ESXi Boot Error : Fatal error: 8 (Device error)

While working on one of the ESXi Host I for the Below Boot Error after I have booted rebooted the ESXi Host: Fatal error: 8 (Device error).

ESXi Boot Error : Fatal error: 8 (Device error)

I got the Error Post Loading /S.v00. You might get a similar error while loading any other file like below:

Error loading /xorg.v00
Compressed MD5: d04cc03dd29bbe3fe547e9566f79674c
Decompressed MD5: 00000000000000000000000000000000
Fatal error: 8 (Device error).

So there are few reasons why you are getting this error. Generally, this issue happens when the ESXi Server is not able to load certain files into the Memory from the Hard Disk and this is caused by either the issues at the Device Level or there is some corruption at the Filesystem Level.

So Let’s take the scenarios in which you might see this error:

Scenario 1: Upgrading ESXi Host to another Version:

If you are facing this issue while doing the upgrade, it means that there could be some issues with the installation media which has corrupted the files on the Host Layer or there might be some corruption at the disk level.

In this scenario I will recommend you to rollback the Upgrade process using the steps below:

Steps to Rollback:
  • In the console screen of the ESXi host, press Ctrl+Alt+F2 to see the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) screen.
  • Press F12 to view the shutdown options for the ESXi host.
  • Press F11 to reboot.
  • When the Hypervisor progress bar starts loading, press Shift+R. You will see the warning:
The current hypervisor will permanently be replaced with build: X.X.X-XXXXXX. Are you sure? [y/n]
  • Press Y to roll back the build.
  • Press Enter to boot.

 

While doing the Upgrade always think of the below issues as it can be the reason for your new installation not booting up as well as the upgraded system:

  • Hardware that is not listed in the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide
  • A corrupt ESXi 5.x installation file supplied by a vendor.
  • A vendor-provided USB drive or CD/DVD media that is faulty
  • The boot device, such as a USB Flash Drive or SD Flash Card, that is being installed on is corrupt or faulty

 

Scenario 2: ESXi Reboot:

Let’s say that You have just rebooted the ESXi Host and now it’s not able to boot up. The first thing is don’t think that the server was running just fine and how suddenly it has gone corrupt as the ESXi Host runs from the Memory and Once you reboot you will need the Hard drive to copy the modules back to Memory. So if you have Not booted you Server from Last 200 Days, there are chances that it might not come up.

So in this scenario, you will have to understand, how the ESXi is Booting Up.

 
SD Card: 

If ESXi is booting up from the SD Card you can try to Turn-Off the ESXi Host and Take out the SD Card. Give it some time and try to Plug it Back up.

If it is still not booting up then it could be an issue with the SD card or there is come corruption at the File System Level and you will have to rebuild your ESXi Host.

 
Local Hard Disk:

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options left for these people as it could be either some issues with the Hard Disk, Raid or Local Volume Issue from the Server or it could be an issue with the File System Level Corruption.

In this scenario, you will have to rebuild the Operating system from scratch.

Ashutosh Dixit

I am currently working as a Senior Technical Support Engineer with VMware Premier Services for Telco. Before this, I worked as a Technical Lead with Microsoft Enterprise Platform Support for Production and Premier Support. I am an expert in High-Availability, Deployments, and VMware Core technology along with Tanzu and Horizon.

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