Getting Started with VMware Workstation
(for Dummies)

Many, having heard the term " Virtual machine", Think that it is very difficult and do not want to use this wonderful and very useful tool, which makes life much easier as developers software, testers and ordinary users. In this article I will try to dispel the myth about the complexity of working with virtual machines and will be taken aback by the whole process, from installing the virtualization program to installing and configuring the guest operating system... Also, in conclusion, I will give the basic techniques for working with a virtual machine.

As an example, I selected the VMware Workstation 7.1.4 virtual machine and the ubuntu-12.04 guest operating system. And I will install and configure all this in the Window XP host operating system.

Well, let's get started and start by describing the process of installing a virtual machine.

1. Install the VMware Workstation 7.1.4 virtual machine.

VMware Workstation 7.1.4 distribution comes as one executable file: VMware_Workstation_7.1.4_Micro_Rus.exe. After launching the executable file, a window appears on the screen showing the preparation process for installing the program (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Preparing to install the virtualization system.

After 10-20 seconds, after collecting all the necessary information and preparing for the installation of VMware, the installation assistant window will open on the screen, first of all warning about intellectual property rights (Figure 2).

Figure 2. VMware Installation Assistant.

Feel free to press the "next" button to go to the choice of the type of installation (Figure 3).

Since the article describes the installation for novice users, we will not be smart and choose to install the standard VMware package, which will be enough for most user requirements for the virtualization program. In the future, it will always be possible to add components that are not included in the standard package.

Figure 3. Selecting the type of installation.

After clicking on the "Next" button, the installation wizard will offer to select the folder where the program will be installed (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Selecting the installation location.

After pressing the "Next" button again, a window will open in front of you with a choice of the location of the shortcuts quick launch virtualization programs (Figure 5). Where to place quick launch shortcuts is a matter of taste. I am most comfortable with the Start menu.

Figure 5. Choosing a quick launch location.

This was the last preparation for the installation, which you will be informed about by the window that will open after clicking on the "Next" button (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Message about readiness to install.

To start the installation, click the "Install" button and you will see a window showing the installation process (Figure 7). Now you have to wait a couple of minutes.

Figure 7. Installing VMware Workstation.

After the installation is completed, a window will open on the screen informing about this long-awaited event (Figure 8). Click the Finish button to complete the installation and proceed to create and configure your first virtual machine.

Figure 8. Completing the installation of VMware Workstation.

2. We create a virtual machine.

Creating your first virtual machine is as easy as installing a virtualization program. To create a virtual machine, run the virtualization program “VMware Workstation” from the “Start” menu (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Starting VMware Workstation.

Naturally, when you first start the program, it will offer you to read the license agreement and accept it (Figure 10). We do not have much choice, and if we want to create a virtual machine based on VMware, then we agree with it.

Figure 10. License agreement.

As soon as you agree to accept the license, a window of the “VMware Workstation” program will open in front of you (Figure 11), in which one of three actions will be offered to choose from:

• create a new virtual machine;
• create a new group of virtual machines (usually used when you need to create a virtual computing system for easy access and work with individual virtual machines that are part of a virtual computing system);
• open an already existing virtual machine or a group of virtual machines.

Since this is our first launch of VMware Workstation, there is nothing to open yet, and it is too early to create a group, first you need to learn how to handle a separate virtual machine. Therefore, we choose the first of the proposed options.

Figure 11. VMware Workstation software.

After choosing the first option, a window of the virtual machine creation wizard will open (Figure 12), which will help you quickly and easily create and configure your first virtual machine.

Figure 12. Virtual Machine Creation Wizard.

For the first time, choose standard configuration a virtual machine that will suit most users. For this, in the configuration options offered to choose from, we mark the option: "Normal (recommended)" and press the "Next" button.

After that, a window for selecting the source for installing the guest operating system will open (Figure 13). I downloaded the Ubuntu 12.04 guest operating system in advance from RuTracker.org in the form of an installation disk image (.iso). Therefore, in the window that opens, select the second option: "Install from the installation disk image" and specify the path to the required file (ubuntu-12.04-oem-i386.iso).

Figure 13. Selecting the source for installing the guest OS.

To simplify the installation of the guest operating system, at the next step, the virtual machine wizard will offer to specify personal data for installing the guest operating system (Figure 14). In the window that opens, enter your name, username and password.

Figure 14. Entering personal data.

