Error: Failed to start the virtual machine after restoration and migration from ESXi 6.0 to ESXi 8.0

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

A virtual machine(VM) restored from a backup(e.g., Veeam) that was originally hosted on a legacy ESXi 6.0 host fails to power on after being registered or migrated to an ESXi 8.0 host.

Symptoms:

• The VM fails to power on with a general "Failed to start the virtual machine" error.
• A standard Storage vMotion to a different datastore does not resolve the power-on failure.
• Diagnostic Symptom: A test clone of the VM powers on successfully but automatically acquires a DHCP IP address. This occurs because the cloning process generates a new MAC address, causing the Guest OS to lose its original static IP binding.

Environment

• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x
• VMware vSphere ESXi 6.x (Legacy source)

Cause

The power-on failure is caused by stale compute resource bindings or compatibility mismatches carried over from the legacy ESXi 6.0 environment post-restoration. vCenter maintains legacy host-side parameters that are invalid on the destination ESXi 8.0 host.
A standard Storage vMotion only relocates virtual disks (VMDKs) and does not force vCenter to re-evaluate these stale compute registrations.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, force vCenter to re-evaluate and re-register both the compute and storage parameters of the VM:

1. Locate the affected VM #### in the vSphere Web Client.
2. Right-click the VM and select Migrate.
3. Select Change both compute resource and storage.
4. Select a compatible ESXi 8.x host and the target production datastore.
5. Complete the migration wizard.
6. Power on the VM.
7. Verify the VM retains its original MAC address and static IP configuration.

Additional Information

• Note on DHCP: If a clone powers on with a DHCP IP address, it confirms the virtual disks and Guest OS are healthy, but validates that the root cause is the original VM's compute registration. The "Change both compute resource and storage" migration ensures the original identity (and MAC address) is preserved while clearing the stale registration.
  
  
• Failed to Power ON Virtual Machine (323188)
  
  
• To speak with a customer representative or a Support Engineer see Contact Support. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on your respective region.