VM machine keeps rebooting

have you installed VMware Tools?

has it just started rebooting?

what does the windows event log state?

any BSOD?

I just inherited this machine. First time working on it.

No vm ware tools installed
Second time shutting it down. First time took 3 times to stay logged in.
Bsod?
Can't see the event viewer since the it keeps rebooting.

BSOD - Blue Screen of Death

You need to install VMware Tools in each Virtual Machine.

So you power up the Virtual Machine, and it restarts or shutsdown?

No bsod. It shuts down.

How do I install the vm tools if I can't keep the vm up? The other vm's are fine.

Can you Boot into Safe Mode? Then you could try to manually start the Windows Installer Service and install VMware Tools from there. But I highly doubt it will change anything - booting VM's should work without VMware Tools. I think the VM would BSOD before any VMware Tools driver was loaded even if installed.

Is it possible to install this VM from scratch? If it is, maybe this way you could save yourself a whole lot of trouble.

If you can't reinstall and booting into Safe Mode fails: Please post the Errortext and -code OR (even better) a screenshot of the BSOD if you are fast enough (I assume it reboots immediatly after the BSOD).

How do I boot into safe mode on a VM machine?

Just as you would do with a Physical Machine: Open the Console when the VM is powered off -> Power on -> Hit F8 just before it boots.

got an error message.

unable to connect MKS: error connecting to /bin/vmx process....

Okay, so this means your .vmx file is corrupted.

Create a new VM with the same settings, but without Harddisks. Then copy/move the Harddisk(s) from the corrupted VM to the newly created VM. Then power it on. If it boots, fine, destroy the corrupted VM and work with the new one, if not.... report back ;)

Okay bare with me I have never worked with a VM. How do I do this?

First I need to know what Product and which Version you are using: Workstation or ESXi?

vmabout.doc

Okay. ESX 4 it is then.

File -> New VM -> Typical -> Click next until you are asked for the OS, select Windows Server 2003. At the end mark "Change Settings before finishing" (Or something like that). In the upcoming dialog click on the Harddrive and remove it. Then click finish.

From now on you have 2 possibilities:

1)  Right-Click the Datastore -> Explore, switch into the Folder of the OLD Windows Server2003 VM and move the Harddisk file (.vmdk) to the Folder of the newly created Windows Server 2003 VM.

2) Enable SSH and ESXi Console (Configuration -> Security Profile -> Services). Connect to the physical ESX Server using root Credentials and do the same as with option 1) just on the command line.

If you are unexperienced with vmware ESXi or Linux in general, I would recommend you to go with option 1).

After you moved (or copied) the Harddisk, Close the Datastore-Explorer -> Right-Click the new Windows Server 2003 VM -> Click Add -> Harddisk -> Use Existing Harddisk -> Select the moved Harddisk file -> Finish.

Now you should be able to power on your VM again.

What do I do here?
vm-window.doc

choose hdd size what you want to give the server.
other wise choose exiting hdd.
take a look on this
http://www.vmware.com/support/ws55/doc/newguest_ws.html