After pressing the “Next” button again, proceed to setting the parameters of the created virtual machine. First of all, you will be asked for the name of the virtual machine and its location. An example of filling these parameters is shown in Figure 15.

Figure 15. Name and location of the created virtual machine.

For comfortable work with the Ubuntu operating system, 20 GB is enough. The file size is large enough, so if you plan to transfer it to other computers or do backups, then you should think about the possibility of placing a virtual hard disk in multiple files.

Since my task is not to move or copy a virtual machine, I will choose the option "Save virtual disk as one file". In addition, the virtual machine works a little faster with these virtual hard disks.

Figure 16. Configuring the parameters of the virtual hard disk.

On this basic settings the virtual machines are finished and after clicking on the “Next” button a window will open showing the parameters of the virtual machine you have set (Figure 17).

Figure 17. Installed parameters of the virtual machine.

As you can see from the figure, all the basic parameters necessary for comfortable work with the virtual machine have been set:

• hard disk size - 20 GB;
• the size random access memory- 500 MB;
• network adapter type - NAT;
• input / output devices, etc. - CD / DVD, Floppy, USB controller, Printer, Sound Сard.

Almost all virtual devices are present here and their parameters are quite suitable for normal operation with a virtual machine. If, for any reason, you need to connect an additional device or change the parameters of the virtual machine, for example, the amount of RAM, then click the "Hardware settings ..." button and select add devices or change their parameters.

Since it is possible to add new devices or change any parameters of the virtual machine without any problems even after its creation and installation of the guest operating system, at this stage I will not change anything in the proposed parameters and proceed to install the guest operating system.

To do this, just check the box "Start virtual machine after creation" and click "Finish" to complete the creation of the virtual machine. In this case, the files of your virtual machine will appear in the folder you have selected (Figure 18), the virtual machine will start, and the process of installing the guest operating system will automatically begin (Figure 19).

Figure 18. Files of the created virtual machine.

Figure 19. Starting the installation of the guest OS.

3. Install the guest operating system.

The guest operating system is installed on a virtual machine in almost the same way as on an ordinary computer, but I will still briefly describe the process of installing Ubuntu 12.04 as a guest operating system.

The installation of the operating system will start automatically after the creation of the virtual machine is complete, and after a few seconds a window with the Ubuntu installation wizard will open on the screen (Figure 20), in which you need to select the language in which the installation wizard will conduct a dialogue with you and select one of the OS installation options :

• try Ubuntu by running the operating system from disk;
• install Ubuntu.

Naturally, we choose the second option, since we need a full-fledged guest operating system. Click the "Install Ubuntu" button to start installing the guest operating system.

Figure 20. Ububtu Installation Wizard.

If you have slow Internet access or not at all, or for some reason you do not want to download updates for the operating system being installed, uncheck the Enable Networking menu item, for which click the button, and then click on the line in the menu that appears "Enable Networking" (Figure 21).

As a result of the actions taken, the check mark opposite the "Enable Networking" line should be absent. This will allow you to save a lot of time when installing the operating system, and if you wish, update the system and install latest versions software is available after installing and configuring Ununtu.

Figure 21. Disconnecting the network during installation.

Before starting the installation, the "installation wizard" will inform you about the required hard disk space and the need for an Internet connection, which is desirable, but not at all necessary (Figure 22). In addition, with a slow Internet connection, the installation process can be greatly delayed.

It is also advisable to enable the installation of Fluendo MP3 for playing multimedia content.

Figure 22. Preparing to install Ubuntu.

The next step is to choose a way to partition the hard disk into partitions (Figure 23). Since we have created only one virtual HDD and not really big size, then we will choose the first option, besides, after creating a virtual hard disk, there is no useful information and you can safely format it.

Figure 23. Partitioning a hard drive.

At the next stage, we select the hard drive on which we will install the operating system. And since we have only one virtual hard disk, there is actually nothing to choose from and it will be offered by default. Just click the Install Now button to start the installation.

Figure 24. Selecting a hard drive for installation.

After clicking the Install Now button, the files will start copying from the installation disk image to the virtual hard disk. To save time, in parallel with the copying process, you need to make basic settings of the operating system and the first setting will be to choose your location.

You can enter the name of the city or select its approximate location on the map. Once the required city is specified, click the "Continue" button.

Figure 25. Selecting a location.

