A Windows 2003 virtual machine high CPU usage after a conversion from physical to virtual

Products

• VMware

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:
After a conversion from physical to virtual using VMware Converter, a Windows 2003 virtual machine may experience the following symptoms:

• High CPU usage, even while idle
• Slow responsiveness
• Performance degradation

Resolution

1. From the VMware Infrastructure Client, click Edit Settings. Remove any unnecessary virtual hardware, such as USB controllers, serial devices, and parallel devices.
2. From the Windows Control Panel, click Add or Remove Programs. Remove these items:
   
   
   • Vendor specific applications and drivers.
   • Non-VMware tools, such as network drivers and display drivers.
   • Management agents and RAID control utilities.
     
     
3. Run this command and disable any unnecessary services at startup:
   
   msconfig
   
   
4. Remove any hidden devices. For more information, see Networking Error: IP address already assigned to another adapter (1179).
5. Use the correct hardware abstraction layer (HAL). For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article 309283.
   
   Note: The preceding link was correct as of October 11, 2013. If you find the link is broken, provide feedback and a VMware employee will update the link.
   
   To determine which HAL you are using, click Computer from the Windows Device Manager. If you have one processor, you see ACPI Uniprocessor HAL. If you have two or more processors, you see ACPI Multiprocessor HAL.
   
   Windows automatically changes the HAL when you adjust the number of virtual CPUs. If it does not, you can manually change it.
   
   To manually change the HAL:
   
   1. Right-click the HAL and click Update Driver.
   2. From the Hardware Update Wizard, click Install from a list or specific location.
   3. Select Don't search. I will choose the driver to install.
   4. Select the correct HAL from the list.
      
      
6. Observe the CPU usage and adjust the number of virtual CPUs as appropriate.
   
   Note: For example, if you have 4 virtual CPUs, try using 2. The appropriate number of virtual CPUs depends on your environment.

Note: If your problem still exists after trying the steps in this article, file a support request with VMware Technical Support and note this Knowledge Base article ID (1007172) in the problem description. For more information on filing a Support Request, see Filing a Support Request in Customer Connect (2006985).

Additional Information

Networking Error: IP address already assigned to another adapter
物理から仮想に変換後の Windows 2003 仮想マシンの高い CPU 使用量
Windows 2003 虚拟机从物理转换为虚拟后 CPU 使用率过高