Boot image not found in Hyper-V

Awesome news, Tecknot! Getting that message means your Windows installation is officially alive and kicking, and the boot configuration issues are fully resolved.
Don't let that "Enhanced session mode" prompt worry you—it's completely normal for a newly converted virtual machine. Enhanced Session works like a built-in Remote Desktop connection to give you better graphics and clipboard sharing, but it can only activate after you log into a Windows user account and the guest services start running in the background.
To get past this screen and log in, try the following:

1. Click the "X" or "Cancel" on that prompt. Hyper-V will drop you back into a standard "Basic Session" window.
2. Log into your Windows account. You should see your standard lock screen/sign-in page now.
3. Enable Hyper-V Guest Services. Once you're at the desktop, make sure the guest integration tools are fully running:
   • Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
   • Scroll down to the Hyper-V services.
   • Make sure Hyper-V Guest Service Interface and Hyper-V Remote Desktop Virtualization Service are running and set to Automatic.
4. Reconnect. Once Windows is fully initialized, you can click the Enhanced Session button in the Hyper-V toolbar at the top of your VM window to switch back to the high-resolution mode.

You're right at the finish line! Let us know if you're able to log into the desktop.

tecknot said:

Do you mean I have to recreate my .vhdx?

Click to expand...

The problem is with the Windows as installed. Hopefully that can be fixed, but it may take time to work out what's wrong.

tecknot said:

I have made even more progress. I got the Hyper-V to run (the VM), but got another kind of error regarding Enhanced session:

Click to expand...

Enhanced session is only available if the guest OS is Windows Pro (W8/W10/W11). The Home edition doesn't have Remote Desktop which is required to support an enhanced session.

Good call, Bree! I completely blanked on checking the edition.
If the VM you cloned is running Windows Home, Bree is spot on—it lacks the underlying Remote Desktop architecture Hyper-V needs to hook into for Enhanced Session Mode.
If that’s the case, you can completely ignore the prompt. Just close it out, use the standard Basic Session view, and you’re good to go. The VM will still run perfectly!

0xc0430001 (-1069350911 STATUS_SECUREBOOT_ROLLBACK_DETECTED) -- 3225616385 (-1069350911)
Error message text: Error 0xc0430001 (-1069350911 STATUS_SECUREBOOT_ROLLBACK_DETECTED)

The error STATUS_SECUREBOOT_ROLLBACK_DETECTED (Stop Code: 0xC0430001) is a security validation failure triggered by the Windows Boot Manager. It typically occurs after installing a cumulative Windows Update (such as KB5094126).


This happens because the update applies a mandatory Secure Boot certificate migration (related to CVE-2023-24932). If your motherboard firmware is outdated, or if your EFI System Partition (ESP) lacks space to hold the new boot files, Secure Boot flags the updated boot manager as an unvouched "rollback" or violation, trapping your PC in a Recovery boot loop.

Temporarily Disable Secure Boot (Bypass the Loop).

Once you are back in Windows, you must fix the root certificate problem so you can re-enable your security settings safely.

Download and install the absolute latest BIOS firmware update available for your specific machine model. This updates the motherboard's built-in Key Exchange Keys (KEK) to recognize the new Windows update files.


Windows Secure Boot certificates (such as the 2023 CA keys replacing aging 2011 certificates) are primarily delivered automatically via standard Windows Update. Most users do not need manual intervention, but you can verify your status or force-trigger updates if needed.

I tried to run my VM again, without enhanced mode, but still got the same error message.

AmericanPharaoh said:

Good call, Bree! I completely blanked on checking the edition.
If the VM you cloned is running Windows Home, Bree is spot on—it lacks the underlying Remote Desktop architecture Hyper-V needs to hook into for Enhanced Session Mode.
If that’s the case, you can completely ignore the prompt. Just close it out, use the standard Basic Session view, and you’re good to go. The VM will still run perfectly!

Click to expand...

Hi AmericanPharaoh,

I closed the message, but as the VM began to load the Windows welcome screen, it just hung there. No action nor movement.

Tried it twice with the same result.