The next step is to select the keyboard layout (Figure 26). In the same window, you can check the selection and make sure that the printed text is displayed correctly. Usually, by default, the keyboard layout is determined correctly by the city you specified and no additional actions are required at this stage. Click the "Continue" button to proceed to the next step in setting up Ubuntu.

Figure 26. Selecting a keyboard layout.

Now you have to set personal data (Figure 27):

• own name;
• computer name;
• username (must not be the same as your name);
• password for entering the operating system under the specified username.

Here you will be asked to specify the method of logging into the system: automatically or after entering a password. If unauthorized people will have access to your virtual machine, then it is better to select the option "require a password to enter the system". This will keep your personal information intact.

After entering all the data, press the "Continue" button.

Figure 27. Entering personal data.

This completes the basic Ubuntu settings (Figure 28) and the entire further installation process will go through automatically.

Figure 28. Automatic installation Ubuntu.

During the installation process, advertising screensavers will periodically appear describing the advantage of the installed operating system over previous versions Ubuntu, which will help ease the wait for the installation to complete. However, the installation process can take several tens of minutes, but fortunately, we are installing the operating system on a virtual machine, and the window with the installation process can simply be minimized and go about your business.

When the installation is complete, a message will appear on the screen notifying that the installation is complete and offering to restart the computer (Figure 29). Feel free to click "restart", because this applies only to your new, ready-made virtual machine, and not the entire computer.

Figure 29. Completing the Ubuntu installation.

In a few seconds, a window of a virtual machine with the Ubuntu operating system installed will open in front of you (Figure 30), which opens the widest possibilities of virtual machines and complexes that you have never used before. Customize the operating system settings for yourself and enjoy your work.

Figure 30. Operating system Ubuntu 12.04.

4. Basic operations with a virtual machine.

4.1. Running a virtual machine

From the start menu, start the virtualization system:

Start-> All Programs-> VMwre-> VMware workstation

In the window that opens, select the menu item:

File-> Open

And select the virtual machine you created (file with the .vmw permission). My virtual machine is located at the following address:

F: / VM Ware / Ubuntu.vmx

Start an open virtual machine in one of the following ways:

4.2. Pause the virtual machine.

When you finish working with the virtual machine, you can pause it, while the state of the virtual machine at the time of shutdown will be saved, and the virtualization program can be closed.

After resuming work (see section 4.1), the virtual machine will appear in front of you in the form in which you finished working with it. This is the most common and convenient way to shut down a virtual machine.

You can pause a virtual machine in one of the following ways:

4.3. Shutting down the virtual machine.

To shutdown the virtual machine, just exit in a standard way the operation of the guest operating system. In this case, the work of the virtual machine will be terminated automatically and you can close the virtualization program.

However, there is also an analog of the computer buttons "Power off" and "Restart", which allow, regardless of the state of the guest operating system, to shut down or restart the virtual machine. You can turn off a virtual machine:

You can reboot a virtual machine:

• select a menu item: VM-> Power-> Reset;
• press the key combination ctrl + R.

However, the most convenient way to finish working with a virtual machine, in my opinion, is to install it on a groove (section 4.2).

4.4. Connecting removable devices to a virtual machine.

You can connect removable devices in the menu:

VM-> removable devices

By checking the box next to the required removable devices, you connect them to the virtual machine, unchecking the box - disconnect. As you can see, everything is very simple.

To make it even easier, I will give an example of connecting a USB drive to a virtual machine:

• connect the USB drive to the computer and after a few seconds in the menu "VM-> Removable Devices" a new item will appear with the name of the USB drive to be connected, in my case it is: Feiya Mass Storage Device;
• put a tick in the menu "VM-> Removable devices -> Feiya Mass Storage Device-> Connect (Disconnect from Host)"(Figure 31) and after a few seconds a folder with the contents of the USB drive will open on the desktop of your guest operating system (in our case, it is Ubuntu);

Figure 31. USB connection drive.

For USB disconnect uncheck the checkbox in the same menu.

4.5. Switching between host and guest operating systems.

To switch from the guest operating system to the host operating system, press the ctrl + alt key combination. To return to the guest operating system, it is tedious to click on the window with the guest operating system.

This is quite enough to start working with a virtual machine, and in the future, if you like the capabilities of the new tool, and you will certainly like them, you can easily explore all of its capabilities, and I will try to help you in one of the following articles.

By using VMware Workstation virtual machine you can install a virtual operating system on your computer.

