The virtual machine is in a failed state

Question

The virtual machine is in a failed state

shijin zen 40

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OS Provisioning for VM '****' did not finish in the allotted time. This error occurred too many times consecutively from image 'ifca-image'. Make sure the image has been properly prepared (generalized).

Instructions for Windows: https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/azure/virtual-machines/windows/prepare-for-upload-vhd-image
Instructions for Linux: https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/azure/virtual-machines/linux/create-upload-generic

Deleting and recreating the virtual machine may resolve the issue.

Manish Deshpande 1,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-03T00:50:44.4333333+00:00
Hello @shijin zen

Thank you for contacting us about the VM issue.

Is the VM running Linux or Windows?

Was the source VM generalized before capturing it (using Sysprep for Windows or waagent -deprovision+user for Linux)?

Is the Azure VM Agent installed and functioning properly?

Are there any custom extensions that might prevent provisioning?

Is Boot Diagnostics enabled and linked to a valid storage account?

Are you deploying several VMs at once, and is the image stored in Shared Image Gallery or as a managed image?

Are you seeing any error messages?

Thanks,
Manish Deshpande
Jilakara Hemalatha 6,130 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-04T06:27:55.1933333+00:00
Hello @shijin zen

Thanks for reaching out to Q/A regarding OS Provisioning issue.

Why do provisioning failures occur?

Commonly, provisioning failures can happen for multiple reasons, such as:

Missing provisioning /incorrectly configured agent

You will need to ensure an agent is present and is working correctly, you should be using cloud-init or if your image will not support this, you can review these steps.

Incorrect image configuration

We have guidance on how images should be set up with cloud-init and other Azure image requirements, please check this.

To resolve the issue. Could you please follow below steps:

1.Ensure the Image is Generalized Correctly:

Check the generalization process: Windows VMs: Run Sysprep inside the VM before capture:

C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\Sysprep.exe /generalize /shutdown /oobe

Linux VMs: Run the following command, and then shut down the VM:

sudo waagent -deprovision+user -force

After generalization and shutdown, you can create a managed image from the VM using the Azure portal or CLI.

Reference: https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/capture-image-resource

https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/linux/create-upload-generic

2.Ensure the Azure VM Agent is installed and updated before generalization, as provisioning depends on it.

3.Delete and Recreate the VM

After confirming the image is correctly generalized:

Delete the failed VM.

Recreate the VM using the corrected image.

If the VM is stuck in a failed state:

Try Redeploy from the Azure portal.

If redeploy doesn’t work, delete and recreate the VM using a properly generalized image.

This document talks in detail about the OS Provisioning errors and troubleshooting: https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/troubleshoot-deployment-new-vm-linux#provisioning-troubleshooting

This document has the error causes mentioned.

Recovery options:

If you have a snapshot, backup, or OS disk before generalization, → create a new VM from that disk.

If the VM was generalized and deleted without backup → unfortunately it is not possible to recover; you'll need to redeploy a new VM.

Reference: https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/pt-br/azure/virtual-machines/generalize

Similar threads for reference:

https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/en-us/answers/questions/989694/error-code-osprovisioningtimedout

https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/en-us/answers/questions/26865/unable-to-create-vm-from-an-image

https://v4.hkg1.meaqua.org/en-us/answers/questions/989694/error-code-osprovisioningtimedout

Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any queries. If issue still persists, could you please check the private message and provide necessary details.
Manish Deshpande 1,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-05T20:07:16.73+00:00

Hello @shijin zen

I wanted to check if the last response made sense. I’d be glad to assist further or explain anything in more detail and please accept as Yes and upvote if the answer is helpful so that it can help others in the community.
Manish Deshpande 1,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-08T16:00:31.8966667+00:00

Hello @shijin zen

I wanted to check if the last response made sense. I’d be glad to assist further or explain anything in more detail and please accept as Yes and upvote if the answer is helpful so that it can help others in the community.
shijin zen 40 Reputation points

2025-12-11T03:02:14.1233333+00:00

Hey Manish,

The VM with error above has been created from source VM. Someone else created the source VM. I am not sure if it's generalized before capturing. Is there a way to tell? it's Windows VM. And this VM has a lot of apps running. Please advise how to fix the issue without being recreated.
Manish Deshpande 1,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-11T21:59:16.4333333+00:00
Hello @shijin zen

Thanks for sharing the error details. I reviewed the logs and the behavior of the VM, and here’s what’s actually happening behind the scenes.

