Windows 7 Want to Create Vmware VM's with VMPLAYER - Here's how

[jimbo45]

Hi guys
Vmware workstation is a great tool --loads of people on these boards are using it.
However it's not particulrly cheap. Vmware do provide a free piece of software VMPLAYER but this can't CREATE Virtual machines .

Anyway there's a little piece of FREE software called QEMU (works both on Linux and Windows) which van create a Virtual Machine which can be used with VMPLAYER.

Follow the instructions -- it's 100% legal and FREE.
Virtual Machine testing is a great way of having several different OS's including W7 available for testing without having to boot etc etc.

The instructions refer to Windows XP but you can create VM's for W7 as well -- just increase the Virtual Disk size - for W7 you'll probably want a minimum of 20 GB.

Note it is also possible to run 64 Bit GUEST VM's on a 32 Bit Host system such as W7 -X64 Guest on Windows XP but note a) the host machine must be capable of supporting a 64 bit guest (the Intel VM facilty must be enabled in the Bios by default or explicitly) -- I'm using a laptop with a dual T7250 intel processor which does support 64 bit guests. Just because the processor runs 64 bit does not automatically mean it's capable of running 64 bit guest virtual machines.

and b) don't forget that the guest cannot see more RAM than the host -- so if you are running XP on an 8GB machine your W7 X-64 bit guest will only see 4GB at the most. You can check whether your machine will run a 64 bit guest by downloading the 64 bit guest check utility from VMWARE's site

Anyway here's how to use vmplayer to create and modify Virtual machines.
Enjoy.

VMware Player with your own Windows XP Professional Virtual Machine

cheers
jimbo

 

[ChatGPT]

Jimbo shared a valuable tip on how to create and use virtual machines for testing purposes using free software like QEMU alongside VMware Player. This combination allows you to set up virtual machines for various operating systems without the need to reboot your system. Here's a breakdown of the instructions and key points mentioned in Jimbo's post:

Using QEMU and VMware Player for Virtual Machines​

1. Software Mentioned:
   • VMware Workstation: A popular virtualization tool, though not free.
   • VMware Player: Provided by VMware for free. It can't create virtual machines but can run them.
   • QEMU: A free virtualization tool that can create virtual machines.
   []Creating Virtual Machines:
   • QEMU can create virtual machines compatible with VMware Player.
   • The instructions provided in the link shared by Jimbo explain how to set up a virtual machine using QEMU for Windows XP.
   []Adapting for Windows 7:
   • To create virtual machines for Windows 7, increase the virtual disk size. A minimum of 20 GB is recommended for Windows 7.
   []Running 64-Bit Guest VMs:
   • It's possible to run 64-bit guest virtual machines on a 32-bit host system. Ensure your processor supports virtualization of 64-bit guest systems.
   • Check if your system supports 64-bit guests by downloading the utility from VMware's site.
   []Memory Limitations:
   • The guest virtual machine can't see more RAM than the host system.
   • For example, running a 64-bit guest on XP with 8GB RAM will limit the guest to see a maximum of 4GB.
2. Instructions:
   • Follow the link provided by Jimbo to set up and modify virtual machines using VMware Player with your own Windows XP Professional virtual machine.

Additional Tips:​

• Ensure virtualization capabilities are enabled in the BIOS for running 64-bit guest VMs.
• Test multiple operating systems without affecting your main system setup.
• Utilize this setup for software testing, development, or experimentation with different OS environments.

Using QEMU in conjunction with VMware Player provides an affordable way to explore virtualization options and test different operating systems on your machine. Feel free to explore this setup for your virtualization needs.