Hyper-V: Avoid pausing a virtual machine

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

This topic is intended to address a specific issue identified by a Best Practices Analyzer scan. You should apply the information in this topic only to computers that have had the Hyper-V Best Practices Analyzer run against them and are experiencing the issue addressed by this topic. For more information about best practices and scans, see Best Practices Analyzer.

Issue

This server has one or more virtual machines in a paused state.

Impact

Depending on the amount of available memory, you might not be able to run additional virtual machines.

Virtual machines in a paused state do not release the memory that is allocated to them. As a result, that memory is not available to start other virtual machines.

Resolution

If this is intentional, no further action is required. Otherwise, consider resuming these virtual machines or shutting them down.

By default, membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. However, an administrator can use Authorization Manager to modify the authorization policy so that a user or group of users can complete this procedure. For more information, see Using Authorization Manager for Hyper-V Security (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=142886).

To resume or shut down a virtual machine

1. Open Hyper-V Manager. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

2. In the results pane, under Virtual Machines, find the paused virtual machine. The state of the virtual machine will be listed as Paused.

3. Right-click the virtual machine and then click Resume. After the virtual machine is running, you can shut it down by right-clicking it and clicking Shut Down.