When trying to launch a virtual machine in VMware Workstation, we encountered an error message saying that VMware was unable to find the VMX binary. Due to this, the virtual machine failed to start and we are unable to access the virtual environment. In this post, we will see how to resolve this issue with ease.
Error while powering on: Unable to find VMX binary
Fix VMware unable to find VMX binary error in VMware Workstation
If VMware is unable to find the VMX binary, follow the solutions mentioned below.
- Reboot the host machine
- Check the VMX path
- Edit the VMX file
- Change the disk image of your virtual machine
- Reinstall VMware Workstation
Let us talk about them in detail.
1] Reboot the host machine
First, we need to reboot the host machine and see if the issue persists. Sometimes, VMware is unable to locate the VMX file due to some glitch, and rebooting the host can do the trick. So, restart your machine, then check if the issue is resolved.
2] Check the VMX path
You need to check the VMX path and make sure that nothing is incorrect, neither the path nor the drive letter. We will check and make the changes accordingly. First of all, open the File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Virtual Machines. Then, open your virtual machine’s folder and find the VMX file. Open the .vmx file with a text editor and then see if the path mentioned in there is correct or not, usually if you migrate the machine, you will notice an incorrect path. So, make the changes if required and then check if the issue is resolved.
3] Edit the VMX file
We need to check and make sure that monitor_control.restrict_backdoor is set to false in order to allow the virtual machine to bypass certain restrictions that may have caused the issue. The option is used to control the “backdoor” communication channel between the guest and the hypervisor if it’s set to true, the channel is restricted and only allows the guest OS to use the backdoor when the IPOL is greater than or equal to its CPL (Current Privilege Level).
Also, we need to edit the vmci0 entry, which provides fast and efficient communication between the virtual machine and the host operating system, as well as between virtual machines on the same host, we need to set it to false as this feature is known to cause issues.
To make the changes, follow the steps mentioned below.
- Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Virtual Machines.
- Now, double-click and open your virtual machine’s folder, then, look for the VMX file or VMware virtual machine configuration file.
- Open the file in Notepad, look for monitor_control.restrict_backdoor = “true” and then change it to monitor_control.restrict_backdoor = “false”.
- Look for vmci0.present = “true” and change it to vmci0.present = “false”.
Finally, save the file and close it. In case, you can’t find the monitor_control.restrict_backdoor tag, skip this solution. After making the changes, start your virtual machine and see if that helps.
4] Change the disk image of your virtual machine
You may encounter this issue if the VMX file is corrupted. There are various reasons for the corruption including power failure and improper download. To resolve this issue, we are going to create a new virtual machine, and then use the existing VMDK (virtual disk) file. Follow the steps mentioned below to do the same.
- In VMware Workstation, a new virtual machine with the same name and operating system as the original has to be created first.
- During the setup, choose to use an existing virtual disk and point to the VMDK file from the original virtual machine.
- Copy the VMDK file from the original virtual machine folder to the new virtual machine folder.
- Replace the VMDK file with the copied one in the new virtual machine folder.
Finally, start the virtual machine and see if the issue is resolved.
5] Reinstall VMware Workstation
If after replacing the VMDK file, your issue persists, we will have to reinstall the VMware Workstation application on your computer. To do so, open Settings, go to Apps > Installed apps, search for “VMware Workstation”, click on the three dots, and select Uninstall. Now, download and install the VMware Workstation again on your computer.
Hopefully, you will be able to resolve the issue using the solutions mentioned in this post.
Read: How to access and use BIOS in VMware Workstation
How do I find vmx in VMware?
The VMX file is usually located at C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Virtual Machines. You can open the File Explorer and go to the location mentioned earlier. Then, open the directory of your virtual machine, and then find the VMX or VMware Configuration File. To make any changes, you can open it using Notepad, Notepad++, or any other text editor.
Read: How to install Windows Server on VMware Workstation?
How to repair VMware vmx file?
You cannot repair a VMware VMX file. Instead, create a new virtual machine and add the existing virtual disk (.vmdk) file to the newly created VM. Please note that this process will generate a new MAC address for the network card(s), which may lead to issues with software that relies on the virtual machine’s MAC address.
Also Read: Install VMware Tools greyed out.
