[SOLVED] VMware Player install issue – WM or VMware problem?

[Member olsztyn]

As much as Virtualbox installed under antiX 19.2 Hannie Schaft with no hickup, install of VMware Player is not successful for me:
– Downloaded and installed VMware Player bundle – no problem
– Upon starting VMware Player goes through license acceptance, etc.. and the last screen of configuration to either enter licence key for commercial use or (default) use free for non-commercial use.
– Clicking ‘Finish’ button proceeds nowhere. Without completing, restarting VMware Player starts all over the same.

I do not think it has anything to do with WM but just in case I tried both under Fluxbox and IceWM with the same result.
The same installation of VMware Player bundle just completed with no problem in Clear Linux (Intel Linux) and in the past I remember no such issue in Mint or Peppermint.
Could there be some pre-requisite that is required to install VMware Player in antiX? I did not try MX to be honest…
Any hint will be appreciated…

• This topic was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by olsztyn.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by olsztyn.

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Member olsztyn]

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Update:
As Virtual Box works kind of Ok for me, at first I gave up on installing VMware Player under antiX some time ago, not able to complete. However this install working just fine under Clear Linux made me re-visit this challenge and another attempt of installing under antiX.
So this is what I did:
– So as to check if by chance this behavior of not reacting to my click on ‘Finish’ button is not similar to what I reported earlier for Fluxbox – not reacting to dropdown menue items for Chrome/Chromium on my nVidia machines, I re-did this on an Intel laptop (no nVidia). The same negative result experienced, both in Fluxbox and IceWM on Intel box. So this case is different as it does not react to click on ‘Finish’ button as the last step of installation of VMware Player regardless of my machine or Fluxbox or IceWM.
– It bugged me that I was not able to finish installation under antiX as I am trying to make my instances of antiX very versatile and useful for variety of tasks after making work such important functions as SMB shares, Bluetooth sound, Host for virtual machines (Virtual Box so far) – taking advantage of low memory use by antiX infrastructure, etc… So taking another chance, tried this:
– As under IceWM and Fluxbox clicking the ‘Finish’ button installing VMware Player was stubbornly ignored I temporarily installed Gnome desktop from the Package Installer from Control Center. I do not like Gnome but this was just an interim plan before I return to IceWM and Fluxbox… To my surprise (well maybe not…) under Gnome desktop the final click on ‘Finish’ button worked just fine and concluded installation of VMware Player. So:
– Neither IceWM nor Fluxbox was reacting to click on ‘Finish’ button but under Gnome it worked fine and VMware Player completed installation and worked fine…

Now, I do expect this will be again brushed off as VMware problem and that IceWM and Fluxbox have nothing to do with non-reaction to click on ‘Finish’ button. I am in no position to insist it is so, but I have a more practical question if someone is so kind as to help me:
Namely –
At first (I think) I was able to log-off from Gnome and switch back to IceWM on the login screen by toggling F1, and verify VMware Player. But upon subsequent re-boots it stubbornly throws me back into Gnome desktop and does not seem to let me go back to IceWM or Fluxbox via F1. Neither from login screen nor from the initial boot menu selecting IceWM desktop (F6) seems to work. Still ends up with Gnome… Since Gnome is not my choice of desktop for antiX, is there any way to switch back into IceWM?
Thanks and Regards…

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Member Xecure]

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I may be wrong, but maybe gnome pulled in a package that was needed fof VMware Player to work.
How did you install it? Maybe if I have time this weekend I will check installing it on my liveUSB system and try to reproduce the error.

olsztyn wrote:

Since Gnome is not my choice of desktop for antiX, is there any way to switch back into IceWM?

Uninstall gnome desktop. This should change the strange behaviour. Worst case, install a different DM (like lightdm), so you can change DE/WM, starting a very limited antiX icewm, from there, uninstall gnome-desktop (if you cannot do it from terminal), and then reset SLiM as main DM.

Before uninstalling Gnome, in icewm or fluxbox, try running VMware Player. If it runs well now, my theory may be right.

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[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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Did you install VMware Workstation Player?
Are you running frugal/live?

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member olsztyn]

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Xecure wrote:

I may be wrong, but maybe gnome pulled in a package that was needed fof VMware Player to work.

Thanks Xecure. This was my first thought but all installation worked fine and including gui based initial settings. Just the Finish button did not work under IceWM and Fluxbox.

Xecure wrote:

Uninstall gnome desktop. This should change the strange behaviour.

Thanks for the tip. I will try to do under gnome though…

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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Here’s the fix!

1. Install policykit-1-gnome
2. Make this change to ~/.desktop-session/startup

/usr/lib/policykit-1-gnome/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 &

3. Reboot.
4. Run vmware again. You should be prompted for root password.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member olsztyn]

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anticapitalista wrote:

Did you install VMware Workstation Player?
Are you running frugal/live?

