VMware KB: Installing VMware Tools in a Windows virtual machine

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Installing VMware Tools in a Windows virtual machine (1018377)

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Purpose
This article provides steps to install VMware Tools in a Windows guest operating system. The article uses Windows 2008, but the same basic steps should apply to other versions of Windows. Note: For an overview of installing VMware Tools, see Overview of VMware Tools (340). For general installation instructions, see General VMware Tools installation instructions (1014294).

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KB: 1018377

Updated: Jun 5, 2013 Categories: How to Video Languages: English Product(s): VMware ESX VMware ESXi Product Version(s): VMware ESX 3.5.x VMware ESX 4.0.x VMware ESX 4.1.x VMware ESXi 3.5.x Embedded VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable VMware ESXi 5.0.x VMware ESXi 5.1.x

To install VMware Tools in a Windows guest operating system: 1. Ensure your Windows virtual machine is powered on. 2. Log into the virtual machine as a user with Administrative privileges. 3. When the desktop has loaded, click VM in the virtual machine menu, then click Guest > Install/Upgrade VMware Tools and click OK. 4. The installation wizard appears inside of the virtual machine's console. Note: If the VMware Tools installation does not start automatically, you may have CDROM Autorun disabled in your Windows environment. To manually run the installation double-click Computer and double-click on the CDROM to run it. 5. Follow the prompts in the wizard to complete the VMware Tools installation. Choose the Typical installation option. 6. When the VMware Tools installation has finished, restart the virtual machine for the changes to take effect.

To install VMware Tools in a Windows guest operating system without using GUI interface: 1. Ensure your Windows virtual machine is powered on.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1018377[30/07/2013 4:46:29 PM]

VMware KB: Installing VMware Tools in a Windows virtual machine 2. Log into the virtual machine as a user with Administrative privileges. 3. When the desktop has loaded, click VM in the virtual machine menu, then click Guest > Install/Upgrade VMware Tools and click OK. 4. Open the command prompt from Task Manager by selecting a new task option and entering cmd . 5. Change the directory to the CDROM drive letter. 6. When the VMware Tools installation has finished, restart the virtual machine for the changes to take effect.

To perform a silent, non-GUI with suppressed reboot VMware Tools installation in a Windows guest operating system: In ESXi 5.0.x and earlier versions, run this command: setup.exe /S /v"/qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress In ESXi 5.1.x, run this command:

setup.exe /S /v"/qn REBOOT=R "

Note: The installer may indicate if a reboot is necessary by exiting with ERROR_SUCCESS_REBOOT_REQUIRED. Alternatively, in vCenter Server, right-click a virtual machine, click Install/Upgrade VMware Tools, and enter this in the Advanced field: /S /v"/qn REBOOT="ReallySuppress" In vCenter Server 5.1.x, the Advanced field is:

/S /v"/qn REBOOT=R"
Notes: VMware Tools, and windows requires a reboot, if by chance you suppress this reboot the behavior of Windows and how it handles the VMXNET3 driver can be sporadic and could not work until a reboot is performed. E1000 will not suffer from this issue. If your problem still exists after trying the steps in this article, file a support request with VMware Support and note this Knowledge Base article ID (1018377) in the problem description. For more information, see How to Submit a Support Request.

Additional Information
For related information, see Installing VMware Tools in vSphere (2004754).

For translated versions of this article, see: Espaol: Instalar VMware Tools en una mquina virtual de Windows (2035427) Portugus: Como instalar o VMware Tools em uma mquina virtual Windows (2037234)

Tags
install-vmware-tools virtual-machine-vmtools install-vmware-tools-windows

See Also
Troubleshooting SVGA drivers installed with VMware Tools on Windows 7 and Windows 2008 running on ESXi/ESX 4.x/5.x General VMware Tools installation instructions WDDM and XPDM graphics driver support with WDDM and XPDM graphics driver support with ESX, ESXi, Workstation and Fusion Installing VMware Tools in vSphere Instalar VMware Tools en una mquina virtual de Windows Como instalar o VMware Tools em uma mquina virtual Windows Overview of VMware Tools

This Article Replaces

1006589,1003555

Update History
03/17/2010 - Updated with command line installation 10/08/2012 - Added note to contact VMware Support if issue persists 10/17/2012 - Added links to 1016770 and 1011709

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1018377[30/07/2013 4:46:29 PM]

VMware KB: Installing VMware Tools in a Windows virtual machine

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http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1018377[30/07/2013 4:46:29 PM]