vMotion fails When Migrating VMs from ESXi 7.x to 8.x with the error "Module 'CPUID' power on failed" and "The VM failed to resume on the destination during early power on"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• Virtual machines originally imported from vSphere 6.7 successfully vMotion between ESXi 7.x hosts but fail when migrating to ESXi 8.x hosts within the same EVC-enabled cluster.
• The migration fails during the "early power on" phase at the destination host.
• The destination host reports a failure in the CPUID module:

Hostd[2099267]: [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/####-####-####-####/VM/VM.vmx] Handling vmx message ####: The VM failed to resume on the destination during early power on.
Hostd[2098937]: --> Module 'CPUID' power on failed.

• The logs indicate a conflict regarding Hardware Assisted Virtualization (VHV):

In(05) vmx - guest vs. host CPUID guest family: 0x6 model: 0xf stepping: 0x1
In(05) vmx - guest vs. host CPUID *host family: 0x6 model: 0x55 stepping: 0x7
In(05) vmx - guest vs. host CPUID guest codename: Conroe/Woodcrest/Merom (Core)
In(05) vmx - guest vs. host CPUID *host codename: Cascade Lake

... ...

In(05) vmx - [msg.cpuid.noVHVQuestion] Virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT is incompatible with this virtual machine configuration.
In(05)+ vmx - Continue without virtualized Intel VT-x/EPT?
In(05) vmx - ----------------------------------------
Wa(03) vmx - Migrate: Multi-answer question encountered, auto-answering.
In(05) vmx - MsgQuestion: msg.cpuid.noVHVQuestion reply=1
In(05) vmx - Module 'CPUID' power on failed.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi

Cause

The failure is caused by a Virtual Hardware Virtualization (VHV) incompatibility triggered by the massive generational gap between the VM's legacy configuration and ESXi 8.0’s stricter CPUID validation.

1. The "Merom" Legacy: The affected VMs are using the Merom (Core 2) instruction set (circa 2006). While ESXi 7.x allowed these legacy VMs to migrate to newer hardware, ESXi 8.0 enforces a stricter handshake for low-level virtualization features.

2. VHV Conflict: The VMs have "Expose hardware assisted virtualization to the guest OS" enabled. When this flag is active, the VM bypasses standard EVC masking to interact directly with the physical CPU's VT-x/EPT features.

3. The Compatibility Gap: ESXi 8.0 detects that a VM requesting 2006-era VT-x (Merom) is attempting to run on modern hardware (e.g., Cascade Lake). Because the architectural gap is too wide, the CPUID module rejects the power-on request to prevent guest instability or host crashes.

Resolution

To resolve this, recommend to disable the nested virtualization flag or refresh the VM configuration to align with the new hypervisor requirements.

Method 1: Disable VHV (Recommended if not needed)

1. Power off the affected Virtual Machine.

2. Right-click the VM and select Edit Settings.

3. Expand the CPU section.

4. Uncheck Expose hardware assisted virtualization to the guest OS.

5. Click OK and power the VM back on.

6. Attempt the vMotion to the ESXi 8.x host.

Method 2: Update Virtual Hardware

If the VM must use nested virtualization, ensure the Virtual Hardware is up to date:

1. Power off the VM.

2. Right-click the VM -> Compatibility -> Upgrade VM Compatibility.

3. Select ESXi 8.0 and later.

4. Power on the VM and attempt the vMotion.