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agoodpub
Contributor
Contributor

Can't Upgrade to Windows 8.1 on Fusion 5

I tried (many times now) to upgrade from Windows 8 to 8.1 using the download from the Windows store.  When it asks to restart it comes up with an error saying

Couldn't update to Windows 8.1

Sorry, we couldn't complete the update to Windows 8.1. We've restored your previous version of Windows to this PC.

0xC1900101 - 0x20017

Searching on google for that error I see several people getting that error (although not using vmware) and Microsoft's response is that it is a driver problem.  They say to make sure all Windows updates are done (I have done)

Anyone else got this and fixed it?

I'm using Fusion 5.0.3 on a 2012 Macbook Retina

(I have been able to update my Parallels Windows 8 VM on the same machine, but when I import the Parallells 8.1 into Fusion it juts goes into a reboot loop)

I have also got a running 8.1 preview in Fusion.

62 Replies
jpoteat3
Contributor
Contributor

I got the same thing when I tried it in v5. I upgraded to v6 and I am still having the same problem as described in this post.

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mcg1969
Contributor
Contributor

Yep, same here. Upgraded to Fusion 6 as well. Same error code.

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MickeyP
Contributor
Contributor

Same issue with version 6 here.   Installed Vista (only OEM I had) and did a full upgrade to 8.  Removed Windows.old and then tried to upgrade to 8.1.    No other software installed.

Ran through the upgrade, rebooted and I was then asked for keyboard type then given the option to either "troubleshoot" or "power off".

After bouncing the VM, it gives me the standard login.   After login, I receive this error:
Screen Shot 2013-10-18 at 10.45.33 AM.png

Looking at the windowsupdate.log file, I see this reference:

2013-10-1810:45:12:913780600ReportREPORT EVENT: {E86ED001-D090-42C3-8FE8-10D7D56220AF}2013-10-18 10:45:12:055-06001204 [AGENT_INSTALLING_FAILED_POST_REBOOT]101{8951E70D-4332-4F7C-B92D-D9362E384959}1c1900101WSAcquisitionFailureContent InstallInstallation Failure Post Reboot.
2013-10-1810:45:12:913780600ReportREPORT EVENT: {1A8F199A-BB69-4384-AEF3-5BF73A1E81CD}2013-10-18 10:45:12:070-06001202 [AU_REBOOT_COMPLETED]102{00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}00AutomaticUpdatesSuccessContent InstallReboot completed.
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mcg1969
Contributor
Contributor

Good stuff, MickeyP, thanks for the detailed addition. That's exactly what I'm seeing, though I do have a fair amount of additional software installed, including SQL Server 2012 (Express).

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hotze73
Contributor
Contributor

Same here, same error code, Fusion 6.01.; Mavericks GM, nearly clean Win 8

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MickeyP
Contributor
Contributor

Forgot to mention that I'm using a MBP retina 15" w/ 16Gig 768GigHD and running Mavericks GM

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billearl
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Same issue, same error code here. Looks like the solution has to come from MS. They've known about this for at least 4 months.

Fusion 6.0.1, OS X 10.7.5, Windows 8 VM (upgraded from Windows 7), Mac Pro 1,1.

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mcg1969
Contributor
Contributor

At the very least, we're going to need a lot more informative diagnostic information from the install process.

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MickeyP
Contributor
Contributor

Honestly though - Windows 8 is SO bad that I'm only doing this as an exercise.   

447625b82322d8104cad639c45836cda4b60ad530342e336352d8ac238b8a922.jpg

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DRG2013
Contributor
Contributor

Are we sure it's MS that is to blame here or could it be something VMware needs to look into as well? Windows 8 installed just fine but that was some months ago.

I'm hoping that the VMware team is looking into this problem as well. I'm running Fusion 6.0.1 and am having the exact same problem as everyone above.

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billearl
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

If you check the Microsoft Community boards, there are many many others having similar problems, completely unrelated to VMware. I also hope VMware can come up with a solution specific to Fusion.

Windows - Microsoft Community

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paulc1963
Contributor
Contributor

I have purchased upgrade to Fusion 6.0.1 and it installed correctly and worked fine, windows 8 pro was working correctly too. Now trying to upgrade to windows 8.1 and install fails, I get to select keyboard layout, ...noting everything has severely slowed down, once keyboard layout is selected the next window comes up asking to select shut down pc or troubleshoot. Installation does not proceed any further from here. Any hints?

