When installing VMware Workstation, the Setup window displays a blank screen

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• During VMware Workstation installation, the Setup window goes blank.
• Installation fails and presents an empty dialog box.
• In the vmware.log file, you see the error:
  
  20100902170704:ERROR** CHtmlDialog::CallJScript: Failed to obtain required required jscript ID; COM Error: -2147352570

Environment

VMware Workstation 8.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 6.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation Pro 12.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 9.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 10.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 11.x (for Windows)
VMware Workstation 7.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 5.x (Windows)

Cause

This issue may occur if:

 

• The registry is damaged or modified
• Files are missing
• You have a video resolution problem

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must replace certain files with the original version.

Note: The steps in this article modify the Windows registry. Before making any registry modifications, ensure that you have a current and valid backup of the registry and the virtual machine. For more information on backing up and restoring the registry, see the Microsoft article 136393.

To replace the files:

1. Open a command prompt. For more information, see Opening a command or shell prompt (1003892).
2. Run these commands to re-register the necessary files and details:
    
   • If VMware Workstation is installed on a 32-bit version of Windows:
      
     1. regsvr32 jscript.dll
     2. regsvr32 vbscript.dll
         
   • If VMware Workstation is installed on a 64-bit version of Windows:
      
     1. cd C:\windows\syswow64
     2. regsvr32 C:\windows\system32\jscript.dll
     3. regsvr32 C:\windows\system32\vbscript.dll
         
3. Restart Windows.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, edit the registry and enable ACTIVEX display:

1. Click Start > Run, type regedit, and click OK.
   
   The Registry Editor window opens.
    
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\0.
3. Right-click 1200 and click Modify.
4. In the Value field, enter 0 or 1 and click OK.
5. Quit the Registry Editor.

If changing the value to 0 or 1 fails to resolve the issue, browse to:
 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\

 

In these locations, there are zones from 0,1,2,3, and 4. If you find a folder which has special characters in the name, delete the folder and then try installing.

Additional Information

Note: The preceding link was correct as of September 6, 2013. If you find the link is broken, provide feedback and a VMware employee will update the link.

Opening a command or shell prompt