: VMware has "frozen" certain versions of VMware Tools for legacy operating systems. If you cannot update your Windows 7 guest to support SHA-2, you may need to use an older, "frozen" version of VMware Tools (like version 10.3.x), though this is not recommended for security reasons.
If this matches your need I can expand into a full formal KB article, provide exact CLI commands for your ESXi version, or tailor it to ESXi 6.7/7.0/8.0—tell me which. kbvmware s article 78708 free
VMware KB article 78708 addresses failures installing VMware Tools on older Windows systems, such as Windows 7 SP1 and Server 2008 R2, which lack necessary SHA-2 code signing support. Resolving this issue requires manually installing Microsoft updates KB4474419 and KB4490628 to enable the required SHA-2 signature verification. For details on troubleshooting, visit Broadcom Support Portal . VMware tools fail to install on Windows 7 Guest | Fusion : VMware has "frozen" certain versions of VMware