VMWare Workstation 14 (vmware-vmx.exe) high CPU and VM unresponsive

[fonbr01]

Since VMware 15 has become available, suddenly all my VMs are hanging/unresponsive from time to time.  The VMs startup and operate seemingly normal.  After some short amount of time vmware-vmx.exe starts pegging a CPU core, and the VM is unresponsive.  I'm not able to control it, and if I try to stop or shutdown the VM, nothing happens.  Any suggestions???

Core i7

32GB or RAM

Dual SSDs

Win10 1809 (Core Isolation/Memory Integrity option in Windows Security is OFF)

VMWare 14 has been running for a while without issue, and suddenly it's freeze city here...

[fonbr01 · Accepted solution]

I have upgraded to the VMware 15 trial, and now network auto-bridging is not working.  Have tried all the usual solutions, re-install tools, reset network, reboot, etc, with no luck.  Think this is end of the line for VMware and me.  Exporting to OVF and trying Oracle VM Virtual Box!

[AndrewPaxie]

I also experienced this issue, but waited a bit longer ... .

My version of VMware Workstation Pro is 15.0.0 build-10134415.

I found that the UI (vmware.exe) hung just after switching between tabs of my guests.

After a few forced shutdowns I decided to watch what was going on using

Process Explorer (procmon.exe).

The results showed that the UI was performing a directory scan of a new volume

that I had just mounted.  This volume had 1,457,045 items occupying 2.29 TB

of space (you read that right).

After 8 or so hours the UI became responsive once more.

Hint to VMware developers and testers: check the scalability of your application

before shipping.

If you must perform a directory scan like this, try to move the callbacks onto

a thread other than the one(s) running a message loop.

Try looking at code around umi::dnd::CopyPaste::UpdateRemoteClipboard,

it may have something to do with this UI freeze.

[icebreaker1]

So it's been almost 3 years, I am on VMWare Workstation Pro 16, this is still happening and my only guest (Ubuntu 20.04) freezes from time to time for a very long time, vmware-vmx.exe hogs on CPU and renders the guest un-usable for very, very long times.

Shame on VMWare, big shame.

[wila]

Make sure that your antivirus excludes the virtual machine files.

--
Wil

[timothysampair]

I am running vmware workstation pro 16.2.3 and this problem has been plaquing me since version 14. The issue came as a update to windows 10. I left vmware workstation and went to virtualbox for a year, until another MS windows update took virtualbox out. I switch back to vmware and the problem wasn't there until another update from microsoft.

This performance impacts my host machine where everything freezes for any where from 10 to 15 seconds or longer. All typing is lost during the freeze. I can't take it any longer and it appears the VMware doesn't test their code or even appear to be working on a resolution to this poor performance. I am going to switch to virtualbox again and tell Siemens to cancel my subscription to this poor tool.

[wila]

Hi,

While it is easy to blame VMware, my bet is that if you open the vmware.log and search for:

"monitor mode" (without the quotes)

that it says "ULM" behind it and not "CPL0"

and that would explain everything... (and it wouldn't really be a VMware issue, but a Microsoft one)

--
Wil

[timothysampair]

Monitor Mode: CPL0

 

[wila]

That's too bad.
Then I don't know why you're having trouble.

--
Wil