Error: Silent installation of VMware Tools reverts to default path when using custom INSTALLDIR
search cancel

Error: Silent installation of VMware Tools reverts to default path when using custom INSTALLDIR

book

Article ID: 447748

calendar_today

Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

This article explains why VMware Tools silent installations may fail to respect a custom directory path and provides the correct parameters to ensure the installation completes in the desired location.

  • When attempting a silent installation of VMware Tools using the INSTALLDIR property (e.g., via Ansible), the installer ignores the custom path and reverts to the default C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools directory. The MSI installation logs (typically found in %TEMP%) show the property being modified back to the default during the CostFinalize phase:

MSI (s): PROPERTY CHANGE: Modifying INSTALLDIR property. Its current value is 'D:\APPSYS\VMware' Its new value: 'C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools'

Environment

  • Product: VMware Tools 12.x, 13.x
  • Operating System: Microsoft Windows Server (All Versions)
  • Deployment Tools: Ansible, PowerCLI, Command Prompt

Cause

The VMware Tools setup executable and underlying MSI package do not maintain the INSTALLDIR property when passed as a command-line argument. The Windows Installer (MSI) logic resets this property during the initialization phase. The correct public property to define the root destination folder for VMware Tools is TARGETDIR.

Resolution

To successfully install VMware Tools to a custom path, use the TARGETDIR property instead of INSTALLDIR.

  1. Open an administrative command prompt or update your automation script.
  2. Run the installation using the following syntax (replace D:\Custom\Path with your desired directory): setup64.exe /S /v"/qn REBOOT=R TARGETDIR=\"D:\Custom\Path\""
  3. Verify the installation by checking the target directory for the VMware Tools files.

 

Additional Information

Powered by Wolken Software