Brian Cryer

Cry about...
Windows Hyper-V-Server

Hyper-V did not find virtual machines to import from location ... the folder could not be found

When trying to import a virtual machine using the "Import Virtual Machine..." function of Hyper-V manager, the following error is encountered:

Hyper-V did not find virtual machines to import from location 'C:\Some\Folder'.

The folder 'C:\Some\Folder' could not be found.

Where C:\Some\Folder in the above is the folder that you are trying to import from.

The Cause

This is because Microsoft made changes to the export format of their virtual machines. In Windows Server 2008 the configuration settings for an exported virtual machine were exported as a .exp file, whereas Windows 2012 and Windows 8 instead expect .xml file.

You can read more about this here: hhttp://blogs.technet.com/b/rmilne/archive/2013/10/22/windows-hyper-v-2012-amp-8-1-hyper-v-did-not-find-virtual-machine-to-import.aspx.

The Solution

There are a few ways forward:

  • If you have access to the original host then find and copy the Virtual Machine .xml file to the local folder that contains the .exp file. (The names will be the same other than the .xml or .exp file extension.) Delete the .exp file and then try the import again, except this time select the next folder down - the one that contains the "Virtual Hard Disks" and "Virtual Machines" folder.
  • Abandon the import and go the "Shutdown and copy" route.
  • Abandon the import and instead create a new virtual machine, using the exported virtual hard drive(s) but recreating the configuration settings by hand.

About the author: is a dedicated software developer and webmaster. For his day job he develops websites and desktop applications as well as providing IT services. He moonlights as a technical author and consultant.