Hyper-V: The operation cannot be performed while the object is in use (Windows Server 2016 / Windows 10)

You have a number of virtual machines running on your Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 or Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V system. As soon as you try to start another VM in the Hyper-V Manager console or Start-VM virtmachine via PowerShell, a rather cryptic message keeps preventing you from doing so:

[Window Title]
Virtual Machine Connection

[Main Instruction]
The application encountered an error while attempting to change the state of ‘virtmachine’.

[Content]
‘virtmachine’ failed to change state.

The operation cannot be performed while the object is in use.

[Close]

To resolve this, disassociate any other VM from “Physical CD/DVD device” under media before you retry the operation on the failed VM.

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