Hey there, let's work through this Hyper-V and Docker problem step by step. Since you've already enabled nested virtualization via vSphere, we can focus on validating and fixing configurations within your Windows Server 2016 VM.

1. Double-Check Nested Virtualization is Fully Enabled #

Even though you toggled it on in vSphere, sometimes the setting doesn't properly apply to the guest VM. Let's confirm and refresh it:

• Open PowerShell as Administrator and run this command to verify the status:
  Get-VMHost | Select-Object Name, VirtualizationMode, NestedVirtualizationEnabled
• If NestedVirtualizationEnabled shows False, disable and re-enable it (a reboot is required between steps):

  Set-VMHost -NestedVirtualizationEnabled $false
  # Reboot your Server 2016 VM now
  Set-VMHost -NestedVirtualizationEnabled $true
  # Reboot again to apply the change
  

2. Verify Critical Hyper-V Services are Running #

Hyper-V depends on a handful of services to launch VMs—let's make sure they're active and set to start automatically:

• Open Services (services.msc) from the Start menu, then check these services:
  • Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management (vmms)
  • Hyper-V Host Compute Service (hcs)
  • Hyper-V Image Management Service (vmcompute)
• If any are stopped, start them and set their startup type to Automatic. You can also do this via PowerShell:

  Get-Service vmms, hcs, vmcompute | Start-Service
  Get-Service vmms, hcs, vmcompute | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic
  

3. Fix or Recreate Docker's Hyper-V Virtual Switch #

Docker uses a dedicated virtual switch (DockerNAT by default) that can get corrupted. Let's reset it:

1. First, stop Docker Desktop completely.
2. Open Hyper-V Manager > Virtual Switch Manager.
3. Locate the DockerNAT switch, delete it, and confirm the action.
4. Restart Docker Desktop—it will automatically recreate the DockerNAT switch with default settings.

If you still have issues, try creating a new internal virtual switch manually in Hyper-V Manager, then configure Docker to use it via Docker Desktop's Settings > Resources > Network.

4. Dig into Hyper-V Event Logs for Specific Errors #

The generic "Hyper-V won't start any vms I create" message doesn't tell us much—let's find the root cause in the event logs:

• Open Event Viewer > navigate to Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Hyper-V-VMMS > Operational.
• Look for events with IDs like 15000, 15001, or 12010—these will detail exactly why a VM failed to start. Common culprits include:
  • Insufficient memory allocated to the nested Hyper-V VM (ensure your parent vSphere VM has enough RAM, and the nested VM isn't trying to use more than what's available)
  • CPU virtualization extensions not enabled in vSphere (double-check the VM settings in vSphere Web Client—enable Expose hardware assisted virtualization to the guest OS)
  • Corrupted VHD/VHDX files (test with a brand new blank VM to rule this out)

5. Update Windows Server 2016 to the Latest Patch Level #

Outdated Windows patches often cause nested virtualization bugs. Run Windows Update and install all cumulative updates for Server 2016—some patches specifically address Hyper-V stability in nested environments.

6. Isolate the Issue: Test a Basic Hyper-V VM #

To figure out if the problem is with Hyper-V itself or Docker's setup:

• Create a simple test VM in Hyper-V Manager (use a minimal ISO like Windows 10 or a Linux distro)
• Try starting this VM. If it fails, the issue lies with Hyper-V/nested virtualization. If it works, the problem is specific to Docker's VM configuration.

If the test VM works, reset Docker Desktop to factory defaults:

• Go to Docker Desktop Settings > Troubleshoot > Reset to factory defaults. This will wipe all Docker configs and rebuild the necessary Hyper-V resources from scratch.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Arin Ekandem