VMware Tools Upgrade Failure - Vix Error 21009 / "Windows Runtime DLL Installer Failed"

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• Customers are experiencing failures when attempting to upgrade VMware Tools from version 10.1.15 to version 12.3.5
• These failures manifest in two primary scenarios: through the vCenter interface and via direct installation of the MSI package within the Windows 2016 guest operating system. Observed error codes include Vix error code 21009 (via vCenter) and the message "Windows Runtime DLL installer failed to complete install" (via MSI).

 

Environment

vSphere ESXi 

Cause

The root cause of this issue is a dependency on the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages. The VMware Tools installer requires these packages to be present on the guest operating system. The "Windows Runtime DLL installer failed to complete install" error specifically indicates a failure related to vcredist_x86.exe with an ERROR_MOD_NOT_FOUND error.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, manually install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages prior to attempting the VMware Tools upgrade. The specific version required is dependent on the VMware Tools version being installed (12.3.5 in this case). Refer to VMware documentation for compatibility information.

Workaround: 

• Run cmd.exe as administrator and run the following commands: 
  • setup.exe /x
  • cd %TEMP%\{Tools GUID Number}~setup
• You can find the vcredist_86.exe and run it.
• Also launch from the cmd.exe
• Control Panel > Go to Programs and Features
  • You should see what Microsoft VC+++ Redistributable versions are already installed.
• You can try and install the latest version from Microsoft by downloading the x86 and x64 versions from https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170