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licensedtoquill
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Cant get upgrade from windows 7 (VM on externaL SSD) to 10 to run to completion

Does anyone know how to restart a failed upgrade installation please?

I have 7 installed on an external ssd which keeps disconnecting while upgrading. It's that puny USB-C socket on my macbook which seems very unstable and it also keeps disconnecting while trying to install 83 windows updates, so this doesnt appear to be anything to do with the upgrading process from 7 to 10. 

Anyway, now,  the windows 10 install wont restart, suddenly reporting not enough space on the C drive!   Has something on the update filled up the C drive?               T he upgrade process takes effect from WITHIN the 7 VM so I am not sure why it matters that there is supposedly no space on the C drive?


For some reason, I can't just copy the 7 VM to the computer and try from there. The copy function doesnt seem to work. It starts to copy the vm to my computer, I can see the VM appear in the folder and stops within a half a second and disappears (which appears to be nothing to do with file permissions on the VM file)

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licensedtoquill
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All those spurious error messages!!

The install process proceeded to completion without bothering with activation, backups to usb space, needing to delete anything to create space et al!

Thanks for your help guys

Now I have a Windows 10 VM which I can back up to use if the only Windows-dependent program I use (Truster software) doesnt work with Windows 10.

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licensedtoquill
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Sorry, guys, there is still a minor problem for which for some reason I cant find an FAQ

Tools doesnt seem to install and I cant get the VM graphics to render in anything other than 640x480!

I tried reinstalling tools but the option in the menu then just grayed out, I think without installing anything?

i found an option to install setup from the DVD/CD-ROM in File Explorer but when I double clicked the setup file, it started looking for some windows folder instead of installing tools? then the DVD/CD-ROM option disappeared in File Explorer.

When it comes back and I try to reinstall tools the reinstall tools item in fusion is always greyed out and there is no .msi file in any of the directories in the Cd-ROM?

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wila
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Hi,

Did you already change the guest OS for the VM to Windows 10 instead of Windows 7?

Not exactly required, but it might help with VMware tools issues.

Did you already make a backup ? (so that you can mess things up without having to go back and do it all again?)

VMware Tools 11 depends on a newer virtual C++ runtime, so it is possible that you are bumping into issues with that.

Please see this thread (doesn't matter that it is for Workstation)

Vmware Workstation Pro 15.5 says install will complete after reboot, but nothing happens

and try the steps mentioned down there.

--

Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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licensedtoquill
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Good point WIL, thanks for that, I hadnt yet copied the VM to my backup storage so your advice was very timely.

I have now installed the C++ runtime libraries but wasnt sure what to do next so I rebooted and tried reinstalling tools from the menu. But it just went grey as it does when tools IS installing properly?

So I tried installing manually and it just gives me the annoying message that windows has rejoiced in giving ever since the Windows95 days, -  that the install location C:\Windows\TEMP\{D2236796-832D-4E8C-A337-0C6EEB8ACB27}~setup\ is unavailable!

Any idea why there is no installer package (VMware tools64.msi file?) on the virtual CD-ROM for installation to use please? Why is it looking in the windows/temp file for it?

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wila
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Hi,

Hmm.. don't know.

A couple of things to try.

- Complete uninstall of VMware Tools in your VM, reboot, then install again. (FWIW you should be able to uninstall via Start menu -> Settings -> Apps -> scroll down the list until you see "VMware Tools" -> Click Uninstall )

If that didn't help try a repair install

- Same as above -> Click modify -> Next -> Repair

Normally if VMware Tools is installed you get an option for "Reinstall VMware Tools", it is only grayed out during the install process.

If it never completed the install then it _should_ not be grayed out after it errors out, but as I said "should".

Btw, you didn't confirm that you set the guest OS to "Windows 10".

In the VM menu go to -> Settings -> General and verify it says Windows 10 under there.

If not you can change it with the VM shut down.

pastedImage_0.png

Make sure it matches the correct bitness (x64 a 64 bit Windows 10)

--

Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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licensedtoquill
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Well, now I can't uninstall it!! Uninstall just demands the same setup.msi file which it couldnt find when it was trying to install tools in the last exercise. Which is curious because when I was trying to reinstall it yesterday it did uninstall from add/remove programs.

