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Recover Sharepoint WSS3.0 running in Vmware when host PC cant login

Hi, first post!

My one and only DC on domain - A (windows 2003 enterprise 192.168.0.2) gets to a login screen but when I press ctrl-alt-del it doesnt bring the username/password box up, just a grey background. After 20 mins it brings up 'press ctrl-alt-del' to login. Nasty loop - I've given up on this after days of trying to resolve it.

The above server is a host running vmware for a windows 2003 std version that has sharepoint WSS3.0 installed. I can still access the sharepoint site and I can RDP to the 192.168.0.22 sharepoint address.

Since i cant login to the host server directly (.02) how can I recover the data from the vmware (.22) server ?

I've built a new domain - B, and need the sharepoint site back up active in this new domain.

Is this possible or do I need access to the VM Host?

Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

you could create a P2V of the server?

see my EE Articles

HOW TO: P2V, V2V for FREE - VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 5.0

HOW TO: Improve the transfer rate of a Physical to Virtual (P2V), Virtual to Virtual Conversion (V2V) using VMware vCenter Converter Standalone 5.0

or you could boot the server from a WinPE, BartPE cdrom, to recover the VMDKs.

Is the disk full?

Alan OBrien

If you want to backup and restore sharepoint to another server take a look at this article

http://office.microsoft.com/en-ie/sharepoint-designer-help/back-up-restore-or-move-a-sharepoint-site-HA010069939.aspx#_Toc266876707

When you RDP to the server are you able to access the desktop?

If the server is running on esx(i) are you using the vsphere client to access the setting of the server?

Alan OBrien

to get the vsphere client on your desktop, open a webpage and put in the ip address of the vm host server, 192.168.0.1 etc..., there should be a link to download the client and install it on your pc locally

Yagya Shree

Hi,

Try to boot into safe mode and login

Also look into below post

https://www.experts-exchange.com/questions/27192331/Windows-server-2003-unable-to-login-as-there-is-no-Ctrl-Alt-Del-option-just-a-yellow-exlamation-mark-triangle.html

ukwebdzine

ASKER

thanks yagyashree but i've tried everything to get the login to work. I'm now concentrating on getting the sharepoint site back as i reckon the windows login module has gone screwy big time!

ukwebdzine

ASKER

Just to restate

I cannot ping or RDP connect to the vm server (the host) on 192.168.0.2

I can ping and RDP to the vm client running on the above host via the sharepoint servers ip address 192.168.0.22

Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

Yes, install Converter, and create a V2V!

ukwebdzine

ASKER

@hannccocka

you could create a P2V of the server? - not sure what a p2v is or a v2v

Yes, install Converter, and create a V2V! - where do i install this? on the guest server 192.168.0.22? what will the converter do?

Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

Yes, install on the Guest.

Convert to a new Virtual Machine for VMware Workstation, VMware Server, ESXi, VMware vSphere.

ukwebdzine

ASKER

Thanks

The host went down today , so trying to revive it so I can get to the guest. Will post reply once i've managed to create v2v

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ukwebdzine

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Andrew Hancock (VMware vExpert PRO / EE Fellow/British Beekeeper)

unless the disk has failed, you can recover from booting from a cdrom, as mentioned and copy off the vmdks. (all is not lost!).

ukwebdzine

ASKER

The other suggestions were obsolete as I couldn't get my host server back online