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Need Immediate Help to Restore VM Using Existing E32_v5 Capacity (SKU Unavailable)

Ravi Kotla 0 Reputation points
2025-12-03T12:26:01.89+00:00

My VM %%%% was generalized accidentally. After that, the VM cannot be started and Azure portal shows:

“Operation ‘Start VM’ is not allowed on VM since the VM is generalized.”

The bigger issue is that Standard_E32_v5 SKU is no longer available for new deployments in this region, so I cannot recreate or resize this VM. This VM currently holds existing E32_v5 capacity, which I must preserve.

I need Azure Support to help with one of the following:

Restore the VM to a runnable specialized state, OR

Reassign the VM to a host/scale unit where E32_v5 capacity still exists, OR

Rebuild a new VM using the same E32_v5 capacity reserved for the original VM, even though the SKU is unavailable for normal deployments.

All the VM disks (OS + Data disks) are intact and must remain attached in the same order. Deleting the VM is not an option because I will permanently lose the E32_v5 capacity.

Business Impact: This VM is part of a SAP S/4HANA landscape and is required for system availability. We cannot move to another VM size because SAP sizing and performance are tied to this instance type.

Requested Action: Please escalate to the Fabric / Compute engineering team to:

Repair the VM provisioning state, or

Convert back to “specialized”, or

Migrate the VM to a cluster where E32_v5 is still supported, or

Reconstruct the VM from the existing OS disk using backend tools while keeping E32_v5 capacity.

This action is not possible from portal or CLI due to SKU unavailability, so we need backend intervention.

Region: <Enter region here>

Subscription ID: <Enter subscription ID here>My VM (Standard_E32_v5) was generalized accidentally.

After that, the VM cannot be started and Azure portal shows:

“Operation ‘Start VM’ is not allowed on VM since the VM is generalized.”

The bigger issue is that Standard_E32_v5 SKU is no longer available for new deployments in this region, so I cannot recreate or resize this VM.
This VM currently holds existing E32_v5 capacity, which I must preserve.

I need Azure Support to help with one of the following:

Restore the VM to a runnable specialized state, OR

Reassign the VM to a host/scale unit where E32_v5 capacity still exists, OR

Rebuild a new VM using the same E32_v5 capacity reserved for the original VM, even though the SKU is unavailable for normal deployments.

All the VM disks (OS + Data disks) are intact and must remain attached in the same order.
Deleting the VM is not an option because I will permanently lose the E32_v5 capacity.

Business Impact:
This VM is part of a SAP S/4HANA landscape and is required for system availability.
We cannot move to another VM size because SAP sizing and performance are tied to this instance type.

Requested Action:
Please escalate to the Fabric / Compute engineering team to:

Repair the VM provisioning state, or

Convert back to “specialized”, or

Migrate the VM to a cluster where E32_v5 is still supported, or

Reconstruct the VM from the existing OS disk using backend tools while keeping E32_v5 capacity.

This action is not possible from portal or CLI due to SKU unavailability, so we need backend intervention.

Region:
US Central

Azure Virtual Machines
Azure Virtual Machines
An Azure service that is used to provision Windows and Linux virtual machines.
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2025-12-03T12:26:21.8466667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    If your VM has been generalized and you cannot start it, you will need to reach out to Azure Support for assistance. Since the Standard_E32_v5 SKU is no longer available for new deployments in your region, the following steps are recommended:

    1. Contact Azure Support: Open a support request through the Azure portal. Specify that you need help with a generalized VM and that the SKU is unavailable. Provide details about the VM and the urgency due to its role in your SAP S/4HANA landscape.
    2. Request Specific Actions: Clearly state your needs, such as restoring the VM to a specialized state, reassigning it to a host where E32_v5 capacity exists, or rebuilding the VM while preserving the existing capacity.
    3. Escalation: If necessary, ask for escalation to the Fabric/Compute engineering team for backend intervention, as this may be required to resolve the SKU unavailability issue.
    4. Preserve Disk Attachments: Ensure that all disk attachments (OS + Data disks) remain intact as part of your request.

    Since this situation involves backend actions that cannot be performed via the portal or CLI due to SKU unavailability, Azure Support will be your best resource for resolving this issue.

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  2. Nikhil Duserla 9,280 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-12-04T05:51:06.4133333+00:00

    Hello @Ravi Kotla ,

    it sounds like you're facing a tricky situation with your VM being generalized accidentally and the resulting SKU unavailability issue. Here's an approach that you can take:

    Steps to Consider

    1. Restore the VM to a Runnable Specialized State: Unfortunately, once a VM has been generalized, it cannot be directly converted back to a specialized state in Azure. However, you may try contacting Azure Support for more advanced interventions, especially since you need to restore its state for critical applications like SAP S/4HANA.
    2. Reassign the VM to Another Host/Scale Unit: This typically requires backend intervention. You'd need to escalate this to Azure Support as well since the availability of the Standard_E32_v5 SKU in your region is the core issue preventing you from recreating the VM.
    3. Rebuild the VM using Existing Capacity: You could consider using Azure Backup if you have recovery points available. The Azure Backup service allows you to restore a VM from a backup, but remember that the VM size for restoration must be valid and available. Since the SKU is unavailable for new deployments, this would require assistance from Azure support to handle the capacity issue.

    Further Resources

    Steps to Consider

    1. Restore the VM to a Runnable Specialized State: Unfortunately, once a VM has been generalized, it cannot be directly converted back to a specialized state in Azure. However, you may try contacting Azure Support for more advanced interventions, especially since you need to restore its state for critical applications like SAP S/4HANA.
    2. Reassign the VM to Another Host/Scale Unit: This typically requires backend intervention. You'd need to escalate this to Azure Support as well since the availability of the Standard_E32_v5 SKU in your region is the core issue preventing you from recreating the VM.
    3. Rebuild the VM using Existing Capacity: You could consider using Azure Backup if you have recovery points available. The Azure Backup service allows you to restore a VM from a backup, but remember that the VM size for restoration must be valid and available. Since the SKU is unavailable for new deployments, this would require assistance from Azure support to handle the capacity issue.

    Further Resources

    1. Have you checked if there are any ongoing service issues in your Azure region that might affect VM deployment?
    2. Do you have any recent backups of your VM that can be utilized for restoration?
    3. Can you confirm if there is any quota limitation in your subscription which might be causing this issue?
    4. Would it be possible for you to temporarily test another VM size or region to see if that workaround might be feasible?

    Hope this helps you move forward with your VM situation! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

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