virtual machine in azure is not starting - I need help

Follow these steps to troubleshoot a virtual machine in Azure that is not starting:

1. Verify VM state and recent operations
   • In the Azure portal, open the VM and confirm whether it is in Running, Stopped (deallocated), Failed, or Starting state.
   • Check Activity log for the VM and its resource group to see the exact error for the last Start or Restart operation. Use:
     • View deployment operations
     • View activity logs to manage Azure resources
2. If the VM fails to start with an allocation error
   • This typically means the cluster/region has no capacity for the current size.
   • Resolution from the allocation failure guidance:
     1. If the VM is in an availability set, stop all VMs in that availability set.
     2. After all are stopped, start them again one by one from the portal.
     3. If it still fails, retry later or consider resizing the VM to another supported size in the same region.
3. If the VM appears to start but cannot be accessed (RDP/SSH)
   • Confirm the VM is actually Running and not stuck.
   • Use Boot diagnostics to view the screenshot and see if Windows is stuck on messages like:
     • “Applying Group Policy Services policy”
     • “Applying Software Installation policy”
     • “Restarting”, “Shutting Down”, or “Stopping services”
4. If startup is stuck on a Windows screen
   • For “Applying Group Policy Services policy” or “Applying Software Installation policy”:
     • Follow the guidance to collect an OS memory dump file and then create a support request so Azure support can analyze the root cause.
   • For shutdown/startup stuck on “Restarting”, “Shutting Down”, or “Stopping services”:
     • Use Serial Console to:
       1. Identify services stuck in STOP_PENDING:

                    Get-Service | Where-Object {$_.Status -eq "STOP_PENDING"}
          

       2. Get the PID of the unresponsive service:

                    tasklist /svc | findstr /i <STOPPING SERVICE>
          

       3. Capture a process dump with procdump.exe (from a utility disk) and then kill the process:

                    procdump.exe -s 5 -n 3 -ma <PID>
                    taskkill /PID <PID> /t /f
          

       4. After the OS boots, run:

                    dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
          

       • If this does not resolve the issue or it recurs, collect an OS memory dump and open a support request.
5. If the VM will not boot at all
   • Use the recovery disk method:
     1. Take a snapshot of the OS disk for backup.
     2. Detach the OS disk from the affected VM and attach it to a healthy recovery VM.
     3. On the recovery VM, inspect logs, collect memory.dmp if present, or configure dump and Serial Console as described.
     4. Reattach the OS disk to the original VM and try to start it again.
6. If the VM was recently moved between resource groups/subscriptions
   • After a move, verify:
     • NSG rules, route tables, and virtual network configuration in the destination resource group.
     • Role assignments (RBAC) and resource locks, which do not move automatically and may need to be recreated.
   • If the VM will not start but the move shows as successful, use boot diagnostics and the above boot-troubleshooting steps.
7. When to contact Azure Support
   • If:
     • The VM is missing from both source and destination resource groups after a move.
     • The VM remains stuck in a non-bootable state after following the dump/recovery steps.
     • Boot diagnostics shows a stuck policy screen and a dump is required for deeper analysis.
   • In these cases, collect the OS memory dump as per guidance and then open a support request from the Azure portal.

References:

• Troubleshoot deployment issues with restarting or resizing an existing Windows VM in Azure
• Troubleshoot deployment issues when creating a new Windows VM in Azure
• Azure Windows VM shutdown is stuck on "Restarting", "Shutting Down", or "Stopping services"
• VM startup is stuck on "Applying Group Policy Services policy"
• VM startup is stuck on "Applying Software Installation policy"
• Azure virtual machine move and migration FAQ