Posted on 10/07/2019 8:51:26 AM PDT by dayglored
Desperate users tinkering with compatibility system to get up and running again
Windows 10 users have been complaining since the weekend that VMware Workstation no longer runs after a cumulative Windows 10 Update prevents it from starting.
Only older versions of VMware Workstation are affected, but even users willing to pay for an upgrade may face other compatibility issues.
The culprit seems to be KB4517211, which upgrades Windows 10 to build 18362.387. Although not mentioned in the knowledgebase, this update adds entries to the Windows Compatibility database, the result being that attempting to run VMware Workstation 14 or below gives the message "VMware Workstation Pro can't run on Windows".
In a thread on Microsoft's site, one affected user complained that upgrading their 100 VMware Workstation licences would cost €11,500.
There are other factors, though. A user trying to run the networking software GNS3 found that after upgrading, the software no longer worked. In addition, newer versions of VMware do not work on some older processors, so an upgrade is not always possible.
Windows maintains this kind of compatibility information in a Shim Database called sysmain.sdb. This is part of the Application Compatibility Framework which is able to patch applications on the fly as well as informing the user of compatibility issues. Some desperate users (not only in the VMware case) have tried replacing this file with an older version to get blocked applications to run.
This is not a sound strategy, since it is a system component and tinkering with it could have unpredictable affects on other applications or system stability. In addition, relaxing permissions on sysmain.sdb could make it a security vulnerability.
That said, some users who have done this subsequently reported that VMware 14 then works, leaving them puzzled as to why Microsoft chose to block it.
Another solution is to block the update, but it seems likely that a future update will cause the problem to return. Blocking updates is also not a good long-term strategy, since it leaves Windows 10 vulnerable to security issues.
Plenty of old applications run well on Windows 10 and in general compatibility is fair. Low level applications like hypervisors are more likely to run into issues though, making this type of problem understandable. What is needed is a better mechanism for flagging the issues in advance so that admins have a chance to prepare. ®
Just asking, do see much VM migration from user workstations to servers?
I could see that for testing, but even usIng VMWare, I create and tests VMs on a server before moving to production.
I’m getting more and more used to running them (VMs) in the cloud. They’re always available, never have to worry about migrating to different platforms, and the cloud vendor has to ensure the host always is up and running.
I use Azure, as Microsoft gives MVPs a free account. Maybe I’m just lazy.
If this actually also breaks HyperV I will take back the accusation and give them some benefit of the doubt due. :)
Yup, penny wise but pound foolish. Those two days of support and lost production usually cost me than the savings.
The latest Windows 10 ALSO seemed to install McAfee anti-virus- which I DID NOT WANT because I like and pay for Avast.
I refuse to use McAfee for the reason you stated.
Back in the day I put in a 3.5 floppy disk that I had not used in like 5 years, and McAfee suddenly popped up saying it had a virus, and I had to pay to have it fixed. This was impossible because it was a newer virus on a 5 year old disk. I knew they were screwing around.
MS has warned against keeping old VMs. At my Job I held on as long as allowed.
I don’t think so, but I staffed at Ignite last year in Orlando in the Azure booths and we were passing out these stickers with “Microsoft Hearts VMWare” to everyone.
The Server guys didn’t even have a Hyper-V booth.
I think it is just becoming an OS function/role, like Notepad or Fle Server.
To be fair VMWare workstation pro is up to version 15.5.
I have caught both Mcafee and Norton playing games like that many times over the years. I finally removed all antivirus ware from my system and just downloaded AVG about every six months to check my system then removed it. In the last ten years before installing linux I never got one virus even though I had no antivirus. I had lots when I did have either Mcafee or Norton installed. This result was self explanatory to me.
My team has been running VMWare Workstation pro for years and it’s a solid product. We use it mainly to do app testing/OS testing etc. It’s cheaper than spinning up a VM on the Vsphere.
I just don’t trust them, Their business model sucks and I wouldn’t put anything past them. The whole “incompetence” assumption with all this I don’t fall for at all. :)
Something to be aware of, if you runVMware Workstation on Linux. Workstation as of 15.x still uses a Linux kernel library function “gettimeofday()” which was deprecated long ago and finally removed in Kernel 5.x, which is used (for example) in the latest Ubuntu 18.04 LTS release. As a result, if you have Ubuntu 18.04, and want to run VMware Workstation, you either have to revert the Kernel to 4.x, or wait patiently for VMware to stop using an obsolete function. Very annoying.
Thanks for the info! We’re primarily a Microsoft shop, but still good to know.
As I understand, the problem is Hyper-v which effectively disables VT-x or AMT-v hardware virtualization.
OS/2 virtuals and I understand some linux and ubuntu OSes which require hardware virtualization are affected.
There are posts about this on VirtualBox forums.
Thank you so much for your time to reply! As a linux/VB user I was very curious how an MS goof could indirectly affect Linux.
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