2.0.2: Updating Tools hangs at "gathering information" or elsewhere.

[Stokestack]

Hi all. I just updated to 2.0.2 on a Mac Pro running OS 10.5.6. I have a regular, English XP Pro SP3 VM that was created with Fusion.

After updating and launching Windows, I noticed that VMWare Tools started updating all by itself without my having to manually run setup.exe (since I have Autorun turned off for all drives, and that's the mechanism Fusion used to rely on for Tools installation). I looked for the temporary drive that the installer usually creates for the Tools installation, but it did not exist. That seemed like a big step forward until the update just stalled, barely into the progress bar. I killed the update with Task Manager and restarted the VM, and the Tools update made it much further but stalled again at "gathering required information". The Cancel button never works.

I killed the thing a second time and then went up to the Fusion menu and said "Install VMWare Tools". Nothing happened. So I looked again for the temporary drive mapping, and this time it existed. I clicked on it, and suddenly the installer launched. What the heck? It failed with an error 1500, saying that there was another installation in progress. I canceled everything and tried again, with the same result.

Is this a known defect?

Thanks!

[admin]

After updating and launching Windows, I noticed that VMWare Tools started updating all by itself without my having to manually run setup.exe (since I have Autorun turned off for all drives, and that's the mechanism Fusion used to rely on for Tools installation).

That's the mechanism we use to initially install Tools, but once they're installed, we can be more clever and not be forced to use disk images and autorun (if you're interested, using the same mechanisms we use for Unity/HGFS shared folders/live resizing/etc.) Automatic Tools update can be disabled if you want.

Is this a known defect?

There's a known issue with 2.0.2 build 146107 where Tools would not update properly on non-English versions of Windows; this is fixed with 2.0.2 build 147997. Have you tried uninstalling Tools, rebooting the guest, and installing Tools?

[Stokestack]

Thanks for the info. Based on some other threads, I tried to remove Tools by quickly canceling the update at startup. But trying to remove Tools through the Control Panel resulted in this message: User SYSTEM has previously initiated an installation for product VMware Tools. That user will need to run that installation again before using that product. Your current installation will now continue."

I said to continue, and then it said, "Error 1705.A previous installation for this product is in progress. You must undo the changes made by that installation to continue. Do you want to undo those changes?"

I said yes, and after some reverse progress-bar animation, the installer said it had to restart the system to continue. So I said restart. At that point I didn't know whether it was the Tools update or removal that it was going to "continue" with. After whatever it was finished, a visit to "Add/remove programs" showed Tools still installed, with a version of 7.9.5.4031. But "Update VMware Tools" was still enabled in the Fusion menu, so I figured this is not the new version. Once again I tried removing it. Seemed to work. Another restart.

Tools were gone this time. Went to the Fusion menu, kicked off the install, went to the drive and ran setup.exe, and the installation stalled about 15% of the way in. I killed the thing, restarted yet again, and tried again. Stalled at the exact same place.

It's too bad that this is so broken. I assume that there are serious technical hurdles involved, but it's just killing the product, at least for me. I don't have hours to waste on this, every damned time there's an update.

[admin]

Can you check for Tools installation logs as in ?

[Stokestack]

Attached the logs. There are some successes, and then a failure. The installer is still hanging, a day or so later. I can't tell what the successes are (I figure they're rollbacks), but hopefully they'll make sense in the context of the steps I described above. Odd that there's only one failure log.

Attachment(s)

ToolsInstallLogs.zip   128 KB 1 version

[Stokestack]

And now I have a Windows update 1 of 2 that has been installing for several hours as a part of shutdown. From experience I know that this means the VM is entirely trashed, since there's no way to get it out of this state.

Yay.

[admin]

From experience I know that this means the VM is entirely trashed, since there's no way to get it out of this state.

It's unclear if you know this but have you tried forcing the virtual machine to power off (hold option while selecting Virtual Machine > Power Off)?

[Stokestack]

No, thank you very much. Last time this happened, nobody mentioned this capability. The only responses consisted of, well, you should have a backup (which I do this time).

That said, it is absolutely insufferable to have SECRET MENU ITEMS like this. It has to be the worst UI convention I've ever seen. Is the user supposed to visit every menu, pressing every modifier key and combination thereof, to discover these Easter eggs? Let's say there are five menus in the Fusion menu bar.

(five menus) * (every combination of three modifier keys) = 35 different menus

Just to be charitable, I searched the doc for "shut down" and looked at "Shutting Down a Virtual Machine's Operating System" and the only thing it links to: "Options for VMware Fusion Power Commands". Neither of them mentions the secret key combo as far as I can see.

Guys, this menu must be fixed. Last time this happened, I had to reinstall an OS and every application, because a critical option was kept secret. Our time is not free, so make damn sure you don't waste it like this.