It turns out completely new computers only virtual, and you can create infinitely many of them. This program will be needed if your computer is banned by hardware on any site. In our case, bookmakers ( I mean those who earn money or are just going to join our ranks and become financially independent person). When working with surebets, there comes a time when any registered account is almost instantly cut, and some of the offices (not included in the list), in principle, prohibit the registration of several accounts from one computer and can even block it along with the money. And if you still want to work with such bookmakers, then you definitely cannot do without VMware Workstation virtual machine.

Vmware virtual machine paid you can download it on the official site vmware.com. But on the Internet it is quite easy to download its free version. I cannot say that this is correct, since it violates the copyright of the developer, but this is a fact and since this is not an advertising article but a general educational one, I cannot but highlight this aspect - for this it is enough to enter "vmware workstation torrent" into any search engine and voila, choose what you like ... The only thing if you decide to go this way, be careful in choosing a source.

Virtual VMware machine Workstation 11 rus 64 bit

Installation for windows 7

Installing a virtual machine vmware should not cause difficulties even for the most experienced user PC. But just in case, I decided to post screenshots of most of the stages of installing the program. Moreover, without this, the article seemed incomplete to me, and I do not like unfinished work ... Vmware workstation 12 is installed in exactly the same way and an earlier version (10) too.

Configuring VMware Workstation and installing windows 64bit on it

Here we will linger and consider everything in great detail, at least to the extent that any person could do it. The possibilities of the program are very wide and we will not consider all of them, but we will dwell on those that we need to be stable And so without further ado, let's start ...

Run the installed VMware Workstation for example, I decided to take version 10, it does not differ in any way from 11 and 12 in terms of settings, I think the next versions will correspond, since publishers are distinguished by stable conservatism in terms of design and functionality (and this pleases !!!). In addition, I use this version myself, it is already installed and ready for demonstration.

1. VMware Workstation after the first launch, it immediately opens the main tab.

Find in the middle "create a new virtual machine" and click.

2. In the window that opens, leave normal mode create a virtual machine and click Further.

3. At this stage, you need to specify from which media we will install windows. Either it will installation disk as shown in the example, or image file ISO settings ... The latter option is more convenient, since it is convenient to store the image on a computer or on a USB flash drive, it will not get worn out or scratched, plus the installation speed will be faster. But for this, you first need to create it in special program, I personally used UltraISO.

4. Here it is important for us to indicate the name of the computer, try not to repeat ourselves, since the uniqueness of all the facts individually determines whether or not the beech insurgents and their bots will calculate you.

You do not need to enter the product key and passwords, you can choose the version of Windows if you want. Click further.

5. You need to specify the name of the virtual machine, this is not the name of the computer, but the name solely for your convenience, it will be displayed in the column on the left.

At the same stage, you can specify the location where the files of this virtual machine will be located on your computer.

6. We choose the size of the disk. Windows will be installed on it and all programs can be divided, but I do not advise this, and developers, by the way, too. The default is 60 GB, you can leave this figure. But if your computer has enough memory, I advise you to increase it to 80 GB.

7. Here we press - equipment setup.

8. In the window that opens, go to the memory section and by dragging the pointer or specifying it manually, select the size of the RAM of the future virtual computer. Please note that the size of the RAM depends on the configuration of your computer and the recommended sizes are indicated on the right. In any case, try to set a little less than the recommended size in order to avoid "brakes".

9. In the same window, go to the section CPU and on the right in the drop-down menu, select the number of processors and cores inside them. There are never too many of these 🙂 bet as much as you will allow ...

10. We remain in the same window and go to the tab network adapter , then click additionally and in the window that opens, we generate a new MAC address (this must be done every time, since it is on it in the first place that the hardware on the Internet is monitored, at least this is what many experts say, we will not dispute ...)

We press OK and close the window " equipment«.

11. Be sure to leave a check mark and click Further.

12. This completes the setup, it remains to wait for the completion Windows installation and VERY IMPORTANT when the network location setup window appears, select HOME NETWORK.

When everything is installed and configured, I want to draw your attention to two useful functions:

• Expand to full screen ( blue marker, fig. below) - I think everything is clear here.
• Single mode ( red marker, fig. below) - This function allows you to display browsers and that's it open programs and folders to your main computer. It will feel as if the browser is running not on a virtual machine, but directly on your computer, and this without losing privacy. If the power of your computer allows, you can simultaneously run several virtual machines and open all browsers from them in a single mode.

