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Troubleshooting a VMware hosted product that does not install (1005027)
Symptoms
You are unable to install VMware Workstation, Server, ACE, or Player
The installer exits with an unknown error
You receive an error indicating that a previous installation exists
You receive an error indicating that you do not have the proper permissions or enough free disk space
You receive an error indicating that another VMware product is installed
You receive one of these errors:
Package could not be installed on this machine.
Install of <product> failed. Contact VMware Support or your system administrator.
Purpose
This article guides you through troubleshooting an issue where you are unable to install a VMware hosted product (Workstation, Server, ACE, or Player).
The listed steps are appropriate for all cases, and the articles in the Additional Information section provide resolutions for specific cases. If you are seeing a specific error when you try to install, consult those articles. For example, if you are seeing an MSI error, see Troubleshooting an MSI error during a VMware Workstation installation (1031302).
Resolution
Each step below provides instructions and a link to a document, for performing the step and taking corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and to identify the proper resolution. They are also ordered in the most appropriate sequence to minimize data loss. After completing each step, try installing the product again. Work through each troubleshooting step in order, and do not skip a step.
Verify that you are not trying to install a virtualization product within a virtual machine. VMware does not support the installation of a virtualization product within another virtualization product. For more information, see Determining if you are running on a virtualized platform (1005436).
Verify that your user account has the correct permissions to install the product. These VMware products require administrative access to install. For more information, see Verifying sufficient permissions exist (1005410).
Confirm that you have enough disk space for the installed product and that you meet the other installation prerequisites. For more information, see the Host System Requirements section in the product's User's Guide.
Check for a previous installation of a VMware product. Most VMware products cannot coexist on the same computer. For more information, see the appropriate article:
Verify the health of your operating system. Most software does not install if there are issues with the underlying operating system. For more information, see Verifying the health of an operating system (1003956).
If these steps do not resolve your issue, see the Additional Information section for more resolutions.
If the issue continues to exist after trying the steps in this article, including any appropriate steps in the Additional Information section:
Collect the VMware Support information. For more information, see the Running the Support Script section of the Workstation 7 User Manual.
File a support request with VMware Support and quote this Knowledge Base article ID (1027805) in the problem description. For more information, see How to Submit a Support Request. .
Additional Information
For certain specific situations:
If you are using Terminal Services to connect to the server on which you are installing the product, verify that you are using install mode. For more information, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article 320185.
If you are connected to the computer via remote desktop or terminal services, disconnect and create the virtual machine using the physical console of the computer. Certain operations may fail when performed over a remote desktop (RDP) session.
You might also see certain specific failures. These articles may help:
