Unable to create bridged adapter after installing WS16

[DPinsk]

Hello, Community:

VMware Workstation 16.1.0 build-17198959 on Windows 10 1909 (patched to 01-2021)

Problem: Unable to create dedicated bridged NIC/adapter. Receive attached "no unbridged host network adapter" message when attempting to change to bridging on a new adapter in Virtual Network Editor, also unable to modify automatic bridging. VMware Bridge Protocol is not presented as an option when modifying a defined NIC -- and is not even available to as an option install as a service (was initially available, but would not allow).

Troubleshooting steps:

-  "Restore Defaults" in Virtual Network Editor run several times - no change

- VMware Workstation "Repair" and also complete remove/reinstall (both with and without preserving configuration) 

- Do not have Player installed, not finding other relevant hits in VMware Community 

Thanks for reading.

[DPinsk]

Update: uninstalled Workstation 16 and installed backrevved version 15.1.1, and...  the VMnet0 auto-bridged adapter is back (attached), and so is the bridge protocol service. I was able to set auto-bridging to one adapter, then create VMnet2 and assign my dedicated second NIC, as normal.

Feeling like a bug with WS16. Keeping the rev at 15.5.1 for now to fire up my VM's and get some stuff done, but will try to see what happens when upgrading to 16 soon. 

[DPinsk · Accepted solution]

One last update to try and save others from the same pain. Short answer: upgrading to WS 16 appears to NOT have broken bridging.

Found the root cause the hard way: needed to repair corrupt Microsoft Visual C++ redistributable (or reinstall with new, I assume). This is a new Win10 box with very little on it, so not sure how they would have gotten that way (Windows updates or VMware WS?), but here is the detail version:  

With WS 15.5.1 installed (correcting version from last post), received snapshot permission and other permission errors when trying to start my VM's that had been copied to my new box. Allowed full permissions recursively to all folders: no change. Updated to 15.5.7: no change. 

When runing WS as Administrator, received an error for "Missing VCRUNTIME140.dll". After a quick search, ran repair on both Visual C++ instances (x86, x64), rebooted and boom - permissions errors stopped. Now able to boot my VM with all operating normally, I was then able to get my out-of-band (OOB) WiFi NIC set up and active for my VM's.

Thanks for reading.