Open Software Solutions

On a Windows Server 2008-based computer that has the Hyper-V role installed, or on a Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008-based computer, you may experience one of the following issues:

• When you try to connect to a virtual machine, you receive the following error message:
  Cannot connect to the virtual machine because the authentication certificate is expired or invalid. Would you like to try connecting again?
• When you start a virtual machine, you receive the following error message:
  ‘VMName’ failed to initialize.
  Could not initialize machine remoting system. Error: ‘Unspecified error’ (0×80004005).
  Could not find a usable certificate. Error: ‘Unspecified error’ (0×80004005).

This issue occurs because the Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management service (VMMS) certificate has expired.

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a Hotfix download available section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Note The Hotfix download available form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

Before you apply this update, the release version of Hyper-V must be installed. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2008 notes

The .manifest files and the .mum files that are installed in each environment are listed separately in the Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 section. These files and their associated .cat (security catalog) files are critical to maintaining the state of the updated component. The .cat files are signed with a Microsoft digital signature. The attributes of these security files are not listed.

For all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008

After you install this hotfix, the Hyper-V VMMS certificate can be renewed automatically when it is expired.

To work around this issue, you can generate a new certificate. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Shut down or save all virtual machines.
2. Restart the Hyper-V VMMS.
3. Start the virtual machines.

Note Because the Hyper-V VMMS certificate is valid for one year, the hotfix has to be applied to prevent this issue from occurring in the future.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the Applies to section.

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: –

Additional file information for Windows Server 2008

Additional files for all supported x64-based versions of Windows Server 2008