ESX 2.5.3 hanged while booting up at "VM Kernel"

[Ben Kevan]

On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:12:43 -0800, sunhux G <sunhux at gmail.com> wrote:

> Our VMWare server ESX 2.5.3 self-crashed & failed to boot up.
> It stopped at the point "VM Kernel ..."  while booting up
>
> Is this a hardware or ESX OS fault?
>
> If OS fault, is there any way to copy over a good kernel or
> boot up from single user to recover from it?
>
> We don't have any backup of the ESX, only the Wintel clients
> (ie the VMs are the only ones with backup)
>
> I was told in the past we just need to reinstall ESX but now
> we can't even find the old ESX 2.5.3 media (just shifted office/
> datacentre).  Can we use the ESX 3.5.3 media (but was told
> we don't have the licence)

http://www.vmware.com/download/esx/

I would download vmwre 2.5.5 and install overtop (without formating vmfs volumes). 

Sounds unlikely to be a hardware fault. 

-- 
Ben Kevan
I say never be complete.  I say stop being perfect.  I say let's evolve.  Let the chips fall where they may. - Fight Club