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ghamel
Contributor
Contributor

"PCI to PCI Bridge" detected in loop

I saw the replies to this issue in the "VMware Fusion Beta" forum (which is locked), but nothing for this forum.

Every time that I boot into my virtual machine, I get the ~32 requests to install the "PCI to PCI Bridge" driver.

All of them fail, and for all of them I check the "don't prompt me agin" box.

After going through the installation procedure enough times, I eventually stop seeing the "PCI to PCI Bridge" notification. However, if I then reboot my VM, I get the new hardware installation requests all over again.

I am using a VM that was imported from a bootcamp partition.

VM is running Windows XP Pro SP3

I'm running on a MacBook Pro using Mac OS 10.5.5.

I just upgraded from VMware Fusion 1.1.3.

Any thoughts?

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38 Replies
admin
Immortal
Immortal

Did you update Tools?

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ghamel
Contributor
Contributor

Immediately after upgrading, I booted into my VM. When prompted to update the VM itself, I said yes. Then, after booting into Windows, I immediately updated VMware Tools.

Since then, I have tried repairing the installation (didn't help). I just recently completely uninstalled and then reinstalled VMware Tools. After rebooting, I again received the "PCI to PCI Bridge" messages and so I shut the machine down while waiting for replies to this thread.

I'll try clicking through all the dialogs again and see what happens...

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ghamel
Contributor
Contributor

I finished running the new hardware installer again. The issue still persists.

I'm a bit surprised that an issue like this would make it through to the final release - especially after showing up fairly prominently in the beta's discussion forums... That's embarrassing.

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Marko_T_
Contributor
Contributor

I have got the same problem with my sytem after upgrading to VMware Fusion 2.0. Have you found a solution for that embarressing PCI to PCI Loop. By the way I have to install all my hardware (like system clock) after rebooting the Windows XP. Have you come across with another community article?

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ChrisEdgington
Contributor
Contributor

I have the same problem. My VM is my bootcamp partition on my MBP running 10.5.5. Upgraded from Fusion 1.1.3. Continuous PCI to PCI bridge notices from XP.

-Chris

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ChrisEdgington
Contributor
Contributor

Clicking through all the prompts for installing the bridge eventually ends ... probably 30+ times that you have to do it though. Now everything is working fine in 2.0 for me.

-Chris

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ghamel
Contributor
Contributor

OK - after upgrading to Fusion 2.0, when I first started my old VM, I was prompted to upgrade the VM itself. I said yes to the upgrade. In addition, I initially tried to enable the "advanced 3D support". After I first noticed the "PCI to PCI Bridge" prompts, I disabled this option, but it didn't seem to make any difference.

Today, I noticed the "Downgrade Virtual Machine..." item under the "Virtual Machine" menu. I selected this and downgraded my VM. After rebooting, I installed VMware Tools again (actually, it did a "repair" of the old installation). Now, everything seems to be fine. I am running Fusion 2.0, but I am no longer prompted to install the "PCI to PCI Bridge".

So, I'm not sure what "Upgrading" the Virtual Machine is supposed to accomplish, but things seem to be OK for me now.

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tuaris
Contributor
Contributor

I would like to add that I also recive this after upgrading the virtual hardware on a Windows XP Pro SP2 guest on VMware Server 2.0 to hardware version 7. VMware tools were upgraded, with no change.

Also reciving this problem on a Windows ME guest on VMware 6.5 to hardware version 6.5. I am unable to upgrade VMWare tools.

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bigstick
Contributor
Contributor

This is a continual problem for me. It started when I installed the beta, and has persisted through the final release. VMWare - please note that this is not a one-time issue. I have dismissed all 32 notifications more times than I care to remember and would have thought you would have had a proper fix for this with the final version.

Dismissing the dialogs once is fine, but every time the VM starts is more than annoying. In fact it looks just like a 'bug' to me.The range of hardware that is supported is not huge, so it ought to be possible to get a driver which works. I switched to Fusion from Parallels, and it doesn't have this problem.

Can we have a fix please?

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Pat_Lee
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

If Windows XP isn't loading your the drivers correctly for the PCI to PCI Bridge, it sounds like the Windows Driver Cache could be corrupt as this is a standard Windows driver.