And i renamed the vm from the menu by right clicking and hitting rename, so I have now followed your instructions on this. (BTW it doesnt show at the top of the list on the left as a vm, it shows in the list below as a SHARED vm)

Anyway, now on re-installing tools from the VMWARE menu, it did reinstall and now shows in the systray as running.

And what does it mean that the microsoft basic display adapter (chip type VMWare) shows as some AMD display being installed?  But even though there are now three resolutions available, I still cant change the vm  to no longer play as a box in the screen with huge black inch-wide sidebars on both sides of the 'box'.

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wila
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Hi,

If VMware tools is correctly installed then in device manager the display adapter is "VMware SVGA 3D" and the screen attached to that is a "Generic non-PnP Monitor".

The VM doesn't get to see your display adapter or screen.
When a VM reports having an AMD screen then that is probably a left over from a physical to virtual migration?

Black borders that you can see depend on display settings under the VM and the display settings used within the VM.

menu: "Virtual Machine" -> "Settings" -> "Display"

Near the bottom there's Virtual Machine Resolution.

You can change there to stretch or resize.

Note that the black border basically indicates that there's a mismatch between your physical screen resolution and the VMs screen resolution. If there's no black border then no stretching or resizing is needed to match your VM screen resolution against the host screen resolution. If there's a black border then it means that it could not scale the guest 1 on 1 to the host.

The position of the VM in the library (top or shared) depends on the way your VM is saved.

If all users on your mac can access these files, then it is under shared. If it is only you who can read the VM files then it is "at the top of the list" as you call it.

--

Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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licensedtoquill
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Well thanks for your reply but I had tried that already. Whatever I do (Use fusion settings, fit to screen, stretch to fit screen), there is always this annoying inch wide bar on either side of the screen! Making it display like an old pre-letterbox laptop/monitor

And there are still only 3 resolutions, of which it is set to 1152x864

Should I uninstall tools a few more times to see if anything changes when I re-install it?  (This does seem  a possibility now)

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wila
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Hi,

3 resolutions? That doesn't sound like a normal configuration for a windows 10 VM with VMware Tools installed.

What is your display adapter?

(type "device manager" when opening your start menu in the guest and check what's under "Display Adapter", it should be "VMware SVGA 3D" if VMware Tools is functioning correctly.)

--

Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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licensedtoquill
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Yes, that's the problem! It shows as a Microsoft Basic Display AdApter with a driver date of 2006.  i wonder why it hasnt changed when the upgrade to 10 took place?

It wasn't displaying like this under Windows 7!

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wila
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Hi,

OK, I scrolled up a bit to your vmx file that you posted earlier.

It has this line:

virtualHW.version = 12

I don't know if you have updated your virtual hardware since then, but version 12 is a bit old for VMware Fusion 11.5.x, it was for VMware Fusion 8.

For using the latest VMware Tools it is best to stay within the latest virtual hardware version, version 16.

Update via the menu -> Virtual Machine -> Settings -> Compatibility and down there change the version from 12 to 16.

Then try re-installing VMware Tools..

Uninstall -> reboot -> reinstall.

You can take a snapshot before all that if you want to have something to fall back to.

Another thing to try as it looks like that the VMware driver for the graphical adapter is nowadays part of Windows update is to go back to the "device manager" (see my previous reply) and then right click on the "Display Adapter" node and select "Scan for hardware changes" and see if Windows tries to install VMware's display driver.

FWIW... the VMware Tools drivers are under C:\Program Files\Common Files\VMware\drivers.

For the VMware Tools 11.x there is no longer a video folder (only a video_wddm one for vista)

You could also try a repair install of VMware Tools, it doesn't always work, but there are times when it does fix things.

--

Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
licensedtoquill
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WOW! I would never have guessed tools should be updated through settings-compatibility! Well spotted on the version issue, and well done to the software designers for hiding this in so ultra counter-intuitive a place! I'll bet no one ever guesses that it is there.

