Tutorial: Fixing VMware 17.6 Installation Error on Non-English Windows Systems

Tutorial: Fixing VMware 17.6 Installation Error on Non-English Windows Systems

Problem Description

When attempting to install VMware 17.6 on non-English versions of Windows, you might encounter an error message stating:

An error occurred while applying security settings. Authenticated Users is not a valid user or group. This could be a problem with the package, or a problem connecting to a domain controller on the network. Check your network connection and click Retry, or Cancel to end the install.

This issue arises because the VMware installer references user groups by their English names, which differ in localized versions of Windows. To resolve this, you need to manually add the necessary user groups using their Security Identifiers (SIDs) via the Command Prompt with administrative privileges.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator

Method 1: Using the Start Menu

  1. Click on the Start button (Windows logo) at the bottom-left corner of your screen.
  2. Type cmd in the search bar.
  3. Right-click on Command Prompt from the search results.
  4. Select Run as administrator.
  5. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.

Method 2: Using the Run Box

  1. Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type cmd and then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
  3. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.

Method 3: Using the Power User Menu

  1. Press Windows + X on your keyboard or right-click the Start button.
  2. Select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
  3. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.

Method 4: Using Task Manager

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. Click on File in the top-left corner and select Run new task.
  3. Type cmd in the box.
  4. Check the box that says Create this task with administrative privileges.
  5. Click OK.
2. Enter the Commands

Once you have the Command Prompt open with administrative privileges, enter the following commands one by one:

  1. Add Authenticated Users Group 
    net localgroup /add "Authenticated Users"

  2. Add Users Group 
    net localgroup /add "Users"

  3. Add Administrators Group 
    net localgroup /add "Administrators"

3. Rerun the VMware Installer

After entering these commands, you do not need to restart your computer. Simply rerun the VMware installer, and it should proceed without the error.

I hope this helps! If you have any more questions or run into any issues, feel free to ask.