VM encrpyted after updating to VMware Workstation 17.5.1

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor
• VMware Workstation 17.x Pro (for Windows)

Issue/Introduction

Updating VMware Workstation Pro 17.5.1 results in all the Virtual Machines show as encrypted, whereas there is no password/ encryption set by the user.

To verify the issue, please check the .vmx file it will show vmx.ecryptionType= "partial" and vtpm.present= "TRUE".

Environment

Workstation Pro 17.5.1

Resolution

To resolve the issue, export the Virtual Machine as OVF using the OVF Tool . Please follow the steps mentioned below to export the Virtual Machine as OVF and import it back into the VMware Workstation as a new Virtual Machine

1. Shut down the Virtual Machine.
2. Export the VM using the OVF command line tool:

   C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Workstation\OVFTool\ovftool.exe" “path to the VM” “path to export the .ovf”

3. Import the VM back in to the VMware Workstation.
   File-> Open -> .vmx file
4. Pick a new name or location for the Virtual Machine.

Link to download OVF Tool : https://developer.broadcom.com/tools/open-virtualization-format-ovf-tool/latest