Trying to export a Windows 7 32-bit Guest VM. ovftool failing

[dutsnekcirf]

Running VMware Workstation 12.5.2 build-4638234 on a Windows 10 pro 64-bit host.

As the title states, I'm trying to export a Windows 7 32-bit Guest VM and I'm getting the following error messages:

Title: ovftool.exe - Entry Point Not Found

message: The procedure entry point ?FormatSTLString@PrintFormatter@Vmacore@@SAXPAVWriter@2@ABTFormatValue@12@PBD@Z could not be located in the dynamic klkink library C:\Program Files (x86)\Vmware\VMware Workstation\OVFTool\ovftool.exe

When I click OK, I get the following error message:

Title: ovftool.exe - Entry Point Not Found

Message: The procedure entry point could not be located in the dynamic link library C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\Vmware Workstation\OVFTool\ssoClient.dll.

When I click OK on that error message, I get the a third error message that says:

Title: VMware Workstation

Message: Export failed: Unknown error, please try again.  If the problem persists, please contact VMware Technical Support and provide C:\Users\brown\AppData\Local\Temp\vmware-brown\ovftool.log.

Annoyingly I don't see an ovftool.log file at the path indicated in the third error message.  I've tried performing this task as a .ova and .ovf with the same results.  I've made sure the ssoClient.dll file is found where VMware expects it to be.

[RDPetruska]

Can't help specifically with the OVF Tool (have never really heard of it working well, personally).

However, why are you trying to export it as such?  What are you trying to do with the exported VM?  There may be another method which will work for you.

[dutsnekcirf]

I'm kind of wanting to use it as a supplement to the snapshot feature.

I'd like to have dedicated VMs for specific purposes.

One instance of my Windows 7 VM could be used for development of a specific application.  As I'm developing this application I may want to take several snapshots as it gets built.

Then another instance of my Windows 7 VM could be used for gaming.

Another instance could be used for testing purposes within my network.

I want to keep the specific purposes separated so that rolling back snapshots doesn't undo some of the work I do in the others.  So then the idea would be to create a base load VM that's been registered with MS that has all the drivers and updates installed but nothing else and then export the VM as an OVA file that can be imported as new VMs from that point forth.

I should point out that I am using a genuine copy of Windows 7 using my own registration key so I don't suspect this should be an issue.  And since it's built within a VM the hardware fingerprint should match for each VM (with exception to the MAC address of the NIC).  So I don't think Microsoft's licensing should have an issue with this.  At least, I think that's the case.

[RDPetruska]

I guess I meant where you were exporting it to... where you would be trying to import it.

If all just VMware Workstation users (including Player and Fusion), there's no reason to convert the VM into an OVF format.  Just copy and open it up as a vmx/vmdk files. 

I personally almost never use snapshots... I just zip up each VM folder, and add info to the filename (such as a date or description), when I want a point-in-time backup of my VMs.

[dutsnekcirf]

I see what you're saying now.  I was just simply going to store the .ova on my NAS and I would only be importing it periodically into my own personal copy of VMware Workstation.  So you're alternative solution would work fine as well.  OVA files are cleaner but I'm not intending to distribute this file to anyone else so that wouldn't matter quite so much.  For now I guess I can work with that.  Thanks for your comments RDPetruska.

[dutsnekcirf]

So I'm finding this is still an issue.  I'm comfortable with the suggestion made earlier about simply copying the VM.  But I'm now finding out I can't import OVA or OVF files either.  I have an OVF that I received from work that I need to use but I can't open it.  I receive the same error messages as I did before in my original post.

Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!

[wila]

Hi,

While OVFTool is part of VMware Workstation, there's also a standalone version:

https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=OVFTOOL420&productId=614

You might also try to call it from the command line instead of from within VMware Workstation, that might give a better error.

--

Wil

[dutsnekcirf]

I've tried running ovftool from the command line and I get the same error message.  I also downloaded and reinstalled the ovftool linked for me in the reply by wila but unfortunately that didn't change anything.

[SmittyP]

I had the same issue. Try running the command prompt as Administrator.