Resolution:
The settings in the datastores.xml are required to initialize the VMware Host Agent service. When the settings are invalid, the service does not start. This service must be started for the administration web page to function.
To start the service:
- Log on to the server as an administrator.
- Browse to the following folder (this can be done by copying the below path into a Start > Run window or the Start menu search bar):
- Windows Vista, 7: %SYSTEMROOT%\ProgramData\VMware\VMware Server\hostd\datastores.xml
- Windows XP : %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server\hostd\datastores.xml
- Replace the file datastores.xml with datastores.xml.default. If the file does not exist, remove datastores.xml and restart the VMware Host Agent service. The file should be regenerated automatically.
- If the problem persists, uninstall and reinstall VMware Server