Installing VMware Tools fails with the error: Setup cannot continue. The Microsoft Runtime DLL installer failed to complete installation

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot install VMware Tools on a Windows virtual machine.
• Installing VMware Tools on a Windows virtual machine fails.
• You see the error:
  
  Setup cannot continue. The Microsoft Runtime DLL installer failed to complete installation
  
  
  
• In the Windows Application Event logs, you see the error:
  
  Information 4/2/2013 10:19 MsiInstaller 1042 None Ending a Windows Installer transaction: e:\48ac1dc8ddd40e9fa2\vc_red.msi. Client Process Id: 3792.
  Information 4/2/2013 10:19 MsiInstaller 1033 None Windows Installer installed the product. Product Name: Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable - x64 9.0.30729.4148. Product Version: 9.0.30729.4148. Product
  Language: 1033. Installation success or error status: 1603.
  Information 4/2/2013 10:19 MsiInstaller 11708 None Product: Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable - x64 9.0.30729.4148 -- Installation failed.
  Error 4/2/2013 10:19 MsiInstaller 11935 None Product: Microsoft Visual C++ 2008
  Redistributable - x64 9.0.30729.4148 -- Error 1935.An error occurred during the installation of assembly
  'Microsoft.VC90.ATL,version="9.0.30729.4148",publicKeyToken="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b",processorArchitecture="amd64",type="win32"'. Please refer to Help and Support for more information.
  HRESULT: 0x800736B3. assembly interface: IAssemblyCacheItem, function: Commit, component: {89EDD3A9-944B-3257-8484-D6EB6A00DDF5}
  
  
  
• In the vminst.log file, located at %TEMP %, you see entries similar to:
  
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:26 Extracting setup files to "C:\Windows\TEMP\{6B833B47-9A7E-49E8-A254-28B8A14A0FC3}~setup\"
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:26 --> VMware Tools64.msi [29854208]
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:26 --> vcredist_x86.exe [4485976]
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:26 --> vcredist_x64.exe [5225304]
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 IsMsiUpgradeNecessary: No upgrade is necessary. Windows Installer version 405 meets minimum requirements
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 [Resource] VCRUNTIME_VER = 9
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 Look for VC 9 x32 runtime libraries.
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 install state for product code {1F1C2DFC-2D24-3E06-BCB8-725134ADF989} = 5
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 VC 9 x32 runtimes are already installed
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 Look for VC 9 x64 runtime libraries.
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 install state for product code {4B6C7001-C7D6-3710-913E-5BC23FCE91E6} = -1
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 VC 9 x64 runtime libraries need to be installed
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 ** InstallVCRedist [vcredist_x64.exe][ /Q]
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 Found "C:\Windows\TEMP\{6B833B47-9A7E-49E8-A254-28B8A14A0FC3}~setup\vcredist_x64.exe"
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:28:27 Attempting to launch ""C:\Windows\TEMP\{6B833B47-9A7E-49E8-A254-28B8A14A0FC3}~setup\vcredist_x64.exe" /Q"
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:29:04 Child exited with code 1603
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:29:04 Process returned 1603
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:29:04 Launching VC dll installer failed with 1603.
  BootStrapper-build-913578: 04/02/13 08:29:04 DisplayMessageBox: "VMware Product Installation" - "Setup cannot continue. The Microsoft Runtime DLL installer failed to complete installation."

Cause

This issue occurs if VMware Tools installs an older version of Microsoft Visual C++ runtime library on the backup proxy, even when a newer version is already installed.

 

For example, VMware Tools may install Microsoft Visual C++ runtime library version 9.0.30729.4148, even when version 9.0.30729.6161 already exists on the proxy virtual machine.

Resolution

For more information, see the https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/esxi-5-1-update-1-released.html