- But I don’t see Non-Plug and Play Drivers and VMware hcmon on my Windows 10 computer; Try renaming the C:WindowsSystem32drivershcmon.sys file. Still get the same error; Solution. On my laptop, vSphere Client 5.5 and 6.0 (older build), and their respective Update Manager plug-in are installed; Remove these older clients and plug-ins.
- Installing the VMware Remote Console fails with the error: VMInstallHcmon - Failed to install hcmon driver.
- 404TechSupport is an Amazon.com affiliate; when you click on an Amazon link from 404TS, the site gets a cut of the proceeds from whatever you buy. This site also uses Skimlinks for smart monetization of other affiliate links.
If you get error “Failed to install the hcmon driver” during installing the VMware products (vSphere, Remote Console, etc.), don’t worry. You can fix the problem with one of the solutions in this article.
Re: VI Client 5.1 fails to Install - HCMON Driver n2spcmusc Mar 26, 2015 6:49 PM ( in response to jimcallaghan ) I found this same issue upgrading my vSphere client to 6.0 on a Win7 system with the Lumension Endpoint Protection 4.5 client installed. I am sticking this in vSphere forum so eyeballs see it. I am sorry, I blame VMWare for making reporting this problem difficult. I previously successfully signed in to the forum using “Google Chrome, Version 84.0.4147.105 (Official Build) (64-bit)” on Windows 10.
What is the HCMON driver?
HCMON driver is a virtual USB driver. It allows your physical USB ports to connect to the virtual machines.
How to fix this error?
The error occurs can be due to different issues. We post the top 5 solutions in this article. You can fix this error with one of these solutions. You may not have to try them all. Just work your way down until you find the one that works for you.
Solution 1: Install the product as an administrator
Solution 2: Update the drivers
Solution 3: Remove the hcmon.sys driver
Solution 4: Install the product using PowerShell
Solution 5:Install .NET Framework 3.5.1
Solution 1: Install the product as an administrator
When you install the product, you’re required to install the hcmon driver. Windows may see this as a user adding hardware to the PC. But this user doesn’t have the permission to do that. In this case, this error may occur. Try to install the product as an administrator:
Vsphere Client Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Windows 10 Pro
1) Right-click on the downloaded setup file.
2) Click Run as administrator. If you don’t see the option “Run as administrator”, this solution doesn’t apply to you. Skip then move on to other solutions.
Solution 2: Update the drivers
Corrupted drivers especially graphics drivers can cause this error. To fix the problem, try to update the drivers.
If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update the drivers manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
1)Downloadand install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and clickScan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click theUpdate button next to the flagged drivers to automatically download and install the correct version of their driver (you can do this with the FREE version). Or clickUpdate All to automatically download and install the correct version ofallthe drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (this requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).
Solution 3: Remove the hcmon.sys driver
The HCMON driver might be installed. One possible solution is to remove the hcmon.sys driver. Follow these steps:
1) Go to Device Manager.
2) Click View > Show hidden devices.
3) Double-click Non-Plug and Play Drivers.
4) Right-click hcmon and click Uninstall.
6) Delete the C:Windowssystem32drivershcmon.sys file.
7) Restart the computer.
Solution 4: Install the product using PowerShell
Try to install the product in PowerShell. Follow steps below:
1) Type “powershell” in the search field. Right-click Windows PowerShell (The name may be different depending on the Windows version you’re using.) and click Run as administrator.
2) Go to the location where you saved the setup file. This is to get the msi name.
3) Type .xxxx.msi in PowerShell command prompt and press Enter on your keyboard. XXXX means the name of msi file. Replace it with your msi file name.
In my case, my file is “VMware-VMRC-10.0.1-5898794”:
So I typed “.VMware-VMRC-10.0.1-5898794.msi”:
Solution 5: Install .NET Framework 3.5.1
To install the product successfully, ensure your computer has installed .NET Framework 3.5.1. If not, install it.
Click here to go to the download page of Microsoft to download .NET Framework 3.5.1. Then install it on your computer.
So you are installing VMRC, PowerCli or vSphere client and getting that really annoying HCMON driver failed to install error, but have no idea where to start?
This article will :
- outline what causes the HCMON driver error
- provide top 3 solutions to this annoying problem.
What causes the HCMON driver error
The HCMON drive is a virtual USB driver HCMon is a virtual USB driver to allow the connection of your physical USB ports to virtual machines. When your installing the your VMware product of choice, HCMON is installed as a hardware driver, which is the problem. Windows interprets this as a user adding hardware to the PC and in many environments that is something your operating system security or administrator may not automatically allow.
*Note: Several of the following recommendations will reduce the security level of your machine, make sure you understand the implications of doing so. *
Solution 1 - Install “as adminstrator”
If you have administrator access to the PC you are installing on, the first thing to try is to simply right click what you are trying to install and select Run as Administrator. If you don’t have access you’ll have to consult your administrators.
You probably already did this though right? Next…
Solution 2 - Set Lumension Endpoint Security to allow the HCMON driver
LES is a really popular product among organisation s that want to have granular control of what information can be introduced and removed from their environment. Think disallowing or restricting USB access. You could just disable or uninstall LES, but that kind of defeats the purpose of what it’s trying to achieve. Good news, there is a reg setting that LES uses to allow HCMON to be used.
Note you'll need access to the registry and the ability to edit it to do this.
- Enable HCMON by creating a EnableHCMON registry value (DWORD type, Data 1) in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesSKParameters.
- Reboot if required.
- Install VMWare Client/PowerCli.
- Disable HCMON by removing the EnableHCMON registry value.
- Reboot the endpoint again.
Vsphere Client Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Windows 10 32-bit
Ensure you have the right version of the .NET framework for the product you are installing
Different products need different .NET versions for example as per KB-2053281 vSphere 5.1 client requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.1. Make sure you are using the right version, I usually don’t find this to be a problem most products will check for dependencies and either announce it’s not there or go ahead and install it for you.
Beware of an intermittent known feature issue in vSphere 6
Vsphere Client Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Windows 10 Bootable
Thought I have never had this issue it is important to know about the issue outlined in KB-2130850. Apparently when attempting to install the VMRC for vSphere 6 on a PC which already has some versions of the vSphere client the install will fail. The recommended fix is to uninstall all versions of the vSphere client, reboot, install the VMRC client and then reinstall the vSphere Client (does anyone still use the old vSphere Client?
I hope you have my luck and never have to do this either, as it sounds messy.
Vsphere Client Failed To Install Hcmon Driver Windows 10 64-bit
So now you know what the HCMON driver is, why sometimes it causes issues, and how to get around the more commonly known ones.
Hope this was of some help.
Let me know if you encounter anything different or if this helped you out.