Cannot Uninstall VMware Tools After Migrating VM from ESXi to Hyper-V

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

After migrating a virtual machine from a VMware ESXi host to a Hyper-V host, it is unable to uninstall VMware Tools. When attempting to uninstall using the command setup.exe /c, the operation fails with the error message:
"The VMware Tools should only be installed inside a virtual machine."

Cause

This error occurs because the VMware Tools installer includes a validation check to ensure it is running within a VMware virtual machine. After migration to Hyper-V, this check fails, preventing the uninstallation process from completing.

Resolution

Please engage Windows vendor to provide official tools and methods for cleaning up and removing virtualization components after a migration.

Note: Attempting manual removal by deleting files or registry keys is not recommended, as it may destabilize the Windows operating system. Seeking vendor-supported methods ensures a safe and complete cleanup.