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mcg1969
Contributor
Contributor

I do believe that the primary problem here is Microsoft's. A lot of people are having the same upgrade issues we are, even without VMWare. So in a sense, there is not much to do here but wait. However, I would encourage everyone to file a formal support request with VMWare on this. I think that if enough users demonstrate problems, they may be able to get more direct help from Microsoft than any of us can separately. So if you have not filed a support request yet, please do so.

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dariusd
VMware Employee
VMware Employee

We're well and truly aware of issues upgrading to Windows 8.1, and we are investigating them.

At this moment we are unaware of anything to suggest that virtualization is part of the broad problems users are encountering with the Windows 8.1 update.  Many users have reported similar failures on physical hosts too, and we're also performing our own tests here which have not yet implicated us as the cause of the problems reported in this thread.  It is possible that our understanding may change with time as we continue to investigate – It's still far too early for us to claim either innocence or guilt in this.

Please do not file a Support Request simply to raise further attention to this issue.  Doing so is not constructive and will only tie up the support folks who are already working as hard as they can to get everyone through this.

Please file a post here in this thread (or file a Support Request) if you have specific observations which you think will contribute to isolating and understanding the problem.  We're particularly interested to hear of the history of affected virtual machines: Were they clean installations of Windows 8 that fail to upgrade to Windows 8.1, or were they upgraded from some earlier version of Windows (XP? Vista?) through Windows 8 and now to Windows 8.1 at the time they failed?  Have you installed any particular system software (device drivers, antivirus programs, ...) inside the virtual machine?

If you're entitled to technical support through your purchase of a VMware product and you have an immediate need for assistance with recovering your virtual machine to an operable state, you may also consider filing a Support Request.

Thanks,

--

Darius

MickeyP
Contributor
Contributor

The only installation I had available to me was an upgrade install (windows 8 was only initially available as an upgrade).  A fresh install failed with a bad activation key.

My install was as fresh as I could make it - Started with Vista Ultimate (unpatched) and then upgrade (used option to NOT persist user files and programs/settings) to Windows 8.  Completely patched Windows 8.  Upgrade to 8.1 fail.    Tried disabling all non-required hardware devices in VM settings.  fail.   Tried uninstalling VMtools. fail.

Hardware Overview:

  Model Name: MacBook Pro

  Model Identifier: MacBookPro10,1

  Processor Name: Intel Core i7

  Processor Speed: 2.7 GHz

  Number of Processors: 1

  Total Number of Cores: 4

  L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

  L3 Cache: 8 MB

  Memory: 16 GB

  Boot ROM Version: MBP101.00EE.B02

  SMC Version (system): 2.3f36

  Serial Number (system): xxx

  Hardware UUID: xxx

System Version: OS X 10.9 (13A598)

  Kernel Version: Darwin 13.0.0

  Boot Volume: Macintosh HD

  Boot Mode: Normal

  Computer Name: John’s MacBook Pro

  User Name: xxx

  Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled

  Time since boot: 3 days 10:31

Fusion

     Professional Version 6.0.1 (1331545)

VM

     windows 8 64-bit

     2 processors

     3 Gig RAM

     100 G HD (thin single file)
     tried both NAT and auto-detect
     disabled bluetooth

     disabled 3D acceleration 


If you need logs or anything else, I'll be happy to provide.

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mcg1969
Contributor
Contributor

Excellent. Thank you for acknowledging this thread, DariusD. I have already filed a trouble ticket, and offered up my fill WindowsUpdate.log file.

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MickeyP
Contributor
Contributor

Just did a clean install from a Windows 8 upgrade media.   Did not attempt to activate since I have no key for an install, only an upgrade.

Patched Windows 8 to current.

Went to store and ran 8.1 upgrade.

Success.

Is there any log from both installs that I can compare or post that will assist?

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jbattermann
Contributor
Contributor

Got the same issue - VMWare Fusion 6.0.1 & Windows 8 Pro with latest Updates applied fails due to the aforementioned error. Update of 8 Pro on my desktop/pc machine worked perfectly fine. Re-installing 7 > 8 > 8.1 is not an option so really looking forward to a fix.

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lingenfr
Contributor
Contributor

Same problem here. I got the options for Troubleshooting or to Turn off my PC. I've tried both. When I ran the troubleshooting and selected Refresh PC, it mentioned that the drive was locked and preventing the upgrade from completing. I don't want to hose my install, so I am reluctant to start tinkering. Hoping for a resolution as I try and keep this particular VM current. I also use Classic Shell. I am also having the problem of VMWare continually resizing my display to resolutions less that 1024x768 which prevents Store and some other apps from running. I would like to force it to leave my settings alone until I complete the update.

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