After VMware Tools upgrade machine is in broken status

[ThomasWehner]

ESXi 6.7 - virtual machine is a Windows Server 2019 Standard

I have 2 machines with same symptoms. Could be there are more.
Machine is working fine since 1 year.
When i try to update the existing VMware Tools 11297 to the newest the setup procedure stops at the point where the first driver will be installed (EFI). It's about 66%. I get an error which says driver can't be installed.
After that, the LAN Adapter driver isn't working anymore.
A second try to install the tools diddn't work. (Registry information is broken)
A manual install of the drivers didn't work.
My only resolution at this time is an restore from the backup.
How can i update my machines?

[christianZ]

Hi,

are the vms booting over bios or efi boot/configuration of vm, vm options?

Reg

Christian

[ThomasWehner]

They both booting over "Bios".

[christianZ]

Hi,

just the first thought, but now I checked this on our win2019 vms and some of them are on bios boot, but don`t make any problems by tools updates.

Can you clone one of vms and then test it w/o network?

What a vm versions have you there?

Reg

Christian Z.

[ThomasWehner]

I now deinstalled the nic an rebooted the computer. After that i tried to update VMware Tools to 11.3.0.
Didn't work. Same error.

After that i tried to install VMware tools an deselect all drivers.
This works an the icon in the taskbar shows V11.3.0

After that i reboot and try to install the drivers afterwards.
Same error.

I'm a little step forward but i tried now many ways. (I think 10 different possibilities.)
No luck.

[christianZ]

Spoiler

Hi,


just found this here: Unable to upgrade existing VMware Tools (1001354)



Reg

Christian Z.

[ThomasWehner]

Sorry.

But i can deinstall the actual tools 11.3.1 without problems.
I can upgrade or install VMwarte tools 11.3.6
We have over 80 virtual windows machines.
These two are the only one where it didn't work.

I tried:
- uninstalling an installing 11.3.1 and upgrade to 11.3.6
- uninstalling 11.3.1 an installing 11.3.6
- upgrading directly to 11.3.6
- deinstall 11.3.1, deinstall nic , reboot, install 11.3.6
- uninstall 11.3.1, cleaning registry, reboot, install 11.3.6
- upgrade .NET Framework 4.8 manual, install 11.3.6
- upgrade from 11.3.1 to a different one
- uninstall 11.3.1 and install 11.3.6 in automatic mode
...but now my options went down....
...i have no more ideas

The 2 machines are working without problems as long i didn't update the tools. But this is not a solution.