Windows Virtual PC won't start - Cannot start Windows Virtual PC Host Process. Check the System event log for details

Question

I've been running Virtual PC for several months, and it suddenly is broken. I get a pop-up that says: Cannot start Windows Virtual PC Host Process. Check the System event log for more details. An error occurred during a seek operation."

There are two apps I need to run in XP mode, and this is a big problem. Seems to have happened after the most recent set of Windows updates. I did a system restore to before the updates, and get the same results. I uninstalled and reinstalled Virtual PC and XP mode, and get the same thing. Anybody else experiencing this problem? Any ideas on how to fix it?

Running 64-bit Win 7 Pro on Athlon II X4 620 w/4 gigs RAM.

Answer 1

Hi Davio,

The issue you posted is related to running Virtual PC in XP mode and would be better suited in the TechNet community. Please visit the link below to find a community that will offer the support you request.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itprovirt/threads

Hope this helps.

Thanks and Regards,

Srinivas R

Microsoft Support.

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Answer 2

Thanks Ajay and No.Compromise -

I ran the HAV check app, and my HAV is working fine.

I have the latest XP Mode Update installed.

To make sure its not a disk problem per your suggestion, I ran checkdisk (giving up over 3 hours of machine use - checking a 1 gig drive takes a loooong time), and it found a few minor booboos, but nothing in any file that would be of interest (there were a few files in winows.old that had bad clusters, and a few old restore point files, but nothing else).

The ssystem is still doing the same thing.

Looking at the system logs, I see that the system is reporting that Windows Virtual PC has succesfully started:

Log Name:      Microsoft-Windows-Virtual PC/Admin

Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Virtual PC

Date:          6/11/2010 12:59:58 PM

Event ID:      3

Task Category: None

Level:         Information

Keywords:     

User:          BigDaddy\DGreenberg

Computer:      BigDaddy

Description:

Virtual PC successfully started.

Event Xml:

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">

  <System>

    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Virtual PC" Guid="{A759B4BE-484C-414D-A97D-961D33C31A3D}" />

    <EventID>3</EventID>

    <Version>0</Version>

    <Level>4</Level>

    <Task>0</Task>

    <Opcode>0</Opcode>

    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>

    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2010-06-11T16:59:58.579536000Z" />

    <EventRecordID>662</EventRecordID>

    <Correlation />

    <Execution ProcessID="4692" ThreadID="4696" />

    <Channel>Microsoft-Windows-Virtual PC/Admin</Channel>

    <Computer>BigDaddy</Computer>

    <Security UserID="S-1-5-21-1922948376-3184651002-3742467705-1001" />

  </System>

  <EventData>

  </EventData>

</Event>

But then about 4 seconds later, it fails:

Log Name:      Microsoft-Windows-Virtual PC/Admin

Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Virtual PC

Date:          6/11/2010 1:00:04 PM

Event ID:      1000

Task Category: None

Level:         Error

Keywords:     

User:          BigDaddy\DGreenberg

Computer:      BigDaddy

Description:

Virtual machine ''. Error - An error occurred during a seek operation.

 (0x80030019)

Event Xml:

<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">

  <System>

    <Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-Virtual PC" Guid="{A759B4BE-484C-414D-A97D-961D33C31A3D}" />

    <EventID>1000</EventID>

    <Version>0</Version>

    <Level>2</Level>

    <Task>0</Task>

    <Opcode>0</Opcode>

    <Keywords>0x8000000000000000</Keywords>

    <TimeCreated SystemTime="2010-06-11T17:00:04.179945800Z" />

    <EventRecordID>663</EventRecordID>

    <Correlation />

    <Execution ProcessID="4820" ThreadID="4824" />

    <Channel>Microsoft-Windows-Virtual PC/Admin</Channel>

    <Computer>BigDaddy</Computer>

    <Security UserID="S-1-5-21-1922948376-3184651002-3742467705-1001" />

  </System>

  <EventData>

    <Data Name="String1">

    </Data>

    <Data Name="String2">Error - An error occurred during a seek operation.

 (0x80030019)</Data>

  </EventData>

</Event>

So, I am stuck. Every subsequent attempt to start it again results in the same error message.

HELP!!!!

Answer 3

Hi Ajay,

Actually, HAV is no longer a requirement for the latest version of Windows XP mode.  Please see:

Windows XP Mode now accessible to more PCs on the Windows Team Blog:

We’re announcing an update to Windows XP Mode today that will make it a more accessible to PCs in small and midsize businesses who want to migrate to Windows 7 Professional but have applications that still require Windows XP. Windows XP Mode will no longer require hardware virtualization technology to run. This change makes it extremely easy for businesses to use Windows XP Mode to address any application incompatibility roadblocks they might have in migrating to Windows 7. Windows XP Mode will of course continue to use hardware virtualization technology such as Intel VT (Intel Virtualization Technology) or AMD-V if available. You can find more information and download the update which will go live later today here.

@Davio2: do you have this latest Windows XP Mode update installed?  Did you check the System Event Log for more details, as instructed by the error message you got? It sounds like your physical disk (on host machine) may be having problems...

Answer 4

Hi Davio2,

Ideally, this error message indicates that your processor does not support the **HAV (****Hardware Assisted Virtualization)**feature.

Cause:

Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode are supported only on computers whose processors have the HAV feature enabled. Therefore, if your processor does not support the HAV feature or if this feature is disabled, you cannot start any virtual machines in Windows Virtual PC.

To resolve this issue, follow the steps mentioned in the link below

Error message about hardware-assisted virtualization for Windows XP Mode in Windows Virtual PC on a computer that is running Windows 7

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/977206

Thanks and Regards:

Ajay K

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

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