Kind regards,

tecknot

FreeBooter said:

0xc0430001 (-1069350911 STATUS_SECUREBOOT_ROLLBACK_DETECTED) -- 3225616385 (-1069350911)
Error message text: Error 0xc0430001 (-1069350911 STATUS_SECUREBOOT_ROLLBACK_DETECTED)

The error STATUS_SECUREBOOT_ROLLBACK_DETECTED (Stop Code: 0xC0430001) is a security validation failure triggered by the Windows Boot Manager. It typically occurs after installing a cumulative Windows Update (such as KB5094126).


This happens because the update applies a mandatory Secure Boot certificate migration (related to CVE-2023-24932). If your motherboard firmware is outdated, or if your EFI System Partition (ESP) lacks space to hold the new boot files, Secure Boot flags the updated boot manager as an unvouched "rollback" or violation, trapping your PC in a Recovery boot loop.

Temporarily Disable Secure Boot (Bypass the Loop).

Once you are back in Windows, you must fix the root certificate problem so you can re-enable your security settings safely.

Download and install the absolute latest BIOS firmware update available for your specific machine model. This updates the motherboard's built-in Key Exchange Keys (KEK) to recognize the new Windows update files.


Windows Secure Boot certificates (such as the 2023 CA keys replacing aging 2011 certificates) are primarily delivered automatically via standard Windows Update. Most users do not need manual intervention, but you can verify your status or force-trigger updates if needed.

Click to expand...

Thanks, FreeBooter.

Kind regards,

tecknot

Let us know how it goes and you are very welcome!

That freeze on the welcome screen makes total sense now, especially with the 0xc0430001 (STATUS_SECUREBOOT_ROLLBACK_DETECTED) error code FreeBooter pulled up.
When you bypass Enhanced Session, the Windows Boot Manager is hanging because it recognizes the virtual hardware change as an untrusted environment rollback and halts execution right as the OS attempts to initialize.
To bypass this security lock inside Hyper-V and let the welcome screen finish loading, you need to change your virtual Secure Boot template or temporarily toggle it off:

1. Turn off the virtual machine completely.
2. Right-click the VM in Hyper-V Manager and open its settings.
3. Select the Security tab on the left panel.
4. Uncheck "Enable Secure Boot" and click Apply.
5. Turn the VM back on and see if it clears the welcome screen.

(Note: If Windows demands Secure Boot to finish initializing and refuses to pass without it, turn the VM off again, go back to the Security tab, and re-check Enable Secure Boot, but change the Template dropdown menu from "Microsoft Windows" to "Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority." This template applies the updated 2023 certificates and is far more forgiving with physical-to-virtual migrated system images.

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AmericanPharaoh said:

That freeze on the welcome screen makes total sense now, especially with the 0xc0430001 (STATUS_SECUREBOOT_ROLLBACK_DETECTED) error code FreeBooter pulled up.
When you bypass Enhanced Session, the Windows Boot Manager is hanging because it recognizes the virtual hardware change as an untrusted environment rollback and halts execution right as the OS attempts to initialize.
To bypass this security lock inside Hyper-V and let the welcome screen finish loading, you need to change your virtual Secure Boot template or temporarily toggle it off:

1. Turn off the virtual machine completely.
2. Right-click the VM in Hyper-V Manager and open its settings.
3. Select the Security tab on the left panel.
4. Uncheck "Enable Secure Boot" and click Apply.
5. Turn the VM back on and see if it clears the welcome screen.

(Note: If Windows demands Secure Boot to finish initializing and refuses to pass without it, turn the VM off again, go back to the Security tab, and re-check Enable Secure Boot, but change the Template dropdown menu from "Microsoft Windows" to "Microsoft UEFI Certificate Authority." This template applies the updated 2023 certificates and is far more forgiving with physical-to-virtual migrated system images.

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Click to expand...

Hi AmericanPharaoh,

I have unchecked "Enable Secure Boot," but I am still getting the hang.

