Virtual Device Serial0 Will Start Disconnected ((install)) < PREMIUM – Breakdown >
You likely accidentally added a Serial Port during the setup wizard.
the serial port for a project (like Arduino or industrial hardware): Check Host Drivers: Ensure your host machine recognizes the device in Device Manager (Windows) or ls /dev/tty* Update Connection Mapping:
: When connecting two routers via their serial interfaces, ensure you have selected the correct cable type. Use the "Manual" cable connection and pick a "Serial DCE" cable for the device that will provide clocking.
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. virtual device serial0 will start disconnected
If you aren't using it, simply uncheck to hide the warning while keeping the device in your configuration.
The message is a configuration notification rather than a critical error. It implies the VM cannot find the backend resource for the serial port. Most users can ignore it or disable the port in settings. If you require the port, reconfiguring the mapping to a valid file, pipe, or physical port will eliminate the warning. For more in-depth troubleshooting, I can:
If you do not explicitly use virtual printing, removing the legacy device is the cleanest fix. the virtual machine completely. Open Edit Virtual Machine Settings . You likely accidentally added a Serial Port during
Open the .vmx file using a plain text editor (like Notepad or Vi). Locate the lines beginning with serial0 . Change the connection status string to false: serial0.present = "TRUE" serial0.startConnected = "FALSE" Use code with caution.
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.
I can provide specific instructions to configure your advanced serial routing properly. Share public link A (COM port) is a legacy communication interface
: Similar errors can happen with network cards (Ethernet0) if there is a vLAN name case mismatch (e.g., "VLAN1" vs "Vlan1") or a race condition during a vMotion migration.
is set to "thinprint" incorrectly. You can often resolve this by following the VMware Knowledge Base Article 95329 or manually editing the file to ensure serial0.present = "FALSE" if you don't need the port [ For VMware ESXi/vSphere Users: Check Licensing:
you aren’t alone. While it sounds like a critical hardware failure, it is usually just a configuration "ghost" left behind by old software or missing physical ports. What Does This Error Actually Mean?