P2V conversion of Windows XP fails with the error: FAILED: Unable to find the system volume

Products

• VMware

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot perform a P2V conversion of a Windows XP system that has a recovery partition
• P2V conversion of a Windows XP system fails at 75 %
• You see the error:
  
  FAILED: Unable to find the system volume, reconfiguration is not possible:

Environment

VMware vCenter Converter 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.2.x

Cause

This issue occurs if the boot.ini file is pointing to the recovery partition on the physical system.

Resolution

To resolve this issue:

Note: Take a backup of theboot.ini file before proceeding:

1. Open the boot.ini file using a text editor.
2. Remove this line from the boot.ini file:
   
   C:\CMDCONS\BOOTSECT.DAT="Microsoft Windows Recovery Console" /cmdcons
   
   
3. Save and close the file.
4. Retry the conversion.