Unable to Mount local ISO in VM

[Himanshusince19]

Hello Everyone,

I am utilizing VMWARE ESXI 8.0.3 across all hosts, along with vCenter 8.0.3 to manage these ESXI servers and create a cluster. VSAN is implemented for storage, and everything is functioning properly. However, I am encountering some unusual problems; when I copy an ISO file to the local drive of a virtual machine, the VM hangs when I attempt to mount the ISO in the CD/DVD ROM, and it keeps processing indefinitely. I then have to reboot the machine to return it to normal.

I copied that file into the folder and shared it, then accessed it via SMB. When I attempted to mount it, it was successful and functioning well. I'm not certain why I'm unable to mount it using a local file instead of a network share. Any feedback on this.

[Andrea Consalvi]

Hi,

From what you're describing, it sounds like you're trying to mount an ISO from within the guest OS, not from a datastore or vCenter-level mount. In that case, when you try to mount the ISO via the VM's virtual CD/DVD drive, it may hang because ESXi expects ISO mounts to come from a datastore or client-connected device, not from a file inside the guest OS.

When you accessed the ISO via SMB and mounted it from inside the OS, it worked which confirms the issue is not with the ISO itself, but how it's being mounted through the VM hardware.

If you want to mount the ISO using the virtual CD/DVD drive, do it via vSphere Web Client like this:

1. Right-click the VM → Edit Settings

2. Add CD/DVD drive (or edit the existing one)

3. Choose "Datastore ISO file" and browse to upload your ISO to a shared datastore

4. Check "Connect at power on"

This way, the ISO is mounted at the hypervisor level, which avoids guest OS locking up.

If you copy the ISO into the guest OS and try to use it locally, it won't work through the virtual hardware interface, and the VM might hang just like you're seeing.