If you see this:
‘VMName’ failed to initialize.
Could not initialize machine remoting system. Error: ‘Unspecified error’ (0x80004005).
Could not find a usable certificate. Error: ‘Unspecified error’ (0x80004005).
Then this could be your answer:
Symptoms and resolution:
§ You may be unable to start or connect to virtual machines running on Windows Server 2008 or Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008. This occurs when connecting using vmconnect. Connections made using remote desktop won’t be affected.
§ KB Article 967902 has been created that details the symptoms and resolution. This KB article provides a direct link to download the quickfix to resolve this error.
Important Notes:
§ Though this error may occur, the Hyper-V service will continue to operate. Neither the Hyper-V host nor the running virtual machines will go offline.
§ It is not expected that this issue can be exploited for malicious purposes.
§ Customers running Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V beta won’t experience this error.
That last line it my favorite…
I guess we should be running the beta in production… and what’s with the ‘Unspecified error’?
Windows Server Division WebLog : Hyper-V certificate expiration and resolution
Michael would also like to point out that Patrick found the answer to this issue for him.
You’re welcome.
This statement isn’t true:
Customers running Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V beta won’t experience this error.
I just received this error, and the fix… reboot the host!
The update fix is not designed for R2 and wont install.
The fix was applicable to 2008, not R2. I would hope that at this point, you aren’t running the beta for R2. If you aren’t then you still haven’t proven the statement untrue.
In any case, I was quoting, not making a statement of my own, and I don’t see where there is a suggestion that this should be applied to 2008 R2. I am glad that you were able to fix your problem by rebooting, but often this isn’t a ready option when you are running production systems.