Upgrading a virtual machine to the latest hardware version

Upgrading virtual hardware on a single virtual machine

To upgrade the virtual hardware of a single virtual machine:

1. Start the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client and log in to the vCenter Server.

2. Power off the virtual machine.

3. Right-click the virtual machine and select the menu option to upgrade virtual hardware:

o In the vSphere Client, the option is Upgrade Virtual Hardware.

o In the vSphere Web Client, the option is Compatibility > Upgrade VM Compatibility.

The virtual hardware is upgraded to the latest supported version.

Note: The Upgrade Virtual Hardware or Upgrade VM Compatibility options only appear if the virtual hardware on the virtual machine is not the latest supported version.

4. Click Yes to continue with the virtual hardware upgrade.

5. Power on the virtual machine.

Note: If the virtual machine has a Microsoft Windows guest operating system, the operating system detects a new device, configures the device, and may prompt you to reboot the guest operating system. If any unknown devices are recognized, the operating system may prompt you to configure the device manually.

6. For Windows guest operating systems, reboot the guest operating system to make the changes take effect.

Upgrading virtual hardware on multiple virtual machines

You can upgrade virtual hardware on multiple virtual machines in a single operation using the Virtual Machines tab.

To upgrade virtual hardware on multiple virtual machines:

1. Start the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client and log in to the vCenter Server.

2. Select the host or cluster that contains the virtual machines to upgrade.

3. Click the Virtual Machines tab.

4. Select and power off the virtual machines to upgrade.

5. Right-click your selections.

6. Select Upgrade Virtual Hardware and click Yes.

7. Power on the virtual machines.

Note: For Microsoft Windows guest operating systems, the operating system detects a new device, configures the device, and may prompt you to reboot the guest operating system. If any unknown devices are recognized, the operating system may prompt you to configure the device manually.

8. For Windows guest operating systems, reboot the guest operating system to make the changes take effect.

Note: In a vSphere 5.5 environment, you must use the vSphere Web Client to upgrade the virtual hardware to version 10. You cannot edit the settings of the virtual machine by connecting directly to an ESXi host or the vCenter Server through vSphere Client that is on Hardware version 10. If you connect directly to an ESXi host using the vSphere Client and attempt to edit virtual machine settings, you see the error:  

You cannot use the vSphere client to edit the settings of virtual machines of version 10 or higher. Use the vSphere Web Client to edit the settings of this virtual machine.

Source VMware KB