Kind regards,

tecknot

Got it. If dropping Secure Boot completely didn't unfreeze that welcome screen, then we are dealing with a classic driver conflict from the physical-to-virtual (P2V) migration. Windows is trying to load your physical machine's hardware-specific drivers (like dedicated GPU, power management, or third-party chipset controllers) on Hyper-V's generic virtual hardware, causing the boot process to lock up.
To force Windows to bypass those old drivers and boot using generic ones, you need to boot it into Safe Mode. Since the login screen is frozen, here is the easiest way to trigger it:

Step 1: Force the VM into the Advanced Startup Menu

1. Turn the VM on. As soon as you see the Windows loading dots spinning, click the Turn Off button (the red power button icon) in the Hyper-V toolbar to hard-kill it.
2. Repeat this process 2 more times (Turn on -> Wait for spinning dots -> Kill power).
3. On the 4th boot, Windows will display "Preparing Automatic Repair" and then drop you into a blue Choose an option screen.

Step 2: Enable Safe Mode

1. Click on Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings.
2. Click the Restart button.
3. When the menu pops up after rebooting, press 4 or F4 to select Enable Safe Mode.

Step 3: What to do if Safe Mode boots successfully
If you make it to the desktop in Safe Mode, the core operating system is intact! While inside Safe Mode:

1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
2. Look for any flagged devices or hidden drivers from the original hardware (like old NVIDIA/Intel graphics software or laptop utilities) and uninstall them.
3. Reboot the VM normally to let Windows plug in the generic Hyper-V integration drivers.

Let us know if the three-restart trick successfully forces open the Advanced Startup menu!

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A new problem... I now have a "Disk critical IO errors." See bottom, left on the following screenshot:



Ugh!

Kind regards,

tecknot

Trying to boot into Safe mode got a new error (see below), not enough space:



How can I delete some stuff off of the "disk"? Should I delete the checkpoints?

Kind regards,

tecknot

I'm going to take a break. I'll be back.

Kind regards,

tecknot

Man, you definitely earned that break! Don't sweat it too much though; we are actually getting close—your host computer just completely ran out of breathing room.
Those "Disk critical IO errors" and "checkpoint fail" messages just mean your physical hard drive hit 100% capacity while trying to handle all those sudden hard resets. When your host drive gets packed that tight, Hyper-V panics and automatically freezes the VM to prevent any data from getting corrupted.
Before you try booting it up again, you'll just need to clear out some elbow room on your main computer. Here is the safest way to do that without breaking anything:
First, open up Hyper-V Manager and look at the middle section labeled Checkpoints. Right-click the very top checkpoint in that list and hit Delete Checkpoint Subtree. Just keep an eye on the bottom status bar and wait for it to finish "Merging..." so it safely bakes everything back into your main .vhdx file.
Next, check your host computer's File Explorer. If your main drive bar is still flashing bright red, try emptying your Recycle Bin, clearing out some temp files, or moving some big files over to an external drive until you've got at least 20GB to 30GB of free space.
Once your host drive is back in the blue, right-click the VM and hit Start or Resume, and it should unfreeze. Since the storage crash interrupted our three-reset trick, you can give that power-button sequence one more shot to finally force open that blue Advanced Startup screen.
Enjoy the breather, clear out those stuck checkpoints when you get back, and let us know when the host drive has some room to breathe!

tecknot said:

Trying to boot into Safe mode got a new error (see below), not enough space:

Click to expand...

tecknot said:

I'm going to take a break. I'll be back.

Click to expand...

AmericanPharaoh said:

Man, you definitely earned that break! Don't sweat it too much though; we are actually getting close—your host computer just completely ran out of breathing room.
Those "Disk critical IO errors" and "checkpoint fail" messages just mean your physical hard drive hit 100% capacity while trying to handle all those sudden hard resets. When your host drive gets packed that tight, Hyper-V panics and automatically freezes the VM to prevent any data from getting corrupted.

Click to expand...

AmericanPharaoh is absolutely correct. You just ran out of disk space on the Host machine. When this happens Hyper-V has a 'fail-safe' - it just pauses the VM and waits for you to clean up and make some more free space.

You seem to be in good hands here, so I'll take a back seat and leave you two get on with it......

Hi AmericanPharaoh,

I deleted the Checkpoints as directed. Is there a way to see when the merge is finished? How can I tell?

Kind regards,

tecknot