Windows IT Pro is the authoritative and independent resource for windows nt, windows 2000, windows 2003, windows xp. Features a collection of resources and magazines for windows IT professionals.
  
  
  Advanced Search 


July 10, 2008

Q. Why do I receive an error message that the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) file could not be attached to the IDE controller when I start a Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machine (VM)?


RSS
Subscribe to Windows IT Pro | See More Windows OSs Articles Here | Reprints | Or get the Monthly Online Pass—only $5.95 a month!

A. I recently had this exact problem when I moved my lab’s virtual hard disks to an external RAID 0 7200rpm drive to get better performance during demonstrations. I received a General access denied error when I tried to attach the VHD to the IDE controller, as Figure 1 shows.

There are a number of possible causes. First, check the VHD file security. You need to ensure that you're logged on as a local Administrator, and that the NTFS permissions on the VHD are set so that the System account and the local Administrators account have Full Control. The Users group should also have Read and Execute permissions.

If the virtual hard disks are on a file server, you need to ensure that they're connected via a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path (you can't use a mapped drive or mount point), and that the Hyper-V computer account (domain\computername$) has Full Control VHD-file permissions and it's on the share containing the VHD.

The solution that worked for me was to remove the device from the VM, then add it again using the following procedure:

  1. Select Settings for the VM experiencing the problem.
  2. In the Hardware menu, select the problematic VHD hard drive and click the Remove button, as Figure 2 shows.
  3. Select the IDE controller, then the hard drive virtual-disk file, and click Add, as Figure 3 shows.
In the new device's Properties' menu, click the Browse button, select your existing VHD file, click Open, then click OK in the main Properties dialog box. Your VM should now start.

End of Article



Reader Comments

You must log on before posting a comment.

If you don't have a username & password, please register now.




Top Viewed ArticlesView all articles
Accessing Database Data with ADO

...

The Memory-Optimization Hoax

Don't believe the hype. At best, RAM optimizers have no effect. At worst, they seriously degrade performance. ...

Two Exchange Server Tools You Should Know About

These free tools can help you troubleshoot performance problems with Exchange 2007 and Exchange 2003, and help you figure out what's going on with your servers from the transactions logs. ...


Windows OSs Whitepapers Why SaaS is the Right Solution for Log Management

Are You Satisfied?

A Preliminary Look at Deployment Plans for Microsoft Windows Vista

Related Events Check out our list of Free Email Newsletters!

Windows OSs eBooks Understanding and Leveraging Code Signing Technologies

A Guide to Windows Certification and Public Keys

SQL Server Administration for Oracle DBAs

Related Windows OSs Resources Become a VIP member of the Windows IT Pro community!
Get it all with the VIP CD and VIP access. A $500+ value for only $279!

Subscribe to Windows IT Pro!
Solve your toughest technical problems with our experts and access 10,000 + articles online. 30% off

Monthly Online Pass - Only $5.95!
Get instant access to 10,000+ articles from Windows IT Pro Magazine!

TechNet Virtual Labs
Evaluate and test Microsoft's newest products.

Job Openings in IT


ADS BY GOOGLE SPONSORED LINKS FEATURED LINKS

Maximize your SharePoint Investment – 8 Cities
Discover best practices and tips for both architecting and administering SharePoint. Early Bird Price of $99 through Sept 15th.

Find a new job now on the all new IT Job Hound!
Search jobs, post your resume, and set up job e-mail alerts!

Master SharePoint with 3 eLearning Seminars
Learn how to build a better SharePoint infrastructure and enable powerful collaboration with MVPs Dan Holme and Michael Noel. Register today!

Top Tools for Virtualization Disaster Recovery & Replication
View this web seminar on August 14th to learn about two tools that will result in faster backup and restore with P2V disaster recovery.

SharePointConnections Conference Fall 2008
Don’t miss the premier event for Microsoft IT Professionals in Las Vegas, November 10-13. Register and book your room by August 25 and receive a FREE room night (based on a three night minimum stay).

VMworld 2008 - Sign Up Today!
Join your peers on September 15-18 at The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas as VMware hosts VMworld 2008, the leading Virtualization event.



Increase Application Performance
Free White Paper by Editor's Best winner, Texas Memory Systems.

Microsoft® Tech•Ed EMEA 2008 IT Professionals
Advance your thinking with new ideas and practical real-world solutions at Microsoft’s FIVE day technical infrastructure conference 3-7 Nov., 2008. Register before 26 September 2008 to save €300.

Order Your SQL Fundamentals CD Today!
Learn how to use SQL Server, understand Office integration techniques and dive into the essentials of SQL Express and Visual Basic with this free SQL Fundamentals CD.

Are You Really Compliant with Software Regulations?
View this web seminar that will help you with compliance best practices and check out a management solution to assure that you won’t be in jeopardy of an audit.

Virtualization Congress Oct. 14-16 in London
Don't miss Virtualization Congress, the premiere EMEA conference dedicated to hardware, OS and application virtualization. Oct. 14-16.
Windows IT Pro Home Register FAQ for Windows WinInfo News
Europe Edition About Us Contact Us/Customer Service Media Kit Affiliates / Licensing  
SQL Server Magazine Office & SharePoint Pro Windows Dev Pro IT Job Hound ITTV
IT Library Technical Resources Directory Connected Home Windows Excavator Windows SuperSite 
 
 Windows IT Pro is a Division of Penton Media Inc.
 Copyright © 2008 Penton Media, Inc., All rights reserved. Terms and Use | Privacy Statement | Reprints and Licensing