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Frequently Asked Questions

If a virtual machine crashes, will the entire PC (and other running virtual machines) also crash?

No. Each operating system runs in an isolated virtual machine window. Errors within an operating system or applications running in a virtual machine do not affect other virtual machines or the PC on which they are running. This is because VMware products have built-in error-protection and isolation capabilities for reliably running multiple virtual machines at the same time. For example, the host operating system is not affected by the operating system and applications that run inside the virtual machine. Furthermore, if an error occurs with the software running inside a virtual machine, the problem will be isolated to that particular virtual machine (the host and other virtual machines running on the host will not be affected).

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What are VMware products' software compatibility?

VMware virtual machines are compatible with thousands of software packages -- applications whose minimum software requirements meet the virtual machine specifications. For example, the following popular applications can run inside a VMware virtual machine:

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What are the system requirements for running VMware Workstation?

You can find a list of VMware Workstation system requirements by clicking here.

Refer to these addresses on the VMware website for more information about system requirements:

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What features are new with VMware Workstation 3.0?

You'll find performance improvements throughout VMware Workstation in this release. Some of them - smoother mouse movement, for example - are obvious. Others operate behind the scenes to make more efficient use of the resources of your host machine and speed the performance of your virtual machines. There are many other new and improved features in this release. Here are some highlights.

Get a Better View of Your Virtual Machines

If you're running VMware Workstation on a Windows host, you'll notice some changes right away. The updated user interface provides better wizards for creating new virtual machines and adding devices to virtual machines, gives you more information about the state of your virtual machines and makes it easier to adjust configurations to suit your needs.

Use the Latest Microsoft Operating Systems

There's better support for Windows Me as guest operating system. And Windows XP is supported as both a guest and a host.

Connect to USB Devices

If your host and guest operating systems support USB, you can now connect USB devices to your virtual machine. Keep in mind that Windows NT and Windows 95 do not support USB. Linux support for USB is common only in kernels 2.2.18 and higher, though some distributions provided USB support on earlier kernels.

Create Big Virtual Disks

You can now create virtual disks as large as 128GB (virtual IDE hard disks) and 256GB (virtual SCSI hard disks). You can set up one large disk when you create a new virtual machine with the Configuration Wizard and add more large disks later, using the Configuration Editor.

Note: These new virtual disks use a new format and cannot be used under Workstation 2.0.

Connect to CD-ROM Image Files

You can now connect a virtual CD-ROM drive to either a physical drive or an ISO image file using the Configuration Editor.

Connect Directly to SCSI Devices

If you want to use a SCSI device that is not supported directly in the virtual machine - a scanner or tape drive, for example - you can now connect to it using the Generic SCSI device in the Configuration Editor.

Install VMware Tools More Easily

The VMware Tools package, essential for good performance in a guest operating system, has a number of improvements. It's simpler to install VMware Tools after you install your guest operating system. And the new version of VMware Tools provides an improved SVGA driver.

Use Your Notebook Docked and Undocked

Support for multiple networking configurations is improved, making it easier for you to use a virtual machine on a notebook host that is sometimes used in a docking station and sometimes used stand-alone.

Use Networking on SMP Hosts

Networking on SMP hosts is more robust than in previous versions of VMware Workstation.

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What is included in VMware Tools?

VMware Tools is a supplemental software suite that includes two components:

VMware Tools is included with VMware Workstation.

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What network protocols are supported?

Each virtual machine has a unique Media Access Control (MAC) address, a hardware address that uniquely identifies each node of a network. Hence all network protocols are supported, including: Internet Protocol (IP), Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), NetBios Enhanced User Interface (NetBeui), and so on.

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How are network protocols assigned to virtual machines with regards to the host system?

Each virtual machine's guest operating system is configured for any network protocol -- regardless of the protocol used by the host system.

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What types of networking are supported by VMware Workstation?

VMware Workstation supports three types of networking:

>>More information on networking with VMware Workstation

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How are IP addresses handled for virtual machines versus the host system?

Each virtual machine has its own unique IP address -- the IP address of the host is not shared nor spoofed.

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If the underlying PC hardware changes, do the operating systems running in virtual machines need to be reconfigured?

No.

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How can I run a virtual machine if there is very little free space on my local hard drive?

You can run a virtual machine that is stored on a shared network server. VMware Workstation can access virtual disks stored remotely on a file server. To enable this access, you must set up host-only or bridged networking for the virtual machine.

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What if I trash a virtual machine during a session? Do I have to rebuild it?

No. Simply choose to restore the original session settings and all changes made to the virtual machine during the session will be discarded.

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What is virtual networking and how is it different from traditional networking?

Virtual networking allows Web-based, client/server, and peer-to-peer applications to run in multiple virtual machines -- on one standalone computer.

>>More about networking in virtual machines

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How much RAM is required to run VMware Workstation?

You need enough memory to run the host operating system and its applications, plus enough memory to run each virtual machine's guest operating system and applications. VMware recommends 128MB, with a minimum of 96MB.

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What is the limit of memory that can be used by a virtual machine?

50% of the available memory on the host. However, this limit can be expanded by disabling memory limits.

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What performance can I expect from different hardware configurations?

More information will be provided in a later release.

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What drivers are needed for network emulation?

More information will be provided in a later release.

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How can I install a guest operating system if I only have an upgrade version of the operating system?

You cannot install an upgrade version of an operating system in a virtual machine. You must have a full version of the operating system.

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How do changes to BIOS and SVGA affect virtual machines?

More information will be provided in a future release.

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Why can't I send CTRL-ALT-DEL only to the virtual machine?

It is not possible to mask the CTRL-ALT-DEL event from the host operating system. Typing CTRL-ALT-DEL into a virtual machine will result in both the host operating system and the virtual machine receiving the CTRL-ALT-DEL. Workstation supports using CTRL-ALT-INSERT when inside a virtual machine and Workstation translates that into CTRL-ALT-DEL for the virtual machine.

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Can I run a virtual machine inside another virtual machine?

A virtual machine cannot be run within a virtual machine. VMware recommends that you do not attempt this procedure. Attempts to run a virtual machine within a virtual machine may hang your system.

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Can I run Workstation over a network?

Yes, Workstation runs over a network. This, however, can have a substantial performance impact.

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