VMware Fusion

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This article is intended for VMWare Fusion 4 (may work on newer versions too) on Mac. The VMDK file should also work in VMWare Workstation for PC, but this guide will show you how to virtualize Windows on a Mac using VMWare Fusion.

The current version of as this writing is VMware Fusion 5 which is required if the user has OS X Mountain Lion (10.8).

Install VMWare Fusion 4[edit]

  1. Install VMWare Fusion 4.
  2. Copy the virtual harddrive (VMDK file) onto your desktop on the Mac. This article explains how to create VMDK image file.
    Note: These VMDK files will also work in VirtualBox.

Create Virtual Machine[edit]

  1. Open up VMWare Fusion located under /Applications.
  2. Click on Create New to create a new virtual machine.
  3. Click on Continue without Disc. We will use the VM copied from the server.
  4. Click on Use an existing virual disk
  5. Browse to the folder where you saved the VMDK file which should be the Desktop.
  6. Select the file.
  7. Select the option Take this disk away from the virtual machine currently using it.
  8. Click Chose.
  9. You may see a pop up stating: This virtual disk was created with an older VMware product. Click Convert.
  10. Click Continue.
  11. Choose the OS which should be Windows 7. Be sure to select the proper version (32-bit or 64-bit) as VMware Fusion may not automatically detect the version.
  12. Click Continue.
  13. Click Customize Settings so that you can increase RAM.
  14. Click Save.
  15. You will be asked to save the .vmwarevm file which is the container that VMware Fusion uses to store all the VM’s settings. Save it in the default location under: /Users/<account>/Documents/Virtual Machines

Configure Virtual Machine[edit]

  1. You can edit the hardware settings of the VM by clicking the monkey wrench button.
  2. Select Processors & Memory to change RAM settings for the VM. Go back to the main settings window.
  3. Click on Sharing. This will give you options for Shared Folders & Mirrored Folders. You can enable Shared Folders as well which works the same way as they do in VirtualBox.
    Mirrored folders are a bit different. They are real-time copies of the files on your Mac Desktop which will show up on your Windows Desktop. The same applies to the other folders available: Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music, and Pictures.

Install VMware Tools[edit]

  1. Once the VM has been configured AND Windows has run through sysprep, you must click on Virtual Machine in the file menu and select Install VMware Tools. Make sure you are doing this while the VM is powered on and at the desktop.
  2. Click Install.
  3. Wait a few secs, the installer will auto-run. If it does not, go to Computer on the Start Menu and run it manually. It should be listed as one of the optical drives. It’s a simple installation. Just select Traditional or Complete if asked what components you wish to install.
  4. Restart the VM to finish the installation of VMware Tools.

Shared Folder/Mirrored Folders[edit]

  1. If you’ve set shared/mirrored folders, you will see a prompt saying the following:
    VMware Tools has modified settings to enable sharing data with the host. You must log off to apply these settings. Press OK to log off now. Press Cancel to log off later.
  2. Click OK and log back into the account.
  3. Upon logging back in, you will see a “VMware Shared Folders” shortcut on desktop (and all your desktop files if you’ve mirrored that).

Drag & Drop[edit]

VMware Fusion allows you to simply drag and drop files between your Mac and the Windows VM. This makes it a rather seamless process to work between in both operating systems.