Guest operating system Windows 2000 and earlier, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, and later support VMware Tools.
Prerequisites
- 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.
Procedure
Results
If you are using vCenter Server, the VMware Tools label on the Summary tab changes to OK.
What to do next
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.