We recently virtualized a Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 (SBS2008) from an aging machine to a VM hosted by a new replacement server. The steps can be helpful for other physical to virtual conversions. The tool we used was Disk2VHD.
Check the file system using “SFC /SCAN NOW” and “CHK DSK C: /F”, and reboot the server
1. Run “SYSADMIN LIST WRITERS” to make sure all is good
2. To Stop the following services on the server
Exchange
SharePoint
3. Run “physical machine using DISK2VHD” to convert all local volumes to a single VHDX file
Save the file directly to the new server via a network, or a USB3.0 hard drive
4. Create a VM (Hyper-V Generation 1) on the new server (the host)
Assign the same amount of logical processors and RAM as the old server
Attach the VHDX file
Create a virtual switch and attach
5. Power off the old server
6. Power on the VM
It may take a few minutes before Ctrl+Alt+Del responds
7. Fine-tune the VM –
Configure the network adapter with the same settings from the old server
Run the “Connect to the Internet” wizard
Uninstall all unneeded software, such as Dell Open Manage Administrator
Remove all non-present devices –
SET DEVMGR _SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1 (do not close the cmd prompt window)
Device Manager | View | Show hidden devices
8. Activate Windows
