Exported Virtual Machine boots to 7B BSOD

Yes, a Dell logo. But when props are due someone I don’t mind giving them. A little bit ago I had been a long time Acronis Enterprise user for our server backup and restores. Not long ago I began testing an updated  Acronis 11.5. During restore tests I began to get the BSOD with the 0x000007b error. Only two servers running Server 2003 R2 restored o.k. with some fiddling around after the restore. Everything else failed. A couple of us had worked with Acronis Tech Support, who is very willing to keep trying, for weeks but never made it past this error. It didn’t matter if we injected all the drivers we could find. Eventually this led me to begin testing other backup solutions.

First was Symantec Backup Exec 15.     Love the easy intuitive interface.  Backups went great. Restores ran into the same 7B error I had with Acronis.  We are a Symantec Antivirus Enterprise customer.  I was running a trial of BackUp Exec 15 and decided to call tech support to help us resolve and complete the evaluation of their software.  Person after person at Symantec told me it didn’t matter that we are a subscription paying Enterprise Antivirus customer.  Symnatec does not offer support on trial products.

Sounds crazy to me.  We pay for one of the products and want to expand use of their portfolio but need help making the trial work so we can see if we want to buy that as well…and we are denied. That kind of shortsightedness seems to proliferate within that organization.  I did what most IT guys would do, said see ya and I moved on to something else.

Next, I began to test Novastor’s backup and recovery offering.

The interface is not as good as Symantec, and the multiple screens are confusing, but it is still easier to learn than Acronis. Tech support was pretty good, mostly email help.  I still got the 7B error testing restores.  We tried a few things for a couple weeks to no avail.  Maybe with more time we could have solved this with their help, but I had to move on and test some other packages.

Dell offered AppAssure. Since purchasing the company that created this product it has matured a bit and become pretty darn good.   Install is easy, backups are not a problem. It’s a bit different from Acronis and the interface, while not easy, is better than Acronis. It also has a hardware component that you can use with Dell servers creating a complete backup and restore solution.

Tech Support is great, even during the trial.  I rate them up there with Acronis who BTW worked with me for several months during that evaluation.

We ran a restore and got the same 7B error taking a physical laptop with Windows 7 to a VM on ESXI 5.5.  AppAssure had the answer though.  A KB12913 article detailing a registry edit to change the nature of the way the vm uses the hard drive.  (The article is no longer on Dells site that I can find.) To  my joy it worked. I booted the vm into safe mode and voila there were all the files I placed on the hard drive.  Rebooted to regular mode and I was in Windows!!  Good Signs for AppAssure.

Next, is a test of some other serves to see how they do being converted to vm.  So far though so good!!

Here is the fix 7B Resolution Steps

• Title

  Export Virtual Machine will not boot but BSOD with 7B (also applies to BMR)

• Description

  Sometimes Exported VM won’t boot (both Hyper-V and VMware have issues). After completing the BMR process don’t restart.

• Cause

  Critical services are not started when the machine is booting.

• Resolution

  WORKAROUND:

  1. Select Command Prompt. (Boot from a bootable CD and go to Command Prompt): regedt32

  2. Highlight HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, File > Load Hive > [restored volume]:\Windows\System32\Config\SYSTEM>Open>Key Name = Restored_HKLM > OK.

  3. Expand Restored_HKLM\ControlSet001\services and ensure the following are set:

  4.1. If restored to a (VMWare) VM then ensure:

   intelide>Start = 0

   LSI_SAS>Start = 0

   msahci>Start = 3

   pciide>Start = 3

  4.2. For Hyper-V, here’s what  a fresh install of Win7 in a Hyper-V VM has in the registry that applies to this issue:

  HKLM/System/CurrentControlSet/Services/ and then the value of the “Start” parameter

   Aliide = 3

   Amdide =3

   Atapi = 0

   Cmdide = 3

   iaStorV = 3

   intelide = 0

   msahci = 3

   pciide = 3

   viaide = 3

   LSI_SAS = 0

  4.3. If restoring to a physical machine with native HDD controller then ensure:

   msahci>Start = 0

   pciide>Start = 0

   intelide>Start = 3

   LSI_SAS>Start = 3

  5. Highlight Restored_HKLM and then File > Unload Hive.

  6. Close windows and restart.

  You should now have a successfully booting restored Server 2008 R2.

  (Remember if it’s a new add-in RAID card and you supply the drivers it will successfully inject them into the restored OS.)

  NB: Don’t worry if you have restarted without making the changes and it Blue Screens, come back through these options and if set correctly it will boot normally – nothing is damaged by the Stop Error, and the ide settings can be turned on and off with no permanent effect on the OS. I.e. change and restart until you hit the right combination required.

  If in doubt, turn on all possible required services e.g. set both intelide = 0/pciide = 0 and msahci = 0, or set all of these to 0 and it will still boot with the correct driver/s:

     aliide, amdide, atapi, cmdide, iastorv, intelide, msahci, pciide, viaide and LSI_SAS.

  NB: Not recommend due to the overheads it could introduce, but it will work and will get the machine up as quickly as possible if confidence in the exact combination required is in doubt.

Hits: 17