Manually Installing VMware Tools on a Windows Virtual Machine

Guest operating system Windows 2000 and earlier, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and later support VMware Tools.
  • Power on the virtual machine.
  • Verify that the guest operating system is running.
  • For vSphere virtual machines, determine whether you have the latest version of VMware Tools. In the vSphere Client inventory, select the virtual machine and click the
    Summary
    tab.
  • For Workstation Player, Fusion, and Workstation Pro virtual machines, if you connected the virtual machine’s virtual CD/DVD drive to an ISO image file when you installed the operating system, change the setting so that the virtual CD/DVD drive is configured to autodetect a physical drive.
    The autodetect setting enables the virtual machine's first virtual CD/DVD drive to detect and connect to the VMware Tools ISO file for a VMware Tools installation. This ISO file looks like a physical CD to your guest operating system. Use the virtual machine settings editor to set the CD/DVD drive to autodetect a physical drive.
  • Log in as an administrator unless you are using an older Windows operating system. Any user can install VMware Tools in a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME guest operating system. For operating systems later than these, you must log in as an administrator.
  • If you use vSphere and plan to install the Guest Introspection Thin Agent driver, see the system requirements listed in the
    vShield Quick Start Guide
    . The vShield component is not installed by default. You must perform a custom installation and include that component.
  • The AppDefense component is not installed by default. You must perform a custom installation and include that component.
  1. Select the menu command to mount the VMware Tools virtual disk on the guest operating system.
    VMware Product
    Action
    vSphere Client (HTML5)
    Right-click the virtual machine and select
    Guest OS
    Install (or Upgrade) Tools
    vSphere Client
    Inventory
    Virtual Machine
    Guest
    Install/Upgrade VMware
    vSphere Web Client
    Right-click the virtual machine and select
    Guest OS
    Install (or Upgrade) VMware Tools
    Fusion
    Virtual Machine
    Install (or Upgrade) VMware Tools
    Workstation Pro
    VM
    Install (or Upgrade) VMware Tools
    Workstation Player
    Player
    Manage
    Install (or Upgrade) VMware Tools
  2. If you are using vCenter Server and are performing an upgrade or reinstallation, in the
    Install/Upgrade VMware Tools
    dialog box, select
    Interactive Tools Installation
    or
    Interactive Tools Upgrade
    and click
    OK
    .
    The process starts by mounting the VMware Tools virtual disc on the guest operating system.
  3. If you are installing VMware Tools for the first time, click
    OK
    on the Install VMware Tools information page.
    If autorun is enabled for the CD-ROM drive on the guest operating system, the VMware Tools installation wizard starts.
    If autorun is not enabled, to manually launch the wizard, click
    Start
    Run
    and enter
    D:\setup.exe
    , where
    D:
    is your first virtual CD-ROM drive. Use
    D:\setup64.exe
    for 64-bit Windows guest operating system.
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts.
    If you use vSphere, to install nondefault components, such as the Guest Introspection Thin Agent driver, select the
    Custom
    setup.
    If NSX Guest Introspection (GI) drivers are installed and you are using ‘Custom’ installation option in the Tools installer for upgrade, ensure that all installed GI drivers are upgraded during upgrade.
  5. If the New Hardware wizard appears, follow the prompts and accept the defaults.
    If you are installing a beta or RC version of VMware Tools and you see a warning that a package or driver is not signed, click
    Install Anyway
    to complete the installation.
  6. When prompted, reboot the virtual machine.
If you are using vCenter Server, the
VMware Tools
label on the
Summary
tab changes to
OK
.
If you upgraded VMware Tools as part of a vSphere upgrade, next determine whether to upgrade the virtual machines in your environment. To review and compare the hardware available for different compatibility levels, see the
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
documentation.