Again, thanks for the info.

[admin]

It's a standard Mac-ism - try it in other apps, such as the Finder. Perhaps not the most obvious, but we're following Apple's lead here. It's also come up numerous times in the forums.

I suspect nobody suggested it last time because you jumped to the conclusion that things were unfixable before people had a chance to respond.

[Stokestack]

Thanks for your response.

It's a standard Mac-ism - try it in other apps, such as the Finder. Perhaps not the most obvious, but we're following Apple's lead here.

It's possible, so let's do it? This design doesn't withstand any common-sense evaluation. I don't see it in other popular apps, like Photoshop (which would be a prime candidate because of its strong Mac heritage, populous menus, and otherwise hokey design). And holding the Finder out as any kind of example really doesn't make a case; even most Apple fans hate the Finder, for good reason. And finally, it stands to reason that if people are running a VM under the Mac OS, they're used to another OS and are not going to be aware of this execrable menu design.

>I suspect nobody suggested it last time because you jumped to the conclusion that things were unfixable before people had a chance to respond.

Nope. My original question, the last time this happened:

"Hi all.

Windows XP is perpetually installing update 1 of 5. It never finishes. So how do I get out of the installation routine?

Thanks."

I only concluded that the thing was hosed after no one responded, and that's when the "you should have a backup" response arrived. I only waited a day or so, but there'd been plenty of traffic.

Were the logs helpful at all?

[Stokestack]

So, WMWare Tools is still hanging at install, and I posted some logs.

Did those logs reveal anything? What do we do about this?

Thanks.

[WoodyZ]

Here is what I'd try and after trying this if it fails post the new log files...

Backup the Virtual Machine Package and or User Data and or take a Snapshot and or set a Restore Point.

Download the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility from Microsoft and install it in the target Virtual Machine and then use it to remove VMware Tools from the Installed Products: List when you run the Windows Installer Clean Up.

Temporarily turn of any Real Time Anti-Virus Scanning and disconnect the Virtual Machine's Network.

Now try installing VMware Tools...

VMware Fusion (menu bar) > Help > VMware Fusion Help > Creating Virtual Machines > VMware Tools > Installing or Upgrading VMware Tools in a Windows Virtual Machine

==========

Reference: Description of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility

[Stokestack]

Thanks for the suggestion, Woody, but VMware Tools doesn't appear in the Installer Clean Up list. It has already been removed.

I removed all pending Microsoft updates as well.

VMware Tools still hangs at 20% of the way into the installation, and there's nothing in the log about it.

[Stokestack]

So did the logs I provided reveal anything?

[MALandre]

I lived with the same problem ever since my update to Version 2.0.2 Built 146107.

I solved this problem by downloading the latest Built and simply installing it

without uninstallingVersion 2.0.2 Built 146107.

I have a MacPro (early 2008) running Mac OS X Version10.5.6

With my best regards,

Michael A. Landré

[Stokestack]

Thanks very much, Michael. I installed the latest build (147997) but the problem continues, exactly the same. I even tried copying the Tools installer files to a folder on the desktop and installing from there.

So, VMware peeps, did those logs I posted provide any clues?

This pretty much kills the product.

[Stokestack]

So I restored my VM from a backup and the VMware Tools updater launched when it detected the out-of-date installation. Sure enough, it hung at the same place.

This release appears to be thoroughly hosed.

[WoodyZ]

Can you try the following...

Restore the Virtual Machine from Backup again and before starting it edit the Virtual Machine's .vmx configuration file and change the following parameter...

tools.upgrade.policy = "upgradeAtPowerCycle" TO tools.upgrade.policy = "manual"

Note: This must be done with Fusion closed and the Virtual Machine hopefully was not suspended when you backed it up.

Now boot the Virtual Machine and uninstall VMware Tools from Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs and then reboot.

Download the Windows Installer Clean Up Utility from Microsoft and install it in the target Virtual Machine and then use it to remove VMware Tools from the Installed Products: List, if it exists, when you run the Windows Installer Clean Up.

Temporarily turn off any Real Time Anti-Virus Scanning and disconnect the Virtual Machine's Network.

Delete any install logs in C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Local Settings\Temp

Now try installing VMware Tools...

VMware Fusion (menu bar) > Help > VMware Fusion Help > Creating Virtual Machines > VMware Tools > Installing or Upgrading VMware Tools in a Windows Virtual Machine

If the install of VMware Tool fails this time archive and attach the install logs.

==========

Reference: Description of the Windows Installer CleanUp Utility

[Stokestack]

Hey Woody,

Thanks for those ideas. I went back to an older backup and was able to update it with the new Tools, so for now it looks like I'll get by with it.