Wow... what a piece of crap.
VMWare Tools will not install when trying to install Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard.
This all started since VMWare Workstation Pro version 14. This is reliably reproduced across 12 different Windows 10 systems. So it's not like this is some kind of corner case or machine-specific.
So we have to go through a huge rigmarole (that means "real pain in the ass hassle" for all you non-English speaking individuals) to install VMWare Tools. Have to install the updates via a USB flash drive before VMWare Tools will install.
If during install of VMWare Tools the VM states that KB2919355 cannot be verified as being installed, then
install the updates in this folder in the following order (search for them online; Microsoft takes the links to this kind of stuff down all the time - so if you cannot find it then complain to Microsoft... another misfit operation):
1. Windows8.1-KB2919442-x64.msu
2. clearcompressionflag.exe
3. Windows8.1-KB2919355-x64.msu
It's not like VMWare doesn't know about all of this because it has been reported numerous times.
And no, this is not a Microsoft Windows issue, this is a VMWare issue. The ISO used to create the VM is the one that has been used for years - and it has never changed - and it has always worked until Workstation Pro 14. What changed is VMWare Workstation Pro.
