know it's ancient, and should be upgraded. Some of the VMs to be moved are even older and are preserved as is for historical reasons.

[2] https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Migration_of_servers_to_Proxmox_VE#Importing

 

[Falk R.]

Hi,
have you install the VirtIO Driver before the migration?
What Settings do you use for your VM?

Best Regards
Falk

 

[nycvelo]

Thanks for your reply. I had not tried installing the VirtIO driver on the VM while it was still in vSphere.

The current release of the driver fails to install because it needs Win8 or later. I found a link stating that v. 173-4 was the last known good version for Windows 7. But ... that installer won't complete because the vdService fails to start.

This earlier Proxmox VE forum post references the same error, but it appears that's from someone trying to install a new VM in Proxmox, not a migration.

https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/w...tup-failed-windows-10-pro-version-1909.64231/

Just double-checking: I think by "before the migration" you mean install the driver in a powered-on VM in vSphere, correct?

I'll try again with an earlier version of the v. 173 driver.

 

[nycvelo]

Update: All of the v. 173 variants won't complete because the VdService (spice) fails to start.

Thanks in advance for further clues on migrating Windows VMs from VMware to Proxmox.

 

[spirit]

do you have tried to configure your vm with uefi ?

 

[nycvelo]

do you have tried to configure your vm with uefi ?

Changing from BIOS to UEFI did not resolve the problem. UEFI returns a mapping error, which makes sense because the VMware VM used BIOS and did not have an EFI disk.

I tried deleting the network adapter from the VM in vSphere and re-exporting, converting to qcow2, and re-importing the image. Same end result: "Windows failed to start."

Without the ability to install the VirtIO driver from within the VM in VMware, and without the ability to boot the VM in Proxmox, I'm at a hard stop. Thanks in advance for any future troubleshooting clues.