monitor_control.disable_directexec = "TRUE" can slow down your VM significantly. Use it only as a last resort. Chapter 5: Alternative Fix – Using VMware Unlocker Tools For users who are not comfortable editing .vmx files manually, there are community tools that automate the process. What is VMware Unlocker? Originally created to run macOS on VMware, some forks include scripts to “de-vmware” a virtual machine by patching the VMX binary and the guest’s registry.
# Disable hypervisor CPUID leaf hypervisor.cpuid.v0 = "FALSE" cpuid.coresPerSocket = "1" Remove hypervisor bit from CPUID cpuid.1.ecx = "0:---:-:----:----:----:----:----:--0:----" cpuid.80000001.ecx = "0:----:----:----:----:----:----:----:----" Additional isolation flags monitor_control.disable_directexec = "TRUE" prefvmx.minVmMemPct = "100" winols 451 vmware fix
This article provides a to the WinOLS 451 VMware fix, including why the error happens, how VMware tools interfere, and several proven methods to bypass the restriction. Chapter 1: Understanding Error 451 in WinOLS What is Error 451? In the context of WinOLS, error 451 is not a standard Windows system error. It is a custom protection mechanism built into the software (or its accompanying driver/hardware key emulator) to detect if it is running inside a virtualized environment. monitor_control
In many cases, the error 451 will now disappear. Chapter 4: Advanced Fix – Hardware Agnostic Mode If the basic .vmx edits don’t work, WinOLS 451 might still be detecting VMware via the CPUID instruction. You need hardware-agnostic masking . Additional .vmx Parameters Add these lines to your .vmx file: What is VMware Unlocker
Go to the folder where your VM is stored (e.g., Documents\Virtual Machines\WinOLS_VM ). Find the file named YourVMName.vmx .
These parameters are known to defeat the most common anti-VM checks in WinOLS 451: