Has anyone seen where Windows 11 with the experimental TPM setting in the .vmx file ever started prompting for a password?
It's been working fine for months. Last night I did Windows updates to the host system (also Windows 11) and now I'm getting a password prompt on the VM.
Windows updates install on host last night:
KB4023057
KB5010474
KB5011493
So far I've tried:
- Tried a backup copy of the VM (a few weeks ago) - Gets same error. This should eliminate any .vmx file issue or any concerns of the VM itself being messed up I think.
- I tried copying the misc encryption keys from the .vmx and pasting them into the password box - No luck
- Did a repair on VMWare Workstation - Gets same error
- Rebooted 3 times - Same error
I'm unable to edit any setting in the VMWare GUI for the VM, everything is greyed out until I enter the password.
Other VMs like Windows10, Linux, etc work fine.
I may try uninstalling the Windows updates as a test, but wondering if anyone else has seen this first.
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Update 1:
I'm adding a quick note in case anyone else has this issue. I'm not sure if I fixed it or if it's just randomly working today, but I'll share my notes:
Issue again: This Windows 11 VM running on a Windows 11 host with the TPM entry added to the .vmx file had been working perfect for weeks. Through reboots, shutdowns, updates, snapshots, everything. No issues. Then one day after the host had Windows updates, the VM started asking for an encryption password as if it couldn't see the TPM or something?
Tried:
- I tried a backup copy of the VM that I made 3 weeks ago. I back up my VMs once a month, so this was a known good copy. It gave the same encryption error. This points to it not being an issue with the VM and instead being an issue with the host.
- I tried doing a repair on VMWare Workstation. Didn't help.
- Rebooted all the things of course.
- I have an old Windows 10 laptop with VMWare Workstation on it. I copied the VM to it, and it gave the same error 
- At this point, 2 different hosts and 2 copies of the Windows 11 VM all give the error (all other VMs, Win10, Linux work fine for me).
- I tried changing the system clock on the host back a few weeks thinking maybe it's some sort of expired cert. Same error.
Today I shutdown my laptop and came to the office to work (I had been working from home over a VPN), and for some reason the Windows 11 VM boots today. Both the old backup version of the VM and the current version work. This could be random, or it could be something that my laptop/VM needs from the domain that it can't pull over VPN. Not sure this helps, but leaving it help in case it does.
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Update 2:
I need to research why this is happening, but I have isolated a variable.
When I reboot my host, then try to open the Win11 VM, I get the VMWare encryption password prompt.
If I connect the host PC to the corporate VPN first, and THEN open the Win11 VM, the VM opens fine (no VMWare password prompt).
After this step, I can disconnect from the VPN and everything works fine until the next host reboot.
Not sure if this helps anyone, but I see a lot of people having issues around VMWare and Win11 encryption, so for what it's worth...
Hi,
I expect this to become a regular question ...
The following link might help, depending on a few details.
--
Wil