Meanwhile, I  am using version 8 and for some reason, there doesn't seem to be any way of actually updating the tools version through settings-compatibility. It is set to 12 and there isnt an option to change it. There IS an option under ADVANCED to change it but only to earlier versions, which I suppose is why none of my attempts to re-install tools has ever detected that any upgrade to tools is possible

I suppose that is why when I did try to reinstall tools through add/remove programs - reboot-reinstall, it never reinstalled any version higher than 12?   But all these methods seem to look locally to the computer for tools. Is there some method of getting the software or the vm to look on the internet for the most recent version of tools compatible with my version of fusion? I cant figure out how to do any sort of repair reinstall? Surely it isnt MODIFY in add/remove programs? Much like trying to update (or scan) through device manager, that doesn't seem to do anything?

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wila
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Hi,

You're not upgrading from the virtual hardware settings, it is just that that VMware Tools is best matched with the latest hardware version provided for your VMware Fusion.

This is normally up-to-date and -unless you change it- kept in sync with the VMware Fusion version that you have.

The version of Virtual Hardware for VMware Fusion 8 is version 12, you need a later version of VMware Fusion to be able to use newer versions of the virtual hardware.

Guess that you trying to use an over 2 year old version of VMware Fusion here with a recent version of Windows 10 is at least part of the problems you are bumping into.

Windows 10 is basically a new version every year, it's just that Microsoft stopped updating the windows name, but they do significantly change what's underneath.

I do hope that you are at least at VMware Fusion 8.5.10 as that is the last version released in January 2018.

"Repair installation" for VMware Tools is under Modify in "Add/Remove Programs" yes.

In VMware Fusion 8.x I do not really expect it to do much, but it is worth a shot.

Beware that there are a number of security problems with VMware Fusion 8.x that have been fixed in newer versions of VMware Fusion. It is possible to use VMware Fusion 8.x, but it is not recommended and not supported.

If you feel adventurous then you could try installing a newer version of VMware Tools  ( Download VMware Tools  ) than what comes with VMware Fusion 8, but obviously that is not supported either.

--

Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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licensedtoquill
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Yes, Wil, I am using 8.5.10 which works at full resolution with Windows 8 and I cant understand how 10 can be so different but I didnt know about the general genealogy of Windows 10.

If I were to try to install a newer version of the  tools, how would I go about it please? I am not upgrading to Catalina so didnt think I needed to get any newer version of Fusion than 8? I dont seem to be able to extract tools to a windows/temp/tools file within the vm but modify can't locate any installation file in it. Do I have to uninstall tools and somehow point the re-installation to that location?

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wila
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Hi,

MacOS Sierra is the last version supported by VMware Fusion 8, see:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2088571

Catalina is 3 versions later..

For the VMware Tools, try the in-guest installer from that download link.

Beware that you probably have to install the latest Visual C++ runtime first (see also https://www.vgemba.net/vmware/Workstation-15.5-Install-Error/ )

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Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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licensedtoquill
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What I cant understand is that, still, every time I try to do any install or uninstall of anything to do with tools, I get the same error message, that the process cant find the vmwaretools 64 bit.msi file.  However many times I try to install the tools package or the guided install package.

I did manage to run the guided install package once, but after telling me that the process needed to reboot to continue, I let it reboot and then the installation stopped!

I did  install the x86, reboot and then the 64 version of C++ but tools install still comes screeching to a halt at exactly the same place, not being able to find that msi file wherever I point it!

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wila
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If your VM is 64 bit then you have to install both the x86 as well as 64 bit version of the mentioned VC++ runtime.

As for not being able to uninstall an older copy of VMware Tools, see this post:

Re: VMware-workstation-full-15.5.2-15785246 I can not run it on the computer

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Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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licensedtoquill
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Thanks Wil, that did it!  Everything now works properly and I can finally store a back-up of the VM

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wila
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Woohoo!

It might have taken a bit, but we did get there eventually.
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Wil

| Author of Vimalin. The virtual machine Backup app for VMware Fusion, VMware Workstation and Player |
| More info at vimalin.com | Twitter @wilva
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