Need some serious help with VMWare Workstation 8

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Proxy

Pumpkin Ghost
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Apr 24, 2005
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I have VMWare Workstaion 8, and just recently reinstalled Windows 8.1, same core drivers as the original install of the host OS. I keep my VM's on my storage drive. After reinstalling my host OS, whenever I shutdown a VM, or close Workstation Explorer.exe hangs. When I check the event viewer I see "Application Hang". I have NEVER had this issue before. My original install of W8.1 didn't do this, and the core drivers (chip-set, etc) are the same. I can't figure out what changed. Any ideas?
 
Permissions might need to be reset on the vm folders?
Even though they are the same as before, the os/user account was redone
 
I will check the VM folders. I didn't think of that. Interesting after what you said I realized that VMWare never asked me if I moved or copied my VM after powering it on for the first time after the reinstall.
 
Changed the permissions, and ran my usual work load (that's why the late response) and the system hard locked again after I shutdown my VM's and closed workstation.
 
Another update: I created a new VM to do my work from, and it's been running fine. I can shutdown the VM, and close workstation without it crashing the host. I have zero idea what happened to my old VM but it's hosed. Or so it would seem. I check the folder permissions again, and they were correct.
 
Proxy said:
Another update: I created a new VM to do my work from, and it's been running fine. I can shutdown the VM, and close workstation without it crashing the host. I have zero idea what happened to my old VM but it's hosed. Or so it would seem. I check the folder permissions again, and they were correct.
Click to expand...

Are 'datastores' still in VMware workstation nowadays? If so, I think a GUID identifier is assigned for disc volumes in Windows and when you went to 8.1 that GUID changed while VMware workstation remembered the old one. I remember having this problem in VMware server 2.something.
So, maybe backup your VMs and configs and re-add your datastore pool?
 
I didn't see anything that said data stores, where might I check that?
 
Proxy said:
I didn't see anything that said data stores, where might I check that?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I will have to talk from my ass from now on as I have limited experience with that version.
Have a look here: virtxpert

I also see a way to access the config file directly - look at the top here: Workstation 8 "could not find shared vm path" | VMware Communities
Make a backup of this file and then see if there are any references to GUIDs.
GUIDs explained: Naming a Volume (Windows)

That's all I've got sadly
 
Proxy said:
Another update: I created a new VM to do my work from, and it's been running fine. I can shutdown the VM, and close workstation without it crashing the host. I have zero idea what happened to my old VM but it's hosed. Or so it would seem. I check the folder permissions again, and they were correct.
Click to expand...

Had you already tried to uninstall/re-install VMtools on the old VMs then??
 
Netwerkz101 said:
Had you already tried to uninstall/re-install VMtools on the old VMs then??
Click to expand...

Damn, I didn't even think to do that, it's so basic. Man I feel dumb. I'll re-install VMWare tools and see what that does for me. Thanks man. I was so busy trouble shooting the host I didn't even think about that.
 
Well never mind... I just shut down my VM for the day and closed workstation, and my host hard-locked. It took it a good 5 min before it did it this time though.
 
Netwerkz101 said:
But the new VM still works and does not cause the same issue at shutdown?
Click to expand...

Sorry, in my last post I was referring to the new VM. I shut it down, and about 5 minutes later after closing workstation my host hard-locked.
 
No clue then ..... The virtual environment didn't change ... only a reload of the host OS.
Reinstalled the VM Tools.

You had to re-install VMware Workstation .... did you look for updates/patches for it???
What about the host OS ... is it patched - completely up to date?
 
Netwerkz101 said:
No clue then ..... The virtual environment didn't change ... only a reload of the host OS.
Reinstalled the VM Tools.

You had to re-install VMware Workstation .... did you look for updates/patches for it???
What about the host OS ... is it patched - completely up to date?
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm at a loss as well. I have confirmed it is VMWare itself. As long as I don't close workstation it's fine. I can shutdown VM's all day long. It's the second I close workstation it craps out. Maybe Workstation 8 and W8.1 has some sort of issue that somehow didn't show before the reinstall of the host OS. I was running W8.1 before. I might need to get the latest edition of Workstation. Maybe some odd comparability issue. I do ruin it as administrator so it's not a lack of rights. I've reinstalled it... Well, a lot, so it's not a corrupt install.
 
Workstation 8 wasn't supported on windows 8 until four or patch updates in to the software. I'd check to make sure you have the latest version of workstation 8 loaded, which is 8.0.6 and can be downloaded from your vmware account
 
Eickst said:
Workstation 8 wasn't supported on windows 8 until four or patch updates in to the software. I'd check to make sure you have the latest version of workstation 8 loaded, which is 8.0.6 and can be downloaded from your vmware account
Click to expand...

I think that may have been it. I upgraded this morning to 8.0.6, and this evening when I closed it for the day the system didn't freeze. So I think Workstation just needed to be updated. Thank you guys for the ideas!
 
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