How to capture a "live server" to a VM using vCenter Converter

Try one of several options.

Install vmware converter on the physical server and push it out the server. If you're still having an issue download a trial copy of Acronis or Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery and make an image of the physical server.  Once you create an image you can use vmware converter to convert to a virtual machine.

If you're trying to convert a windows 2000 machine make sure you have Service Pack 4 rollup installed.

Could try cold clone.
http://www.vmware.com/support/converter/doc/releasenotes_conv303.html

What OS is the live server?

Windows 2003 R2.  I've read the "how to" on cold clone, but this is a production server and I can not afford to take it down, which is why the vm converter appealed to me.  

An alternative that i may have is to pull the mirror  drive, put it in another server, get a ghost image, build a basic image, then restore from the ghost, but i really don't want to have to go that way.

PaulSolav,  You suggest downloading .....and make an image of the physical server.  Once you create an image you can use vmware converter to convert to a virtual machine.   is this essentially doing the same as the ghost solution without having to pull the mirror?  I'm not familiar with the product you identified.

The Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery showed promise, but ultimately I was able to use Converter.  The issue was to open the firewall ports between the DMZ server and the ESX server long enough to grab the image.