Windows – Virtual PC: Cannot restore machine from hibernate

hibernatemicrosoft-virtual-pcwindows 7

I have two virtual machines set up from Virtual PC on Windows 7 Professional: Windows XP Mode and Xubuntu. Last time I used them (last month or so), I had closed them by hibernating.

Evidently, I have meanwhile downloaded a Windows Update affecting VPC and now receive the following error in restoring either of them from hibernation:

'Xubuntu' could not be restored
because of either host processor type
mismatch or lack of hardware-assisted
virtualization support in the system.

I've been through the virtual machine's settings, and there's nowhere an option to simply reboot it. (Virtualization is not the problem, as I can create a new virtual machine without any problems.)

Any ideas?

Best Answer

I managed to find a solution: deleting the hibernation state file. This is similar to deleting hiberfil.sys when your computer won't return, although there is a Windows boot option to do this (press F8 during boot).

Here's how to do it for a Virtual PC virtual machine:

  1. Navigate to the location of the virtual machine's settings file (.vmc file). In my case, it was in the same location as the virtual hard disk, under:

    C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Virtual PC\Virtual Machines\

  2. If your machine had been hibernated last time you closed it, you will see a fairly sizable "Virtual Machine Saved State" file (.vsv). By deleting this file, you will delete the hibernation data, and the machine will boot normally.

    Virtual Machine saved state file

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