VMWare player 14 cannot open .vmx file, nothing append on player, OS create a .lck directory

[bacchus1903]

Hi

I am a little bit new in linux, I install VMWare player 14.1.1 build 7528167

after performing the following (otherwise I could not install it)

sudo apt-get update 
sudo apt-get install gcc build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) 
sudo ./VMware-Player.bundle

I can produce working Virtual machine (windows 10) but after a shutdown of the machine, I cannot reopen them on VMWare player.

Nothing arrived, only on the OS create a .vmx.lck directory.

I try to erase that directory, same problem.

I try to run a virtual machine that I was created under windows 10 OS, same problem

Note: I use Cinnamon 18.3 on intel i7 core

Thanks in advance for your help and ideas

[continuum]

Not sure I get it - can you run any VM at all - even if it is just for a short while ?
Does the VM disapear in the GUI once you power it off ?

[bacchus1903]

Hi

I can run vmware player 14, and can create a working virtual machine, but when I shutdown the machine, the vmware close.

When I re start the vmware player, I see the virtual machine file, but nothing append when I try to open the file or other .vmx files.

The only thing I notice, is that the OS file system has a directory with my virtual machine with .vmx.lck extension.

NOTE I just reinstall Linux from scrath and VMware player with the same problem ;-(

[continuum]

To run a VM you typically need a name.vmx file and a name.vmdk file.
Do you have those 2 files when the VM is running ?

[bacchus1903]

Yes I have both files

NOTE I remove VMWare player 4.1.1 and installed the desktop pro version 14.1.1 (when installing the pro version, the installer install also the player version 14.1.1)

I can run my virtual machine in VMWare desktop pro 14.1.1 without any problem, but I cannot run it on my VMWare player  14.1.1???

(the virtual machine was created with VMWare player 14.1.1)

[continuum]

Can you start the VM in VMplayer when you do it from a commandline like:
vmplayer /full/path/to-vmxfile.vmx ?

[bacchus1903]

Thanks for the idea, I used vmrun -T player start /path/to/file.vmx

and it work.

I am not the only one with the problem, that seems to start at version 14

ref VMware Player 14 Not loading Virtual Machine Even After Confirming It Was Installed

I am glad, I will use the command line untill VMWare make a fix

Thanks you for your help

Regards

[continuum]

Sounds like a problem writing to the preferences(.ini) file to me. Check if your user-account can write to it.

[weski]

continuum wrote to try specifying the full path to the vmx file on the employer command line.

This got me working again, using player 15. Thanks!

Sad that it has survived across major revision, though.

[l0natic]

The same happens for me with a fresh VMWare Player 15 installation on Ubuntu 18.10:

I'm unable to

• import existing VMs
• see & manage created VMs
• edit / modify any existing VM properties

Running via commandline vmplayer pathto.vmx works, but is actually useless for me without the ability to properly configure the VM at first.

[l0natic]

I found the solution here: Re: VMware Player 14 Not loading Virtual Machine Even After Confirming It Was Installed

This only happens if you have deactivated 'Record file & application usage' in Ubuntu System Settings 'All Settings / Security & Privacy / Files & Applications'.

So you need simply enable this feature again and the UI started to work…. Duh!