Fix Cannot Find A Valid Peer Process To Connect To Vmware

Before diving into the troubleshooting process, make sure the version of the VMWare is supported by the OS of your host machine.

1. Relaunch the VMWare App after Force Closing it

The problematic VM app (like Workstation Pro, Fusion, Workstation Player, etc.) will fail to connect to a required process if the app’s modules are in an error state and not in the required condition to communicate with another OS module. Here, relaunching the VMWare App after force closing it will solve the problem.

2. Reboot the Host Machine

VMWare app will fail to connect to a valid peer process if the required OS modules of the host machine are not in the ready state as required by the app or if they are busy with another application on your machine. The error means that the app is failing to communicate with the required VMX processes or kernel extensions. Here, rebooting the host machine will solve the problem as the modules are reverted to the default state.

3. Update the VMware App to the Latest Build

You will face this issue if the installation of the application is outdated. This will make the app incompatible with the OS and the OS will not let the app access essential modules. In such a case, updating VMware to the latest build will solve the problem. If you are facing an issue when installing a VMware app, then you may skip this method.

Perform a Repair Install of the VMware App

If you cannot launch the VMware app, then you may try the repair install as discussed below:

4. Update the System’s OS to the Latest Build

A system with an outdated OS will not be compatible with the latest standards used by the updated version of the VMware app. This will make certain OS modules inaccessible to the service. To fix this, update your system to the latest build. To update a Windows PC:

5. Enable the VMWare Service (Windows and Linux Only)

The VMWare service is a critical component for the VMWare app to communicate with other OS modules. If this service is disabled or not running, the VMWare app will not be able to communicate. Here, enabling the VMWare service will solve the problem.

Enable the VMWare Authorization Service on Windows

Enable the VMWare Service on Ubuntu

6. Delete Old Snapshots from the VMWare App

If there are too many old snapshots added to your VMWare app and the app’s quota of the snapshot is reached, the app will fail to connect the VM to the required process. 32 snapshots are supported by VMware in a chain but it is recommended that only 3 snapshots in a chain should be used to avoid the issue. In this case, deleting old snapshots from the VMWare app will solve the problem.

7. Disable 3D Acceleration of the Guest Machine

If your host machine is not compatible with the 3D acceleration of the guest machine, then the host machine will not be able to establish a successful connection. Here, disabling the 3D acceleration in the guest’s configuration will solve the problem.

8. Launch the VM Alternatively

If the physical path to the VM is no more valid or the VMWare app has permission issues to access the library where the VM is located, the app will display the access issue under discussion. Here, launching the VM alternatively (through Library or Terminal) will solve the problem. Let us discuss the process with respect to a Mac.

9. Recreate the VM by Dragging and Dropping the ISO of the OS

If the issue is occurring while creating a particular VM, then dragging and dropping the ISO instead of selecting the file might solve the problem. This overcomes permission problems of the application.

10. Uninstall Incompatible Applications

It might be the case that another application is using a system module that is needed by VMware to run. These are usually virtualization software. You should remove all of these applications from your system to be sure this isn’t the case. Here is a list of applications reported by people to cause issues for them: If you have any of these applications or similar applications, uninstalling these will solve the problem. For illustration, let us discuss the process of uninstalling the Virtual Box on a Windows PC.

11. Set the VMWare’s Process Priority (Windows Only)

The VMWare app will fail to connect to a valid process if the priority of its process is not set to default. If you haven’t changed its priority, it’s likely that another application did so. Examples include Prnwatch Prio.

Setting Affinity directly through PowerShell

This is a quicker way to set affinities of all processes through the PowerShell to defaults.

12. Enable Execution of the VMware Fusion (Mac Only)

On a Mac, the VMware Fusion app will not find a valid peer process to connect to if the execution of the app is blocked by the security of the system. Enabling the execution of the VMware Fusion in Security settings can do the trick.

Variation 1: Allow Button not Responding

If the Allow button does not respond to a click, you can try the steps below:

Variation 2: Allow Button Not Visible

If there is no allow button shown or greyed out, then try the steps below:

Variation 3: Security notification isn’t shown

If the security prompt to allow the execution of the VMWare Fusion is not shown, then adding the VMWare’s developer ID to the Mac’s Kext will solve the problem.