Ubuntu Server 22.04.5 and 24.04.4 installation crashes in VMware Workstation Pro, but 26.04 works

Attempting to install Ubuntu Server 22.04.5 LTS or 24.04.4 LTS in VMware Workstation Pro 25H2 fails near the end of the installation process with error “there was a problem completing the installation”.

Environment

VMware Workstation Pro 25H2

4 GB RAM assigned

100 GB virtual disk

UEFI firmware (default settings)

Problem

image

The installation progresses normally through language selection, networking, storage configuration, and package installation. However, near the end of the installation, the installer reports:

Sorry, there was a problem completing the installation.

What I tried

Recreated the VM from scratch

Disabled “Set up this disk as an LVM group”

Tried both guided and manual partitioning

Re-downloaded and verified the ISO images

Increased virtual disk size to 100 GB

Additional Observation

Ubuntu Server 26.04 installs successfully.