Starting a virtual machine that was converted using VMware Converter fails with the error: STOP 0x79 MISMATCHED_HAL

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

In some cases, a source that is a physical server may have a hardware-specific HAL installed in Windows operating system. You may have to manually change the HAL installed in the virtual machine on the destination after the virtual machine is converted.

Symptoms:

• Unable to start a virtual machine that was converted using VMware Converter
• Starting a virtual machine that was converted using VMware Converter fails
• You see one or more these errors:
  
• • Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:
    C:\windows\system32\hal.dll
    Please re-install a copy of the above file.
  • Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt
    C:\windows\system32\config\system
  • STOP 0x79 MISMATCHED_HAL

boot-vm-fails cannot-boot-vm conversion-converter modify-hal unable-to-boot-vm vm-boot windows-hal

Environment

VMware vCenter Converter 4.1.x
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 5.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter 4.2.x
VMware Converter 3.0.x
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 4.3.x
VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 4.0.x

Resolution

This issue occurs when the drivers required for the new HAL in Windows (that has been converted to a virtual machine) is missing or corrupted.

To resolve this issue:

1. Locate the appropriate Windows Setup disc for the version you converted and boot the converted virtual machine using the CD/DVD-ROM.
2. Copy a new version of the correct HAL libraries to %systemroot%\system32. Depending on the number of vCPUs in your virtual machine, use Standard PC (Windows NT), Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC / ACPI Uniprocessor PC, or ACPI Multiprocessor PC types.
   
   Notes :
3. • Windows NT Multiprocessor HALs are not supported on ESX/ESXi. Use only Standard PC (uniprocessor).
   • For Windows 2000, XP, 2003, 2008, and 7, use the Recovery Console to restore the files. For instructions on copying the HAL, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 237556 .
   • For Windows NT, use a second installation of Windows NT and a helper virtual machine to copy the files to the damaged installation or a Windows Preinstallation Environment boot disk. For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Preinstallation_Environment and the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 156358.
     
     Warning : When expanding or copying files for Windows NT using the preceding instructions, replace %systemroot% in the commands with the path to the damaged Windows NT folder, typically D:\WINNT . Otherwise, you may overwrite the files in the helper or the second installation.
     
     
4. Remove the CD/DVD-ROM and reboot the virtual machine. Windows should now boot properly and load the appropriate driver.

Additional Information

If your virtual machine starts the operating system, but fails to completely boot with a STOP error, see Troubleshooting a virtual machine converted with VMware Converter that fails to boot with the error: STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE (1006295).