This is a fun one. The server will boot fine into Debug mode or Service Console Only mode, but will not boot normally.

Seems this is a common problem with the latest patches. I’ve also seen it happen after a BIOS upgrade.

Boot into Debug mode or Service Console Only mode (SCO is faster). After logging in, run:

• “esxcfg-boot -p” – to reload the PCI data
• “esxcfg-boot -r” – to refresh initrd information
• “esxcfg-boot -b” – to setup boot information

Reboot!