Starting a virtual machine via the vSphere Client/Virtual Infrastructure Client connected to vCenter Server/VirtualCenter

1. Connect to your vCenter Server/VirtualCenter using the vSphere Client/ Virtual Infrastructure Client.
2. Select the virtual machine you want to power on from inventory.
3. Right-click on the virtual machine name and click Power On.
4. Or alternatively select the virtual machine's Summary tab and click Power On.
   
   This graphic shows the options available in the virtual machine's Summary tab.
   
   

Starting a virtual machine via the vSphere Client/Virtual Infrastructure Client connected directly to an ESX/ESXi host

1. Connect to your ESX/ESXi host using the vSphere Client /Virtual Infrastructure Client.
2. Select the virtual machine you want to power on from inventory.
3. Right-click on the virtual machine and click Power On.
4. Or alternatively select the virtual machine's Summary tab and click Power On
   
   The following graphic shows the options available in the virtual machine's Summary tab.
   
   
   
   Note: There are not as many options when connecting to an ESX/ESXi host as there are when connecting to a vCenter Server/VirtualCenter.

Note: If you were unable to start the virtual machine from vCenter Server/VirtualCenter but were successful from an ESXi/ESX host, your vCenter Server server service may need to be restarted, see Stopping, starting or restarting the vCenter Server service (1003895) .

Starting a virtual machine via the command line of an ESX/ESXi host

1. Log into the VMware ESX/ESXi host as the root user.
   • For more information on VMware ESX Service Console, see Unable to connect to an ESX host using Secure Shell (SSH) (1003807).
   • For more information on VMware ESXi Technical Support Mode, see Tech Support Mode for Emergency Support (1003677).
   • For more information on VMware ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.x Technical Support Mode, see Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.x (1017910)
   • To list all running virtual machines and their corresponding VMIDs, run the command:
     #vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms
     Example:
     Vmid    Name                File                                                       Guest OS    Version   Annotation
     2         VMName   [DatastoreName] VMName/VMName.vmx   otherGuest   vmx-9
     
      
2. Power on the virtual machine using the VMID found in the previous "vim-cmd vmsvc/getallvms" command output and run:
   #vim-cmd vmsvc/power.on VMID
   Example:
   #vim-cmd vmsvc/power.on 2

• Gather the VMware Support Script Data. For more information, see Collecting Diagnostic Information in a VMware Virtual Infrastructure Environment (1003689) .
• File a support request with VMware Support and note this KB Article ID in the problem description. For more information, see How to Submit a Support Request .