You receive an error message when you try to add a Virtual PC 2004 virtual hard disk to a virtual machine in Virtual Server 2005 (841145)

SYMPTOMS

When you try to use a virtual hard disk from a Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 virtual machine in Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, you receive the following error message:

The hard drive settings could not be saved. The virtual hard disk file "drive letter:\new hard disk name.vhd" could not be found.

You receive this error message even if the virtual hard disk appears in the Known virtual hard disks list. Additionally, the following event is logged in the Virtual Server log on the physical computer that is running Virtual Server 2005:Event Source: Virtual Server
Event Category: Virtual Server
Event ID: 1112
Date: date
Time: time
Type: Error
User: user name
Computer: computer name
Description: Virtual Server does not support accessing split virtual disk images.

CAUSE

This issue occurs if you try to use a virtual hard disk that has been split into multiple files by Virtual PC 2004. If the following conditions are true in Virtual PC 2004, Virtual PC 2004 creates an additional file for the virtual hard disk:

You create a virtual hard disk on a physical hard disk that is formatted with the FAT 32 file system.
The virtual hard disk exceeds 4 gigabytes (GB).

Virtual Server 2005 does not support these split virtual hard disk files. Because Virtual Server 2005 stores virtual hard disks on an NTFS file system, Virtual Server 2005 does not create multiple files for a virtual hard disk.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, convert the split virtual hard disk files into a single fixed-size virtual hard disk file by using Virtual PC 2004, and then use the single virtual hard disk file in Virtual Server 2005. To merge the split virtual hard disk files, follow these steps:

Start Virtual PC 2004.
On the File menu, click Virtual Disk Wizard.
Click Next, click Edit an existing virtual disk, and then click Next.
In the Name and location box, type the full path of the split virtual hard disk. For example, type d:\New Hard Disk.vhd.
Click Next, click Convert it to a fixed-size virtual hard disk, and then click Next.
Click Saving the file as, click Browse, locate an NTFS volume, type a name for the new fixed-size virtual hard disk in the File name box, and then click Save.

Note You must create the new fixed-size virtual hard disk on an NTFS volume so that the new virtual hard disk is created as a single file.
Click Next, and then click Finish. The split virtual hard disk is converted to a fixed-size virtual hard disk.
When you receive the following message, click Close:The virtual hard disk was converted successfully.
Quit Virtual PC 2004, and then add this newly converted virtual hard disk to your virtual machine in Virtual Server 2005. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Start the Virtual Server Administration Website tool. To do this, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Microsoft Virtual Server, and then click Virtual Server Administration Website.
2. If you are prompted for your credentials, type them, and then log on to the Virtual Server administration Web site.
3. Under Virtual Machines, point to Configure, and then click the virtual machine that you want to add the virtual hard disk to.
4. Click Hard disks, and then click Add disk.
5. In the Attachment list, click the hard disk controller that you want the virtual hard disk bound to.
6. In the Fully qualified path to file box, type the path of the new fixed-size virtual hard disk that you created. For example, type x:\newfixedsizedisk.vhd.
7. Click OK.

MORE INFORMATION

This issue also occurs if you try to examine a split virtual hard disk 1in Virtual Server 2005. In this scenario, if you click Inspect after you type the path of the split virtual hard disk in the Fully qualified path to file box or after you click the split virtual hard disk in the Known virtual hard disks list, you receive the following error message:

An error occurred while attempting to access the virtual hard disk. The file "drive letter:\new hard disk name.vhd" does not exist.