Unable to start VM

Question

I'm encountering an error message stating the virtual machine agent is not ready when attempting to start a VM through the portal.

I've tried restarting the VM after logging in via RDP, but now the VM won't start at all, and the agent status remains "not ready."

Answer 1

Hi @Sidharth Naidu ,

Thanks for contacting Microsoft Q&A platform.

The closest thing I have been able to find is the following doc:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/backup/backup-azure-troubleshoot-vm-backup-fails-snapshot-timeout#the-agent-installed-in-the-vm-but-unresponsive-for-windows-vms

Essentially, if the agent is not in a ready state, it is usually due to some corruption of the agent which can be resolved by simply manually reinstalling the agent. You can find the steps to do that here:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/extensions/agent-windows#manual-installation

If it is not working, you should reinstall it. If it is still not working after that, there is usually something wrong with the VM image itself which would require support to look into further.

Also, please share if your VM was deployed from a specialized image. When deploying a VM from image, a manual installation is required for the Guest Agent as described here: Azure Virtual Machine Agent Overview - Azure Virtual Machines | Microsoft Learn. Is that the process that was used for this Guest Agent's installation?

For a Windows VM, the Agent Installer should take care of everything as long as the prerequisites listed here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/extensions/agent-windows#prerequisites are followed.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

Hi @Sidharth Naidu , I understand that you have an Azure VM (Windows OS) that won't start and agent status "not ready".

I'd recommend stop and start the VM again. If the VM can start, follow Troubleshoot Azure Windows VM Agent issues.

If the VM does not start at all, create an image then Create a VM using a specialized image version.

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