If your Hyper-V virtual machine is running fine in the background (e.g., you can still SSH into it), but Hyper-V Manager fails to connect or throws an error stating that the object was not found or deleted, the issue lies within the host’s WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) repository.
This guide walks through how to re-link Hyper-V Manager to your running VMs on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
The Symptoms
- Hyper-V Manager opens empty or fails to display your local host server.
- Connecting manually yields an error: “Hyper-V encountered an error trying to access an object… because the object was not found.”
- Your virtual machines are still active and reachable over the network (SSH, RDP, or hosted services).
Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Open PowerShell as Administrator
Because managing system services and WMI schemas requires elevated permissions, standard user terminals will fail.
- Press the Windows Key and type
PowerShell. - Right-click Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator.
Step 2: Re-register the Hyper-V WMI Schema & Salvage Repository
On desktop versions of Windows, Hyper-V’s core management interface uses WindowsVirtualization.V2.mof. Re-compiling this file and repairing the repository restores the missing namespaces.
Run the following commands in sequence:
PowerShell
# Re-compile the Windows Client Hyper-V MOF file
mofcomp C:\Windows\System32\WindowsVirtualization.V2.mof
# Salvage any corrupted WMI repository data
winmgmt /salvagerepository
# Restart the Virtual Machine Management Service
Restart-Service vmms
Note: Restarting the
vmmsservice only restarts the host management interface—it will not interrupt or restart your running virtual machines.
Step 3: Reconnect in Hyper-V Manager
- Relaunch Hyper-V Manager.
- In the right-hand Actions panel, click Connect to Server….
- Select Local computer and click OK.
Your host server and all active virtual machines should now appear as normal.
Troubleshooting Alternative: Complete WMI Reset
If winmgmt /salvagerepository fails to resolve the namespace issues, perform a full WMI repository rebuild:
PowerShell
winmgmt /resetrepository
mofcomp C:\Windows\System32\WindowsVirtualization.V2.mof
Restart-Service vmms

