Unable to start VM that was offline for 2 weeks

The error you're encountering indicates that the requested VM size, Standard_A2, is not available in the current region where your Azure Virtual Machine is hosted. This can happen for several reasons, including resource availability in the cluster or region, or quota limits.

To resolve this issue, you can try the following steps:

1. Retry with a Different VM Size: Since Standard_A2 is not available, you can attempt to start the VM using one of the available sizes listed in your error message, such as Standard_L8as_v3, Standard_D2a_v4, etc.
2. Check Quota Limits: Ensure that you are not hitting any quota limits for your subscription in that region. You can check your quota usage and request a quota increase if necessary.
3. Create a New VM: If the VM size cannot be changed, consider creating a new VM with an available size in the same region and then migrate your workloads if needed.
4. Try Again Later: Sometimes, resource availability can change. If possible, wait and try to start the VM again later.

If you continue to face issues, reaching out to Azure support may be necessary, although you mentioned it's harder to do so now.

References:

• Troubleshoot deployment issues with restarting or resizing an existing Windows VM in Azure
• Azure Windows VM deployment top issues

Hi @Administrator ,

the reason behind the error message might be Microsoft retired the Standard_A VM series in their Azure regions.

On August 31, 2024, we retire Basic and Standard A-series virtual machines (VMs). Before that date, migrate your workloads to Av2-series VMs, which provide more memory per vCPU and faster storage on solid-state drives (SSDs).

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/sizes/retirement/av1-series-retirement

But you can change the VM SKU of your Azure VM to the Av2 series: Migrate workloads to Av2-series VMs

More details of the Av2 VM Series you can find here: Av2 sizes series

You can check the availability of the Av2 VM series for your used Azure region here: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/explore/global-infrastructure/products-by-region/table

Search for "av2" on the webpage.

(If the reply was helpful please don't forget to upvote and/or accept as answer, thank you)

Regards

Andreas Baumgarten

Hello

The virtual machine is failing to start because it is configured with Standard_A2, which is a legacy VM size that is no longer available in the current Azure region.

Since the VM was stopped (deallocated) for an extended period, Azure did not reserve capacity for this SKU. When a VM is deallocated, Azure does not guarantee that the same VM size will remain available upon restart. As a result, during the start operation Azure performs a capacity check and fails because the requested VM size is no longer offered in the region.

Recommended Resolution

Resize the VM to a supported and modern equivalent size (for example, Standard_D2as_v4) and then start the VM.

• This approach is fully supported and aligns with Azure best practices for long-term reliability and availability.
• Review Azure Service Health to confirm there are no ongoing capacity or regional service issues.

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