Problem
You attempt to start a VMware vSphere virtual machine but notice that the Windows operating system fails to boot:
Windows Boot Manager
Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
Choose your language settings, and then click “Next.”
Click “Repair your computer.”
If you do not have this disc, contract your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.
Info: There isn’t enough memory available to create a ramdisk device.
Status: 0xc0000017
Solution
I’ve received numerous calls in the past 2 years about this error and found that this is usually caused by an incorrect memory configuration in the virtual machine settings where the value is too low for the Windows operating system (Windows Server 2016 in this case) to start. The settings window presented to an administrator in vSphere 6.5 tends to use MB for the Memory value and therefore causes situations where an administrator would inadvertently put in a value assuming it was GB. Below is an example of a VM inadvertently configured with 64MB of memory instead of the intended 64GB:
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Something similar just happened to me. I increased the RAM using an old Vsphere client on a Win 10 Pro machine from 4GB to 12GB and for some reason it messed up the RAM setting on the VM so it was 41mb of RAM and the machine wouldn't boot. I logged into the vsphere client (hostname/ui) and reset the RAM there and the machine appears to be booting fine now. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!