Opening a virtual machine console fails with error: "Unable to get the window handle for the "AxQuickMksAxCTL' control"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• You cannot open the console of any one of your virtual machines.
• Attempting to open a virtual machine console fails.
• When accessing the Open Console option from a virtual machine, you see the error:
  
  Unable to get the window handle for the "AxQuickMksAxCTL' control.
  
  
• When accessing the Console tab, you see the error:
  
  Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
• VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
• VMware VirtualCenter 2.5.x

This issue is observed on:

• Windows XP
• Windows Server 2003
• Windows Server 2008
• Windows 7

Resolution

Set the system DEP policy to Always Off in the Windows operating system.

1. Open a command prompt as the administrator:
   
   
   1. Click Start > All Programs > Accessories.
   2. Right-click Command Prompt and choose Run As Administrator.
      
      
2. To disable Data Execution Prevention (DEP), run this command:
   
   bcdedit.exe /set nx AlwaysOff


3. Uninstall the vCenter Server Client(s).
4. Restart Windows.
5. Re-install the vCenter Server Client(s).