To rebuild the Windows driver cache, do the following:

Start your virtual machine and log in if necessary. Immediately (before clicking on anything in new hardware wizard) go to Start > Run, and start cmd.exe. Then do

c:

cd \windows\inf

del infcache.1

exit

After that click on 'Next' in hardware wizard. It will take a looong time since the whole infcache needs to be regenerated, but after that it should install driver for first new device. After installing first device when asked to click 'Finish', just restart the virtual machine.

After restarting Windows, log in again, and you will hopefully have prompt-less installation of drivers for all hardware you have...

Once that phase completes (icon with two screwdrivers or what it should mean in the corner disappears) then it necessary to go to Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager, and right click and ask for 'update driver' for all devices for which he already selected 'do not ask me again' when things were broken and just click twice on Next> button, and then once 'Finish'.

Hope that helps.

Pat

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gwsat
Contributor
Contributor

Pat -- After I upgraded from Fusion 1.3 to 2.0 earlier today I got in the infamous PCI to PCI Bridge loop. I then came here looking for help and found this thread. I followed your instructions to delete the infcache.1 file and then restart the Virtual Machine rather than clicking finish after the installation of the new PCI stuff was complete. It didn't work. I continue to have the PCI to PCI Bridge loop. I also get a Windows message every time recommending that I stop installation because PCI standard to PCI Bridge "had not passed Windows Logo testing." I told it to continue installation, anyway, but I remain in the loop. What else can I do? This is a real mess that I can't get solved and hope that VMware can do something about.

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bigstick
Contributor
Contributor

I'm still in the PCI bridge loop hell I'm afraid. The instructions didn't really change anything so I have a similar situation to gwsat.

This is an annoying glitch that we really shouldn't be having. Come on, let's have a 'proper' fix please Smiley Wink

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bigstick
Contributor
Contributor

Still no response, still no fix. This is embarrassing. Come on VMWare - we need a fix. I have about 16 entries in Device manager for PCI to PCI bridge, yet every time I start the VM I am still prompted for a driver for it. We need a fix.

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RDPetruska
Leadership
Leadership

Still no response, still no fix. This is embarrassing. Come on VMWare - we need a fix. I have about 16 entries in Device manager for PCI to PCI bridge, yet every time I start the VM I am still prompted for a driver for it. We need a fix.Only 16 more to go, then. There are 32 of them.

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bigstick
Contributor
Contributor

Are you saying that we need to accept the PCI to PCI bridge driver installation 32 times and have 32 of these devices listed under Device Manager?

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bgertzfield
Commander
Commander

Are you saying that we need to accept the PCI to PCI bridge driver installation 32 times and have 32 of these devices listed under Device Manager?

Normally, this driver is installed automatically when Windows detects the new PCI devices. We've found a few situations where Windows refuses to do this.

How did you install this copy of Windows? Is it an OEM copy, a retail copy, or did you obtain it through other means?

If you don't want the PCI to PCI bridges, you can either downgrade the virtual hardware (shut down the machine and go to the menu Virtual Machine -> Downgrade Virtual Machine...) or shut it down and change the pciBridge lines in the .vmx file to FALSE.

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gwsat
Contributor
Contributor

After reading the recommendation that the PCI to PCI Bridge loop would finally end it you tried it 32 times, I decided to try it myself and kept score. It took 22 separate iterations of the driver installation routine to get the job done but it finally did. I should be grateful, I suppose, that it worked at all but it still isn't very good. Does anybody know whether all of this starts over again if you reboot Windows?

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bigstick
Contributor
Contributor

It's an OEM version. If I can find a driver that works and point the installation to it, great, if not - it's a problem. Does anyone have any links to drivers that work?

What are the implications of downgrading? does this mean I go back to V1.x instead of V2?

What does this driver do, and what are the implications of changing the .vmx file?

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bgertzfield
Commander
Commander

It's an OEM version.

Thanks! Where did you get this OEM version? We need to get a version in-house so we can reproduce this problem; using retail and MSDN versions of Windows, we can't reproduce this issue.

If I can find a driver that works and point the installation to it, great, if not - it's a problem. Does anyone have any links to drivers that work?

The drivers that come with retail and MSDN versions of Windows definitely work.

What are the implications of downgrading? does this mean I go back to V1.x instead of V2?

No, it just changes the virtual hardware and removes the PCI to PCI Express bridge devices.

What does this driver do, and what are the implications of changing the .vmx file?

The driver lets you attach PCI Express devices to your virtual machine. Changing the VMX file means you won't be able to attach PCI Express devices to your virtual machine.

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