Yes to both. Live specifically. All the install in terminal worked as expected and installed successfully. Just upon starting it goes through setting accepting license and option to join user participation program. All works, just not reacting to ‘Finish’…

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Member olsztyn]

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anticapitalista wrote:

Here’s the fix!

1. Install policykit-1-gnome
2. Make this change to ~/.desktop-session/startup

/usr/lib/policykit-1-gnome/polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1 &

3. Reboot.

I will redo install using fresh antiX instance. So to make sure I understand: Having installed VMware Player under IceWM, (not installing Gnome) I need to do the above gnome policykit changes to ~/.desktop-session/startup to make IceWM recognize the ‘Finish’ button? No, I think you mean this will fix my getting back to IceWM, instead…
Thanks for this tip. If so, then after getting back to IceWM I will need to remove all Gnome from system the way Xecure recommends…
In such case this would mean: I complete installation under Gnome, then get back (your tip) to IceWM and remove all Gnome to clean up…
Thanks and Regards.

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Member olsztyn]

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I have done these, still under Gnome desktop. However now I am not able to save these changes to reboot with these changes… Both Save Persistence and Remaster come back with ‘Unable to run as root’…
Will try to figure this out…

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Member Xecure]

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anticapitalista wrote:

4. Run vmware again. You should be prompted for root password.

olsztyn wrote:

I need to do the above gnome policykit changes to ~/.desktop-session/startup to make IceWM recognize the ‘Finish’ button?

Yes, the fix is for VMware.

~/.desktop-session/startup will NOT launch under Gnome (I believe), so this will not fix your login in to Gnome instead of icewm.

olsztyn wrote:

Both Save Persistence and Remaster come back with ‘Unable to run as root’…

Run them as root then. In terminal, try
sudo persist-save
It should work.

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member olsztyn]

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Xecure wrote:

Run them as root then. In terminal, try
sudo persist-save
It should work.

Thanks Xecure. It worked from terminal as you pointed out above. Startup session policykit gnome is uncommented after reboot looking from nautilus.
So what I am still missing from the anti’s direction:
– It appears I was able to implement these changes but it still remains: How do I get back to IceWM as it still logs me on directly to Gnome.

Xecure wrote:

olsztyn wrote:
I need to do the above gnome policykit changes to ~/.desktop-session/startup to make IceWM recognize the ‘Finish’ button?

Yes, the fix is for VMware.

Question then: If the uncommenting of Gnome policykit in session startup will make ‘Finish’ button work under IceWM then this means I can do these changes directly from IceWM without any need to go to Gnome and ‘Finish’ button will work? This is unless I completely confused everyone…
If this presumption is correct then I can start on fresh instance right from IceWM:
– install gnome policykit
– uncomment gnome policykit line in session startup
– reboot.
– After reboot the ‘Finish’ button will work.

If this is what you mean then I will start this on fresh instance and not bother to install gnome in the first place in order to finish installation or trying to switch back from Gnome to IvceWM.
it is just strange that gnome policykit affects IceWM recognizing ‘Finish’ button.
Please let me know if I am still misunderstanding…
Thanks and Regards.

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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The above is a fix to the vmware Finish button issue.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member olsztyn]

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olsztyn wrote:

Xecure wrote:
olsztyn wrote:
I need to do the above gnome policykit changes to ~/.desktop-session/startup to make IceWM recognize the ‘Finish’ button?

Yes, the fix is for VMware.

Question then: If the uncommenting of Gnome policykit in session startup will make ‘Finish’ button work under IceWM then this means I can do these changes directly from IceWM without any need to go to Gnome and ‘Finish’ button will work? This is unless I completely confused everyone…
If this presumption is correct then I can start on fresh instance right from IceWM:
– install gnome policykit
– uncomment gnome policykit line in session startup
– reboot.
– After reboot the ‘Finish’ button will work.

It worked!
I started from fresh IceWM antiX instance and installed VMware as usual. Then installed gnome (!) policykit and uncommented gnome policykit line in desktop session startup. After restarting antiX the ‘Finish’ button finally worked under IceWM. Many weeks I was trying to install VMware Player under antiX and not being successful I gave up. Now finally successful…
Many thanks to anti and Xecure for the fix!
Thanks and Regards.

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

[Member Xecure]

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I cannot claim any merit here. The fix is all thanks to anticapitalista, who found out what the missing package was and how to solve this. The best thing about his answer is that it can be easily followed, so it can help even more people in the future.

antiX Live system enthusiast.
General Live Boot Parameters for antiX.

[Member olsztyn]

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Xecure wrote:

The fix is all thanks to anticapitalista, who found out what the missing package was and how to solve this. The best thing about his answer is that it can be easily followed, so it can help even more people in the future.

Thanks to anti…
Not intuitive is that the missing package seems a part of gnome desktop infrastructure but it does plays role also for IceWM and Fluxbox…
Thanks again and Regards…

Live antiX Boot Options (Previously posted by Xecure):
https://antixlinuxfan.miraheze.org/wiki/Table_of_antiX_Boot_Parameters

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