Fix: Failed to connect pipe to virtual machine: The system cannot find the file specified

The error message “Failed to connect pipe to virtual machine: The system cannot find the file specified” is common when dealing with virtual machines, particularly in environments like Hyper-V or VMware. Here are some troubleshooting steps to help resolve the issue:

1. Restart Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management Service

Sometimes the service managing Hyper-V virtual machines can become unresponsive. Restarting it might solve the problem.

• Press Windows + R, type services.msc, and hit Enter.
• Locate the Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management service.
• Right-click it and select Restart.

2. Reboot the Host Machine

A system reboot can often clear issues related to virtual machines and their file systems. Reboot the host machine and see if the issue persists.

3. Check Virtual Machine Configuration

• Ensure that the virtual machine files (VHDX, snapshots, etc.) exist in the correct directories.
• Verify the configuration in Hyper-V or VMware to make sure the paths to the virtual machine’s hard disk or configuration files are correct.

4. Run Hyper-V with Administrative Privileges

Make sure that you’re running Hyper-V Manager as an administrator.

• Right-click Hyper-V Manager and choose Run as Administrator.

5. Recreate the Virtual Switch

Sometimes, the network configuration may be corrupt. Deleting and recreating the virtual switch might help.

• Open Hyper-V Manager.
• Click on Virtual Switch Manager.
• Delete the existing virtual switch and create a new one.

6. Check File Permissions

The virtual machine files may lack the necessary permissions for access.

• Navigate to the location where the virtual machine files are stored (usually .vhdx or .vmcx files).
• Right-click the folder, go to Properties, then to the Security tab.
• Ensure that your user account and the SYSTEM account have full permissions to access these files.

7. Repair or Reinstall Hyper-V

• Open Turn Windows Features on or off.
• Uncheck Hyper-V and restart the system.
• Re-enable Hyper-V by rechecking it, then reboot the system.

8. Check Event Viewer

You can check the Event Viewer for more detailed logs related to the error.

• Press Windows + R, type eventvwr.msc, and hit Enter.
• Look under Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Hyper-V-VMMS for any errors or warnings related to virtual machines.

9. Check Path Variables

• Verify that the virtual machine path specified in the virtual machine settings is correct and that no files have been moved or deleted.
• Open Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine, and check its settings to ensure that the path for the VM files is correct.

10. Corrupted Virtual Machine Configuration Files

The virtual machine configuration files (.vmcx or .vmrs) may be corrupt. In this case, you can recreate the VM using the existing virtual hard drive (.vhdx):

• Delete the virtual machine, but ensure that you do not delete the virtual hard disk.
• Create a new virtual machine using the existing hard disk file (.vhdx).

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If none of these solutions work, feel free to share more details about your setup or any error logs you see in Event Viewer, and I can provide further guidance.