Virtual Device Serial0 Will Start Disconnected Fixed Direct

Expand the properties to view the Connection Type .

Right-click the VM in your VMware library and select . Go to the Hardware tab.

Ensure the box is checked only if the target file or pipe is configured correctly. Click OK to commit the settings. Fixing the Error via the .VMX Configuration File

If the "Printer" device doesn't show up in your settings or you are using VMware Fusion, you can manually edit the configuration file: Close VMware and find your VM's .vmx file on your computer. virtual device serial0 will start disconnected

Thus, when the message "virtual device serial0 will start disconnected" appears, the router's operating system (Cisco IOS) is announcing that it has created a virtual instance of a serial interface, but this interface will initially be in an administratively "down" state. The "disconnected" label simply means the port is not active and cannot forward data until it is manually enabled. This behavior is not a fault; it is a deliberate safety feature.

Serial logging is a lifesaver when diagnosing early boot failures. vSphere supports a Virtual Serial Port Concentrator (vSPC) that allows a VM to log directly to a serial console server, just like a physical server. When capturing ESXi PSOD (purple screen of death) information, configuring a virtual serial port to output to a file on a datastore ensures that crash logs are not lost even when the guest cannot write to its own disk. In such setups, the "will start disconnected" message often indicates that the log file could not be opened; the solution is to verify write permissions on the datastore and ensure the serial port is configured to rather than replace the file.

You will typically encounter this message in three specific environments: Expand the properties to view the Connection Type

: If your VM was created in an older version, it still has "Printer" enabled in its settings, but the hypervisor no longer knows how to connect it. How to fix it Option 1: The Easy Way (Settings Menu) Power off the virtual machine. Virtual Machine Settings (or right-click the VM > Settings). Select the device from the hardware list.

Manually edit the .vmx file to point to the correct host port by changing the serial0.fileName to the specific port name, such as COM3 on Windows or /dev/tty.USA19H3d2P1.1 on Mac.

Wait— administratively down ? That is different. The "start disconnected" message leads to down/down (hardware down), not admin down . Ensure the box is checked only if the

A (COM port) is a legacy communication interface. While rarely used today for modern peripherals, they are essential for: Debugging operating systems (serial consoles). Communicating with networking hardware (switches/routers). Legacy application support.

Used for debugging between two VMs. Ensure the pipe name is consistent. Summary Checklist Potential Cause Virtual Printer Active Disable "Virtual Printing" in Edit > Preferences. Unused Serial Port Remove Serial Port in VM Settings. Serial Port Enabled, No Resource Uncheck "Connect at power on" in Serial Port settings.

If you want to disable the feature globally to prevent this on other VMs: Go to > Preferences . Navigate to the Devices tab. Uncheck the box for "Enable virtual printers" . Option 3: Manual Edit (Advanced)