Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state

If you are trying to start Hyper-V virtual machine from a saved state, only to be greeted with the following error message: “Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state.”

This issue usually happens due to incompatibility between the saved state and the Hyper-V version you use. There’s an easy workaround: export the VM as an OVA file and import it into Hyper-V.

So if you’re having trouble starting a Hyper-V VM from a saved state, give this workaround a try. It should get your VM up and running in no time.

If you cannot begin with a Hyper-V virtual machine from a saved state, you may be able to work around the problem by starting the virtual machine from scratch.

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The problem

If you try to create a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine from a saved state and the attempt fails, you may see one or more of the following error messages:

“The virtual machine ‘vmname’ could not be started because the saved state file ‘filename.vsv’ is missing.”

“The virtual machine ‘vmname’ could not be started because the saved state data is corrupt.”

Sometimes, you may also see an error message indicating that the saved state file is too large.

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The solution

Try this solution if you create a Hyper-V virtual machine from a saved state, and it doesn’t work.

• Shut down the virtual machine.
• Start the virtual machine again and open the Hyper-V Manager.
• Select the virtual machine and click the “Start” button.
• When the “Start Virtual Machine” dialog box appears, select “Power On” and click “OK.”

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The benefits

There are benefits to not being able to create a Hyper-V virtual machine from a saved state. One advantage is that you can move the virtual machine to another host without worrying about licensing issues. Another benefit is that you can test different configurations without affecting production.

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The drawbacks

Before using this feature in production, you should be aware of a few potential disadvantages.

The first is that, depending on how your VM is configured, it may take longer to start up from a saved state than it would from a cold boot.

This is because Windows has to load all of the drivers and services enabled for your VM. Startup times can suffer if you have a lot of these or if they’re particularly resource-intensive.

The second concern is that, because the VM is essentially being resumed from where it left off, any unsaved data or changes will be lost if the power is cut off or the VM crashes.

This isn’t an issue if you’re using saved states to reboot your VM for maintenance or troubleshooting purposes quickly, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re relying on them for any other reason.

Finally, there’s always the possibility of something going wrong starting from a saved state.

If your VM gets stuck in a reboot loop or fails to boot, you may have to delete the saved state and start from scratch.

This isn’t necessarily a common occurrence, but it’s something to be aware of.

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The pros and cons

There are a couple of things to consider before deciding whether or not to begin your Hyper-V virtual machine from a saved state. Here are some pros and cons to help you make your decision:

Pros:

• If you have a lot of programs open, starting from a saved state can help you pick up where you left off more quickly.
• Starting from a saved state can help you avoid potential conflicts between open programs when the virtual machine was last shut down.

Cons:

• If there were any programs open that were not correctly closed before the virtual machine was shut down, starting from a saved state may cause those programs to become unstable.
• If any updates need to be installed on the virtual machine, starting from a saved state will cause those updates to be skipped.

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The bottom line

For a Hyper-V virtual machine to start from a saved state, the device must have the ‘Save’ setting enabled in the VM’s settings.

If this setting is not enabled, the machine will not be able to start from the saved state. Additionally, the VM must either have a bootable operating system installed or be configured to use an emulated driver to withdraw from the saved state.

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The final word

If you’re trying to create a Hyper-V virtual machine from a saved state and it’s not working, don’t despair. There are a few things you can try to get things up and running again.

First, ensure the VM is configured to start from a saved state. To do this, open the Hyper-V Manager, select the VM, and click the ‘Settings’ button. In the ‘General’ section, ensure that the ‘Startup action’ is set to ‘Start from saved state.

If that doesn’t work, try opening the Command Prompt (Run as administrator) and running the following command:

Powercfg.exe /h off

This disables hibernation on your system, which can sometimes interfere with starting a VM from a saved state.

Once you’ve run the command, restart your computer and try starting the VM again.

If those two methods don’t work, you can try starting the VM from scratch. To do this, select the VM in Hyper-V Manager and click the ‘Start’ button. Once the VM has booted up, shut it down and try starting it from a saved state again.

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The Conclusion

When you try to create a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine from a saved state, the virtual machine does not start, and you receive the following error message:

“The Virtual Machine Management Service failed to start the virtual machine ” because one of the Hyper-V components is not running.”

This problem occurs if the saved state files (.vsv) and the checkpoint files (.avhdx) are corrupted.

Cannot start Hyper-V virtual machine from saved state: The future

Saved states are a snapshot of a VM’s memory, devices, and configuration at a given time.

You can use saved states to quickly resume work on a VM without having to power it on and boot it from scratch.

However, there are some potential drawbacks to using saved states. For example, if you take a saved state of a VM while it’s in the middle of writing data to disk, that data may be corrupted when you try to resume from the saved state.

Additionally, if the hardware or software on which the VM is running is upgraded, the saved state may no longer be compatible, and the VM may not be able to start.

Microsoft is working on a new feature for Hyper-V called “Gen 2 VMs,” which will address some of these limitations.

Gen 2 VMs will use UEFI instead of BIOS and support booting from SCSI disks. This will allow Gen 2 VMs to utilize newer hardware features and avoid compatibility issues with older hardware.

Microsoft is also working on a new type of saved state called “ checkpoint,” which will be more robust and less likely to cause data corruption.

Currently, there is no estimated release date for Gen 2 VMs or checkpoints. Microsoft has indicated that they are working on these features for a future release of Windows Server