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DougBaer
Commander
Commander

Unable to install VMware Tools on VM running on ESXi v4

When I try to install the VMware tools into a new Windows VM running on the release version of ESXi 4 (build 164009), I get the following message and it fails.

"Initiated VMware Tools install or upgrade Unable to install VMware Tools. An error occurred while trying to access image file "/usr/lib/vmware/isoimages/windows.iso" needed to install VMware Tools: No such file or directory."

Sure enough, there is no windows.iso on the host. Can I download this, or do I need to extract it from the 'classic' ESX install (that I don't currently have?). I currently have an ESXi-only environment.

Doug Baer, Solution Architect, Advanced Services, Broadcom | VCDX #019, vExpert 2012-23
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DougBaer
Commander
Commander

Update... there is no windows.iso under vmimages in the VIC, where I expected to see it, but I'm still tracking it down on the host side... I don't have console access to the box yet.

Doug Baer, Solution Architect, Advanced Services, Broadcom | VCDX #019, vExpert 2012-23
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Texiwill
Leadership
Leadership

Hello,

When you download ESXi you can also download a VMware Tools ISO. This is what contains the VMware Tools you will use within VMs on ESXi


Best regards, Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009
Now Available on Rough-Cuts: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment'[/url]
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'[/url]
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--
Edward L. Haletky
vExpert XIV: 2009-2023,
VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
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compgen27
Contributor
Contributor

I am trying to find the iso's as well. I cannot get VMware Tools upgraded on my virtual machines. Can anyone provide a location of the iso's?

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DougBaer
Commander
Commander

That is interesting -- it was not that way in the beta, and a clean install of ESXi seems to have the windows.iso file in the correct place. I logged in to re-download the ESXi media and don't see a VMware Tools ISO download option.

Unfortunately, I cannot currently get to the console of the host in question, so I've got other issues Smiley Sad

This is probably a stray problem -- but it happens on both of my current host machines. I am more curious to know what is throwing this error, especially if the files exist in the correct place within the filesystem of the ESXi host.

Doug Baer, Solution Architect, Advanced Services, Broadcom | VCDX #019, vExpert 2012-23
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Schorschi
Expert
Expert

Just got tripped up by this one as well. I stripped the Windows.iso from the ESXi (dd) file. Dropped it onto a visible datastore and got the deed done for a few critical VMs. What bugs me, is the file is there... on the USB image I am booting the ESXi hosts from, but vCenter is not presented the option to leverage it, this has to be a bug that just was not fixed.

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Chamon
Commander
Commander

I have not used v4 yet at all but for future referance you have to pull this out of the iso to gain acces to it after the install? It was ok in the beta but now there is this issue?

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AndreTheGiant
Immortal
Immortal

Unfortunately, I cannot currently get to the console of the host in question, so I've got other issues

http://professionalvmware.com/2009/05/26/unsupported-console-and-ssh-on-esxi-4/

Andre

**if you found this or any other answer useful please consider allocating points for helpful or correct answers

Andrew | http://about.me/amauro | http://vinfrastructure.it/ | @Andrea_Mauro
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Schorschi
Expert
Expert

There are 3 ways to resolve this. None official, but work. I have done all 3 at various times...

1) Extract the Windows.ISO from another host or the media, and drop it into where it should be. This requires back door COS access on ESXi and opening up SSH for file transfer. Not great for ESXi but for ESX classic, straight forward.

2) Copy the ISO to any visible datastore the ESXi host can see. Mount the ISO via the VM CD/DVD-ROM device, and then access the media with in the VM, run the Setup.exe for the tools, this works. It also works for VMs running Windows 2008 core, the CD/DVD-ROM is the next available drive letter for Core. This works for a small scale or lab environment. We PowerShell can be automated as well.

3) Copy the files out of the WIndows.ISO, bundle them in your favorite deployment tool or package method, be it Tivoli, Big-Fix, or whatever, and push the Package directly to the VM running Windows. We do this for our enterprise scale environment.

4) If this is a VMware bug? Open a SR and make them fix it? Ok, not really an option, but it would be the official way.

agreenbhm
Contributor
Contributor

I found this happened when I upgraded a ESXi 3.5 u4 host to ESXi 4 using the host update utility and the update zip file () . Everything seemed to go alright, except when I tried to install VMware Tools it said it couldn't find windows.iso.

The solution for me was to run the host update utility again with the same zip file. It automatically detected that components were missing (it said it couldn't find VMware tools) and asked if I would like to install the missing parts. When I clicked yes, it quickly added the missing components and now everything is the way it should be. Hope this helps!

DougBaer
Commander
Commander

My issue seems to be tied to the fact that I reinstalled ESXi over an existing install. For some reason, the partition table wasn't cleaned up and things got a little goofy with the filesystem. While the windows.iso file did seem to exist in the referenced path, when I tried to rename it (via the command line on the console), I got a 0-byte file.

I evacuated the host, wiped the partition table with parted and performed a fresh install of ESXi from the VMvisor install media. Works like a champ now.

Doug Baer, Solution Architect, Advanced Services, Broadcom | VCDX #019, vExpert 2012-23
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palm101
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I too have this problem. This is on a HP DL380 G6. Originally ESXi was installed on a SD card. Then I reinstalled ESXi on a RAID1 logical from the P410i.

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DSTAVERT
Immortal
Immortal

Try the update utility. I have had failed updates where the ESXi OS updated but tools or the VI client failed. After restarting the ESXi host re running the update utility updated the missing pieces.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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mlt
Contributor
Contributor

There is no VMware Tools ISO for download nor any other ISO where the windows.iso could easyly be extracted from when downloading the free ESXi 4.0 .

Currently I am not able to decipher the "VMware-VMvisor-big-171294-x86_64.dd" (from VMware-VMvisor-Installer-4.0.0-171294.x86_64.iso) where I expect the isos to find.

mlt

follow-up: Rebooting ESXi 4.0 after installation fixes the problem with vSphere Host Update Utility "Managed host installer scan failed : failed to load xml, code:

-1072896683, Only one top level element is allowed in an XML document."

After successful application of patches to ESXi 4.0.0, the VMware Tools are perfectly applicable to the windows guests.

Problem solved.

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blackrhino
Contributor
Contributor

I'm just starting on vmware ESXi4. This is my first deployment on a production server.

I aware that this is a "dirty hack". But I'll put it here because someone could improve it or find it useful.

I did a clean install of ESXi4 171294. I was trying to solve the jerky mouse problem (by the way, solved here: http://4sysops.com/archives/remote-control-of-vmware-workstation-using-rdp/)

and uninstalled vmware tools. When I tried to reinstall it, I got that message "windows.iso" not found.

I have unsupported SSH access to host and decided to take a look =/

In my case, seems that some symlinks wasn't properly configured... So, I solved the problem doing this on console (ssh):

1) locate file:

  1. cd /

  1. find -name windows.iso

+./vmfs/volumes/your-volume-here/packages/4.0.0/vmtools/windows.iso +

2) backup old link and create a new one pointing to vmtools directory:

  1. cd /usr/lib/vmware/

  2. mv isoimages isoimages.old

# ln -s /vmfs/volumes/your-vlume-here/packages/4.0.0/vmtools isoimages

It worked for me. As I don't have experience on vmware ESXi, I don't know if there is some side effect =/

So, If you decide to use it, be warned.

Best wishes.

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hopdog
Contributor
Contributor

where do I find the VMTOOLS WINDOWS ISO?

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