Summary
This article describes how virtual machines that use IDE disks as opposed to SCSI controllers may fail to boot when they are restored. The restore process configures the new virtual machine with a SCSI controller and if the drivers for these controllers were not present at the time of the backup, then the machine will fail to boot. Note: This impacts agentless backups and restores only, agent-based restores will perform a driver injection and prevent this issue.
Symptoms
When attempting to power up the VM, it will display a stop error (or "Blue Screen of Death") because the newly created disks are SCSI connected.
Resolution
A machine that has only IDE disks can be recovered using the following method:
- Inject the appropriate SCSI drivers into the VM operating system and perform a new backup. All new backups can now be restored without issue. Older restore points can be restored using the method described below.
- Manually update the VM configuration file and change the disk configuration to IDE.
- On the restored VM, browse the datastore that has the VM.
- Download the .vmx file to your desktop.
- Open the .vmx file using a text editor like Notepad, then change the scsi parameters to ide by removing some of the scsi parameters (sharedbus, virtualdev, devicetype).
- Change the remaining scsi parameter to ide. Full example below:
/* original settings
scsi0.present = "true"
scsi0.sharedBus = "none"
scsi0.virtualDev = "lsilogic"
scsi0:0.present = "true"
scsi0:0.fileName = "IDE1-IR.vmdk"
scsi0:0.deviceType = "scsi-hardDisk"
*/
/* modified settings to get IDE disk(s) to work
ide0:0.present = "TRUE"
ide0:0.fileName = "IDE1-IR.vmdk"
floppy0.present = "FALSE"
*/
- Upload the new .vmx file back to the same datastore.
- The VM should be removed (not deleted) from the inventory and then re-added to the inventory. Right click on the .vmx file and click add to inventory.
- The machine should now boot using the original IDE configuration.