Your virtual machine ended up in a “Failed” provisioning state because the OS provisioning process couldn’t complete in the time Azure allocates for that stage. In simple terms, the VM tried multiple times to set up the operating system from the image you provided, but something inside that image is blocking initialization. Azure stops the process when it sees repeated failures and marks the VM as failed.

If the image hasn’t been generalized (or the generalization wasn’t done cleanly), the provisioning agent inside the VM can’t complete its initial setup. That’s exactly when you see this type of failure.

This isn’t unusual it can happen with custom images when:

Sysprep (for Windows) didn’t fully complete

The image was captured before sysprep finished

A specialized image was mistakenly used where a generalized one is required

Some services inside the OS never started, so the VM agent couldn’t finish provisioning

The image was captured from a running VM without clearing user data

Reprepare the Source VM :

If it’s Windows:

Log in to the source VM

Run sysprep

Choose OOBE and check Generalize

Shut down the VM (don’t restart)

Then capture the image again

If it’s Linux: Then Run

sudo waagent -deprovision+user

**Recreate the VM from the newly prepared image
**Once the image is properly generalized, redeploying a VM from that image should complete the provisioning without any timeout or failed-state issues.

Workaround : Sometimes simply deleting and recreating the VM from the same image works

The VM isn’t failing because of Azure it’s failing because the image it was created from wasn’t fully prepared. Once the image is properly generalized and recaptured, creating a VM from it will work normally. This is a common situation, especially when working with custom images.

Thanks,
Manish Deshpande.

1 answer

Your answer

Manish Deshpande 1,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-03T00:50:44.4333333+00:00

Hello @shijin zen

Thank you for contacting us about the VM issue.

Is the VM running Linux or Windows?

Was the source VM generalized before capturing it (using Sysprep for Windows or waagent -deprovision+user for Linux)?

Is the Azure VM Agent installed and functioning properly?

Are there any custom extensions that might prevent provisioning?

Is Boot Diagnostics enabled and linked to a valid storage account?

Are you deploying several VMs at once, and is the image stored in Shared Image Gallery or as a managed image?

Are you seeing any error messages?

Thanks,
Manish Deshpande
Manish Deshpande 1,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-05T20:07:16.73+00:00

Hello @shijin zen

I wanted to check if the last response made sense. I’d be glad to assist further or explain anything in more detail and please accept as Yes and upvote if the answer is helpful so that it can help others in the community.
Manish Deshpande 1,330 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-08T16:00:31.8966667+00:00

Hello @shijin zen

I wanted to check if the last response made sense. I’d be glad to assist further or explain anything in more detail and please accept as Yes and upvote if the answer is helpful so that it can help others in the community.
shijin zen 40 Reputation points

2025-12-11T03:02:14.1233333+00:00

Hey Manish,

The VM with error above has been created from source VM. Someone else created the source VM. I am not sure if it's generalized before capturing. Is there a way to tell? it's Windows VM. And this VM has a lot of apps running. Please advise how to fix the issue without being recreated.

Answer 1

The error message indicates that the OS provisioning for the virtual machine 'new-CA-vm' did not finish in the allotted time, which suggests that there may be an issue with the image 'ifca-image'. To resolve this, ensure that the image has been properly prepared (generalized) before attempting to deploy the VM. You can refer to the instructions for preparing images for both Windows and Linux VMs:

For Windows: Make sure to follow the guidelines for preparing the VHD image for upload.
For Linux: Ensure that the image is created and uploaded correctly according to the specified instructions.

If the issue persists, deleting and recreating the virtual machine might help resolve the problem.

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The virtual machine is in a failed state

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