Following a VM restore from backup, the Windows guest operating system fails to complete the boot sequence, stalling indefinitely at the Windows splash screen.

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Windows virtual machine restored from a backup and fails to boot normally.
• The VM powers on successfully at the hypervisor level, but the boot process hangs with windows logo.
• Rebooting the VM sometimes going to Windows repair and safe mode screen, failing to load the operating system.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server

Cause

This issue is within the Windows Guest Operating System (OS) and is not related to the VMware vSphere environment.

Resolution

Engage the Guest OS team to troubleshoot and repair the operating system boot process.

• The responsibility of the VMware vSphere platform is to turn on the virtual machine and allocate hardware resources(CPU,Memory,Network etc).
• As the VM successfully reached the OS boot sequence (indicated by the Windows logo) before freezing, there are no issues at the vSphere layer. The hang occurs entirely within the internal boot processes of the Windows OS and should be further investigated by the Windows administrators at the Guest OS level.

Additional Information

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