Virtual Server - Upgrading to SP1 - Restore Error Fix and some suggestions.

When upgrading to Service Pack 1 on Virtual Server 2005 R2 it is important that any virtual machines running on the server are shut down as opposed to saving their state before applying the Service Pack.

If their state was saved before the update, you will get the following error:

"VirtualMachine" could not be restored because of a host processor type mismatch.

If you see this error, stop the Virtual Server service and rename all of your virtual machine's .vsv files to .vsv.bak or the like.

Do this for all of them, restart the Virtual Server service, and then proceed to start the VMs from the Virtual Server Web Console or via VMRCplus (the Virtual Machine Remote Control Client Plus is a pretty kewl little VM management utility).

The warning given in the VMRCplus console that the Virtual Machine additions (VMA) edition is out of date:


One small caveat just discovered with the VMRCplus utility: When trying to mount an ISO that is on the local Virtual Server x: drive, the VMRCplus utility brings a dialogue box up that is tied to the machine/workstation the utility is being run on. No list of available ISOs for that particular Virtual Server is there like can be seen in the Virtual Server Management Web Console.

When Service Packing the Virtual Server installations, it is also a perfect opportunity to also install any waiting OS updates on the host OS.

Once the upgrade has finished, and all of the VMs are up and running, the next step is to install the updated Virtual Machine additions on all of the VMs.

So far, on our VMs running W2K Server and Server 2K3 the previous VMA versions are seemingly gone so the VMA update is required. Upon logging on to the VM the Virtual Server will only allow the VMA installation. After the install and a reboot the VM will be good to go.

Virtual Server SP1 VMA version: 13.885
Virtual Server Vista VMA inital beta version: 13.709

Answer for the error curtesy of ASPDeveloper.net: Virtual Server 2005.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

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