Vmware Workstation Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Windows 10

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If you get error “Failed to install the hcmon driver” during installing the VMware products (vSphere, Remote Console, etc.), don’t worry. You can fix the problem with one of the solutions in this article.

What is the HCMON driver?

Vmware Workstation Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Windows 10

HCMON driver is a virtual USB driver. It allows your physical USB ports to connect to the virtual machines.

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Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Vsphere Right-click My Computer and click Manage. To manually remove the hcmon.sys driver from the server: Right-click My Computer and click Manage. Click Device Manager. Click View Show hidden devices. Double-click Non-Plug and Play Drivers. Right-click VMware hcmon and click Uninstall. Rename the C:windowssystem32drivershcmon.sys file to hcmon. 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. What causes the HCMON driver error The HCMON drive is a virtual USB driver HCMon is a virtual USB driver to allow the connection of your physical USB ports to virtual machines. When your installing the your VMware product of choice, HCMON is installed as a hardware driver, which is the problem.

How to fix this error?

The error occurs can be due to different issues. We post the top 5 solutions in this article. You can fix this error with one of these solutions. You may not have to try them all. Just work your way down until you find the one that works for you.

Solution 1: Install the product as an administrator
Solution 2: Update the drivers
Solution 3: Remove the hcmon.sys driver
Solution 4: Install the product using PowerShell
Solution 5:Install .NET Framework 3.5.1

Solution 1: Install the product as an administrator

When you install the product, you’re required to install the hcmon driver. Windows may see this as a user adding hardware to the PC. But this user doesn’t have the permission to do that. In this case, this error may occur. Try to install the product as an administrator:

1) Right-click on the downloaded setup file.

2) Click Run as administrator. If you don’t see the option “Run as administrator”, this solution doesn’t apply to you. Skip then move on to other solutions.

Solution 2: Update the drivers

Corrupted drivers especially graphics drivers can cause this error. To fix the problem, try to update the drivers.

If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update the drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):

1)Downloadand install Driver Easy.

2) Run Driver Easy and clickScan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.

3) Click theUpdate button next to the flagged drivers to automatically download and install the correct version of their driver (you can do this with the FREE version). Or clickUpdate All to automatically download and install the correct version ofallthe drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).

Solution 3: Remove the hcmon.sys driver

The HCMON driver might be installed. One possible solution is to remove the hcmon.sys driver. Follow these steps:

1) Go to Device Manager.

2) Click View > Show hidden devices.

3) Double-click Non-Plug and Play Drivers.

4) Right-click hcmon and click Uninstall.

6) Delete the C:Windowssystem32drivershcmon.sys file.

7) Restart the computer.

Solution 4: Install the product using PowerShell

Try to install the product in PowerShell. Follow steps below:

1) Type “powershell” in the search field. Right-click Windows PowerShell (The name may be different depending on the Windows version you’re using.) and click Run as administrator.

2) Go to the location where you saved the setup file. This is to get the msi name.

3) Type .xxxx.msi in PowerShell command prompt and press Enter on your keyboard. XXXX means the name of msi file. Replace it with your msi file name.

In my case, my file is “VMware-VMRC-10.0.1-5898794”:

So I typed “.VMware-VMRC-10.0.1-5898794.msi”:

Solution 5: Install .NET Framework 3.5.1

To install the product successfully, ensure your computer has installed .NET Framework 3.5.1. If not, install it.

Click here to go to the download page of Microsoft to download .NET Framework 3.5.1. Then install it on your computer.

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.

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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.

Vmware Workstation Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Windows 10 64-bit

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 effects 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. ®

Vmware Workstation Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Windows 10 Pro

Hat tip to Mayank Parmar for spotting the blunder.

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