P2V conversion on Windows Server 2012 R2 failed

Scenario: P2V conversion on Windows Server 2012 R2 failed
Recently, I need to convert a physical Windows Server 2012 R2 server to a virtual machine. I downloaded the Micro Virtual Machine Converter and ran through the progress to start the P2V conversion. It took a few hours. But when I got to the very end of the wizard, it gave me an error like the following:

“Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter encounter an error while attempting to convert the virtual Machine. Details: There are blocking issues for the physical-to-virtual conversion: There is no BCD boot device found in the source machine, noting that the conversion of an EFI boot machine is currently not supported.”

P2V Conversion Error

When you check the whole operation, you haven’t found any reason that would cause the error while attempting to convert the virtual machine. Well actually, you should concern whether you server was configured with UEFI when it was deployed. Cause the Virtual Machine Converter does not support P2V conversion for UEFI computer with GPT disks.

Disk2VHD convert physical disk to VHDX
For this situation, you need to convert the physical disk to VHDX first with the Sysinternals tool from Microsoft called Disk2vhd. You can download this tool and run it. Set the location where you want to store the VHDX file, click Create.

Convert to VHDX

After the progress completes, you need to convert the VHDX GPT to MBR.

Convert VHDX GPT to MBR
Convert VHDX from GPT to MBR may help you fix the P2V conversion error: There are blocking issues for the P2V conversion: There is no boot device found in the source machine, noticing that the conversion of an EFI boot machine is currently not supported.

To convert the disk from a GPT disk to MBR disk, here we highly recommend you to move the VHDX file to another Windows 8+ machine. And then, you c an use the free reliable third party software AOMEI Partition Assistant, which can run from Windows 8+ (except server. ) If you’re working with the server, you can pay for AOMEI Partition Assistant Server to do it.

Take the Windows 10 computer as an example. Right click the VHDX, choose Mount to mount the VHDX file.

Mount VHDX File

Mark the drive letter that is assigned to the disk after it is mounted. Here is H:.

VHDX File

After it completes, remember the drive letter of the mounted VHDX file, and use AOMEI Partition Assistant to convert VHDX from GPT to MBR as the following steps:

Step 1. Free download AOMEI Partition Assistant, install it to your Windows PC, and launch it.

Step 2. It will display you its main interface contain the basic situation of your disks including the VHDX GPT drive. Right click it, select Convert to MBR Disk.

Convert to MBR Disk

Step 3. It will pop up a window with warning messages, you need to read it and click OK.

Convert from GPT MBR

Step 4. You will back to the main interface and you will see the VHDX GPT has already changed into MBR. But it’s not done, you need to click Apply at the toolbar to execute the task.

*there may be many extra partitions at the beginning of the disk. You can use the function Delete Partition of AOMEI Partition Assistant to delete those extra partitions.

Create new virtual machine successfully
After convert VHDX GPT to MBR, you should disconnect from the VHDX file in File Explorer. Right click the mounted VHDX file, select Eject from the pop-up menu.

Next, you can create a new VM in Hyper-V Manager. During this operation, you need to make sure that you choose a Generation 1 VM, instead of creating a new VHDX file, attach the file that was generated by Disk2vhd that we’ve edited.

Fix Disk2vhd Hyper-V boot failure
You will meet a black screen with a blinking cursor but never boots into Windows Server 2012 R2. Don’t worry, it simply means the path to load Windows cannot be found by the boot loader. And this may be due to the boot loader, or it may be due to the MBR or Boot Sector. Thus, you need to repair the VHDX so it will boot into Windows Server 2012 R2.

First, you need a Windows Server 2012 R2 install ISO image or DVD. Prepare to boot your VM from this media. Using the recovery console to do it.

1. Attach the Windows Server 2012 R2 installation disc to the virtual machine disc drive, then, start the computer.

2. Press a key when you are prompted.

3. Select a language, a time, a currency, a keyboard or an input method, click Next.

4. Click Repair your computer.

5. Click the operating system that you want to repair, click Next.

6. In the System Recovery Options dialog box, click Command Prompt.

7. In the command prompt, you need to type the following command to make the partition on the VHDX active:

   diskpart

   list disk

   select disk 0

   list partition

   select partition 1

   active

   exit

8. Then, you need to reboot the VM and boot to the Windows Server 2012 R2 setup ISO again, and run the same progress until you get to the command prompt. In the command prompt, type the following command to set your system straight:

   bootrec /fixmbr (this command will fix MBR)

   bootrec /fixboot (this command will fix boot sector)

   bootrec /scanos (this will scan for Windows installations to add)

   reboot!

You are now enable to boot into Windows. If you still do not boot into Windows, or do not have a boot menu, or something is still wrong, you can reboot the VM and boot to the Windows Server 2012 R2 setup ISO again till you get into the command prompt, type the following command:

bootrec /rebuildbcd (this will rebuild the entire BCD)

reboot!

After doing those steps, you’ll be asked if you want to add the installation to the boot lost, type “y” and press Enter. Detach the Windows Server 2012 R2 ISO and reboot the system, and you should be greeted by a normal boot screen while Windows adjust to its new virtual hardware.