Logging in to Windows 2000 virtual machines running VMware Tools using RDP fail with the error: VMwareTray.exe - Entry Point Not Found

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot log in to a Windows Server 2000 virtual machine running VMware Tools using RDP
• Logging in to a Windows 2000 virtual machine using RDP fails
• You see the error:
  
  VMwareTray.exe - Entry Point Not Found
  The procedure entry point FindActCtxSectionStringW could not be located in the dynamic link library KERNEL32.dll.

Environment

VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Embedded
VMware ESX 4.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware ESX Server 3.5.x
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable

Resolution

This issue occurs when one or both of these Microsoft updates were applied to the system:

 

MS11-025: Description of the security update for Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package: April 12, 2011.
MS11-025: Description of the security update for Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package: April 12, 2011.

 

These patches were retracted by Microsoft as they contained an API that is not supported on Windows Server 2000 and were re-released. For more information, see Microsoft Security Bulletin MS11-025.

To resolve this issue, apply these updates released on June 14, 2011:

 

MS11-025: Description of the security update for Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package: June 14, 2011.

MS11-025: Description of the security update for Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package: June 14, 2011.

 

Alternatively, you may apply the workaround specified in the MSDN blog http://blogs.msdn.com/b/vcblog/archive/2011/04/26/10158277.aspx.