If you started the machine and these functions do not work, do not despair, this sometimes happens and is usually solved as follows:

Open the tab “ Virtual machine" and press install VMware tools ...(picture below)

Now VMware Workstation virtual machine completely ready to work with, I remind you that the functionality of this program is much wider than described in this article, you can study them at your discretion. But since my site is aimed at teaching you, this information is enough!

P.S. Thank you for visiting my site. Enjoy your income !!!

Hello, could you write an article about the VMware Workstation virtual machine, I was looking for such an article from you, but did not find it, I want to install it on itWindows 8.1. It would be great if you could explain the difference betweenVMware Workstation and popularVirtualBox. Which one is better?

Installing a VMware Workstation virtual machine

Hi friends, my name is Ro8 and I will answer this question.

Both virtual machines: VMware Workstation and VirtualBox are serious applications capable of performing the most complex virtualization tasks of the modern computer world, and you can successfully use any of the proposed virtual machines for yourself. In general, I believe that it is impossible to compare these two products at this level (which is worse and which is better), both of them are good in their own way. Let's approach the question of comparison a little from the other side.

If you are a beginner user,then without hesitation choose, it is simpler and by and large is not inferior in its basic capabilities VMware Workstation.

VMware Workstation is a commercial product ($ 207) with official support.

All significant differences VMware by VirtualBox important primarily for software developers and network administrators:V VMware Workstation technology is built in integration with development and testing environments for various software and it has more tools for working with a virtual network environment - NAT, DHCP. There is functionality for compress virtual disks - Compact Virtual Disks and other features that are most likely not needed by an ordinary user. However, VMware Workstation has a 30-day trial period and we can take a closer look at it.

Hello, friends. Today I want to tell you about the program Wmware workstation, about its installation, as well as how to install an operating system on it. Of course, I will not only tell you all this, but I will also show the whole process.

It should be noted that Windows 7, 8, and 10 have their own VHD support, which means you can create a virtual hard disk using both third-party programs and without their participation. Read more,. If you have Windows XP, then you can't do without using third-party software.

So why do you need a virtual machine? And in order to emulate the system and use it without fear. Probably everyone has to change the operating system. How much you will not clean it, take care of it, but over time, the system will still need to be reinstalled. Of course, I would like to look in advance at what you will bet. That's when a virtual machine comes in handy. Also, you can check a dubious program on a "virtual machine", which you are afraid to install on your computer, without any harm. First, I'll show you how to install VMware, and then I'll show you how to install Windows on it.

Program installation

First, run setup file programs. Once launched, select the language for the virtual machine and click OK.

After that, skip the program greeting by clicking the Next> button and proceed to reading the license agreement. Confirm your agreement and click Next>.

Then the program will offer you which installation to choose: typical or normal. I advise you to choose the first option for beginners, and the other for those who are familiar with the computer. Select the one you need by clicking on the settings icons.

The next step is to choose a directory for installing the virtual machine. To select a folder, click the "Change ..." button. Click the Next> button to proceed with the installation.

In the next window, set the marker if you want the program to search for and install the update, and click "Next>"

After that, select to install a shortcut to the desktop, as well as in the "Start" menu or not, and click "Next>".

Click the "Continue" button to continue the installation and wait for it to finish. To complete the installation of the virtual machine, click the "Finish" button. This completes the installation.

Installing the operating system.

Well, let's move on to installing the operating system on a virtual machine. After starting the program, your first step is to select an operating system image. To do this, click on the "Create a new virtual machine" tab.

Then select the type of configuration: normal or custom. Since this article is intended for beginners, we select the usual installation and click the "Next" button.

In the next window, select from what the installed operating system will be: from a disk or an installation image file. Choose the one that suits you and click the "Next" button.

The next step is to enter the product key, and you can also set a password for the future system, if you want to do all these actions later, then just click the "Next" button.

Then select the name and location of the virtual machine. To proceed with the installation, click the same button as in the previous step.

In the next window, select the maximum size virtual disk, as well as a way to save the virtual machine on the computer. If you choose the first option, the virtual machine will be saved with only one file. I advise you to choose to save with multiple files. Click the "Next" button to continue.

Then look at the parameters and click the "Finish" button. Wait until the virtual machine is installed on your computer and run it to install the operating system. After that, perform a standard Windows installation.

Remember: take your time to install and do everything step by step, after which you will get the result you were hoping for.