Symptoms
Cannot power on a virtual machinePowering on the virtual machine failsYou see an error similar to: Cannot open the configuration file /vmfs/volumes/vmname.vmx. File "/vmfs/volumes/vmname.vmx" line 1: Syntax error.
Cause
This issue occurs if the virtual machine configuration files, such as .vmsd and .vmx, are corrupted. The configuration files may be corrupted if one of the following had occurred:
The configuration files were modified manually.A third-party software incorrectly modified the configuration filesThe ESXi host had lost connectivity to the underlying file system or storage device when the configuration files were being modified.
Resolution
To understand the cause of this issue, open a support request with VMware Support and provide the vm-support bundles and also the virtual machine configuration files that are corrupted.
For more information, see Filing a Support Request in Customer Connect (2006985) or How to Submit a Support Request.
If you have a backup of the virtual machine configuration files, you can work around this issue by using the backed up configuration files.
If you do not have a backup of the configuration files, you must recreate them. Before you recreate them, consult with VMware Support.
For steps to recreate the .vmx file, see A virtual machine does not power on and displays in VMware Infrastructure Client as Invalid (1005058).
Related Information
A virtual machine does not power on and displays in VMware Infrastructure Client as Invalid仮想マシンの起動が次のエラーで失敗する： File "/vmfs/volumes/vmname.vmx" line 1: Syntax error
