Fix for VMWare error: Could not open virtual machine, this virtual machine appears to be in use

This morning I received the following error when trying to power on a VMware Workstation virtual machine:

Could not open virtual machine: C:\VMs\Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition.vmx. This virtual machine appears to be in use.

To resolve the issue, I deleted all of the .lck files and directories in the guest’s directory listed above. This allowed me to start my VM. I encounter this error from time to time, yet always forget how to resolve it.

6 Responses to “Fix for VMWare error: Could not open virtual machine, this virtual machine appears to be in use”

  1. upgrade Says:

    It worked. Thanks

  2. M Raziq Says:

    it worked perfectly thank you very much….

  3. eqn Says:

    it’s work so great. thanks a lot :)

  4. Jens Says:

    It works perfect! Thanks a lot!

  5. Andrea Says:

    It works perfectly !!!! thank u very much !!!


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