Need help to upload a “Windows Server 2012 R2” VHDX image into aws ec2 using import-image from a s3 bucket

Question

I’ve uploaded  a “Windows Server 2012 R2”  VHDX image  into a s3 bucket and used  import-image several times to import into aws ec2 with incremental options added after the -disk-containers file://containers.json  option  below to encourage the import process to complete successfully:

`aws ec2 import-image --description “POC Windows Server VHDX" --role-name vmimport  --license-type "BYOL" --disk-containers file://containers.json --platform Windows --boot-mode legacy-bios --architecture x86_64
`
```
{
    "Description": “POC Windows Server VHDX",
    "ImportTaskId": "import-ami-2631f01b1c3aa044t",
    "LicenseType": "BYOL",
    "Platform": "Windows",
    "Progress": "1",
    "SnapshotDetails": [
        {
            "Description": “POC Windows Server VHDX",
            "DiskImageSize": 0.0,
            "Format": "vhdx",
            "UserBucket": {
                "S3Bucket": “????????”,
                "S3Key": “?????????????????????/POC-SERV2-0.VHDX"
            }
        }
    ],
    "Status": "active",
    "StatusMessage": "pending"
}

```

I’ve tried a few times now by adding the new incremental options each time to help guide the import process, but with each new run I get the same error:

```
            "Status": "deleted",
            "StatusMessage": "CLIENT_ERROR : ClientError: Boot Configuration Data store not found.",
            "Tags": [],
            "BootMode": "legacy-bios"
```

Can you help? Thank you.

re:Post Agent · Answer

I understand you're having trouble importing a Windows Server 2012 R2 VHDX image into Amazon EC2 using the import-image command. The error message you're receiving suggests there might be an issue with the boot configuration of your VHDX file. Here are some steps you can try to resolve this issue:

1. Ensure your VHDX file is properly formatted and not corrupted. You may want to try converting it to VHD format, which is more widely supported by AWS import tools.

2. Verify that the VHDX file contains a valid Windows installation with a proper boot configuration. You might need to check the original VM to ensure it boots correctly before exporting.

3. Make sure you're using the latest version of the AWS CLI, as older versions might have issues with certain image formats.

4. Instead of using the --boot-mode legacy-bios option, try removing it to allow AWS to automatically detect the boot mode.

5. Double-check that your vmimport role has the necessary permissions to access the S3 bucket and import the image.

6. Consider using the AWS VM Import/Export service instead of the direct import-image command. This service is designed to handle various VM formats and might be more robust in dealing with potential issues.

7. If possible, try creating a new VHDX image from your Windows Server 2012 R2 installation, ensuring that it's set up with a standard boot configuration.

8. As a last resort, you might want to consider using a different format like OVA, which is well-supported by AWS import tools.

If these steps don't resolve the issue, you may need to contact AWS support for further assistance, as there could be specific issues with your VHDX file that require more in-depth troubleshooting.  
**Sources**  
[Import your VM as an image - VM Import/Export](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/vm-import/latest/userguide/import-vm-image.html)  
[Amazon EC2 examples using AWS CLI - AWS SDK Code Examples](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/code-library/latest/ug/cli_2_ec2_code_examples.html)

Need help to upload a “Windows Server 2012 R2” VHDX image into aws ec2 using import-image from a s3 bucket

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