Microsoft Azure VMs: troubleshooting access, boot and capacity problems
For admins and technicians who support Windows virtual machines in Azure. Work through the problems Microsoft's troubleshooting articles document most: Remote Desktop that won't connect, a guest that won't boot or can't be reached over the network, and platform issues such as allocation failures, redeploys and confusing power states. Learn what to check first, which built-in tool fits (IP flow verify, effective security rules, reset password or RDP configuration, boot diagnostics, Serial Console, Run Command, offline disk repair, Resource Health, redeploy) and the side effects of each fix. Concepts and vocabulary come from Microsoft Learn; menus move, so confirm in current documentation and follow your change process.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Length
- About 50 minutes
- Contents
- 3 lessons · 1 video · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 2 Oct 2026
- Microsoft Azure
Skills you'll practise
- Follow Microsoft's ordered checklist for a Windows VM that refuses Remote Desktop, retrying the connection after each step
- Use IP flow verify and effective security rules to find which network security group rule blocks traffic, including rules on the subnet
- Choose between boot diagnostics, Serial Console, Run Command and offline OS disk repair for a guest that can't be reached
- Explain what redeploy, resize and deallocate change (temporary disk, dynamic IPs, restarts) before running them
- Interpret VM power states and Resource Health statuses, including which stopped state is still billed for compute
- Apply Microsoft's workarounds for AllocationFailed errors, including VMs in an availability set
Course outline
- 1.Azure VMs: troubleshooting access, boot and capacityVideo · 2 min
- 2.Remote Desktop won't connect: Microsoft's checklistLesson · 17 min
- 3.When the guest is broken: boot diagnostics, Serial Console, Run Command and offline repairLesson · 17 min
- 4.Platform problems: Resource Health, redeploy, power states and allocation failuresLesson · 16 min
- 5.Microsoft Azure VMs: troubleshooting access, boot and capacity problems: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 16 questions
- 6.Final exam12 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Microsoft Learn: Troubleshoot Remote Desktop connections to an Azure virtual machine
- Microsoft Learn: How to connect using Remote Desktop and sign on to an Azure virtual machine running Windows
- Microsoft Learn: IP flow verify overview (Azure Network Watcher)
- Microsoft Learn: Effective security rules overview (Azure Network Watcher)
- Microsoft Learn: How network security groups filter network traffic
- Microsoft Learn: VMAccess Extension for Windows
- Microsoft Learn: How to reset network interface for Azure Windows VM
- Microsoft Learn: How to use boot diagnostics to troubleshoot virtual machines in Azure
- Microsoft Learn: Azure Serial Console for Windows
- Microsoft Learn: Run scripts in your Windows VM by using action Run Commands
- Microsoft Learn: Troubleshoot a Windows VM by attaching the OS disk to a repair VM through the Azure portal
- Microsoft Learn: Resource Health overview
- Microsoft Learn: Redeploy Windows virtual machine to new Azure node
- Microsoft Learn: Virtual machine power states and billing
- Microsoft Learn: Troubleshoot allocation failures when you create, restart, or resize VMs in Azure
And 1 more.
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