Purple screen after shutdown, help please

[StaxNet]

Hello all,

I have HP ZBook 15 G6 (6TU92EA) with ESXI 6.7U3. After shutdown ESXI I see "This system has been halted" and then after that, I can see the purple screen. I attached a screenshot and log file. I have this problem only when I turn off the host.

Thank you for your help.

[Scott Vessey]

KB article on the issue, with resolution advice: VMware Knowledge Base

[StaxNet]

Thank you for your answer. I need to collect all information and send to support?

[Scott Vessey]

ESXi isn't designed to run directly on consumer hardware such as a laptop, so whether that would lead to a resolution I don't know.

You might be better with a nested solution, where you run ESXi inside a VM using VMware Workstation.

[StaxNet]

I use laptop with Xeon  :smileyhappy:

Thank you, but isn't my case, I need to use ESXI at these laptops.

I do not have this error on other laptops, there are suggestions that secure boot is to blame.

[Scott Vessey]

But you won't find laptops here: VMware Compatibility Guide - System Search

[daphnissov]

The recommendation, as Scott pointed out, is to not run ESXi on a laptop. That's your problem right there.

[sjesse]

If you "have" to run esxi on a laptop, get vmware workstation and run an esxi vm. Its not

[Darius Davis]

Your host's Embedded Controller (EC) is taking too long to respond or has locked up.  The EC is the system component responsible for many power management and built-in hardware functions.  On a laptop, this could include aspects of the system such as battery charge/discharge/conditioning, thermal and power monitoring, fan speeds, screen/keyboard backlighting, power/sleep buttons, etc.

Check with the hardware vendor for any firmware updates applicable to the system.  It is possible that an update might improve the EC's responsiveness and allow ESXi to shut down the host without triggering a PSOD.  (Perhaps not likely, but possible.)

The Embedded Controller on a laptop (or an all-in-one PC) has many more responsibilities than on a regular desktop or server system, so your laptop's EC might simply be busy handling some part of the shutdown process.  As others have noted elsewhere in this thread, ESXi is not designed for laptops and such systems are not certified as compatible with ESXi.

You can of course work around the problem by letting ESXi shut down to the PSOD screen and then hold the power button down for a few seconds to forcibly power off the laptop.  There is no risk in doing so; The system has already been halted and the last thing ESXi is trying to do is to actually turn off the system power when the PSOD happens.

Thanks,

--

Darius