Windows virtual machine fail to boot with error :\windows\system32\Drivers\vmci.sys, windows failed to load because a critical system driver is missing, or corrupt.

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• During the upgrade of the VMWare Tools the file \windows\system32\Drivers\vmci.sys was marked as corrupt.
• Virtual machine stuck in normal mode or in safe mode. 
• While booting windows error the following message:

File: \windows\system32\DRIVERS\vmci.sys
Status :0xc0000098
Info: windows failed to load because a critical system driver is missing, or corrupt.

Cause

vmci.sys file is corrupted or missing which leads the virtual machine to stuck in boot.
 
vmci.sys is the VMWare Virtual Machine Communication Interface (VMCI) driver.

This is responsible for communication between the virtual machine and the host operating system or between two or more virtual machines on the same host.

Resolution

• Power off the virtual machine and browse to the virtual machine's vmx file.
• Disable vmci by changing the value of vmci0.present to vmci0.present = "FALSE" in the virtual machine vmx file.
• Power on and remote connect to the windows machine.
• Uninstall VMware Tools (If present).
• Run CMD as Administrator.
• Browse to the Drive which vmware tools located.(For example, D:\, C:\).
• Run command: setup64 /c and then reboot the machine.

• Connect back to the windows machine and mount to it the latest VMware tools version you want the virtual machine  to run.
• Once the VMware tools is installed power off  the virtual machine and edit the vmx file back with vmci0.present = "true"

Note: if there is a problem with the booting again with same error then there is something in the windows OS leading to such a behavior and need Microsoft input on such a problem.