VM Workstation Walkthrough - Very simple

[tingv001]

I've been noticing posts were people say VM's aren't n00b friendly and I just wanted to post this to help anyone that fears VM's being too complicated to rest easy.

For this I'm using

VM Workstation 12
Windows XP

Once you install WS12, click the dropdown for create new machine



Hit typical and next:



Now browse to where your Windows .iso file is you can create custom Windows that will install all your programs but not getting into that here:



Enter your windows key and what you want your new computer to be named:



Next we enter what we want the VM to be named, and if you want to change the directory it's saved/created to:



Here we can create a single disk but I like multiple files because it will keep the size low, and increase as more data is saved to the VM:

[tingv001]

**** wouldn't let me post 8 images so here's the rest****


Now we just finalize and we are finished:



Sort of It will now install windows and boot up etc.


But as you can see there really is nothing to it.

I hope this helps at least 1 person get the basics and see there's nothing to worry about.

IMO the main thing you need to be is ORGANIZED.

[RR2]

Thanks for the tutorial.

I use VMWare sometimes. You just need a PC with a good amount of RAM if you want to run many instances at the same time.

[cool customer]

Thanks for this. Just in the process of changing my user accounts over to VMware / Tiny 7 and this was a great help.

[JamesNorth101]

This will be really useful for a lot of members

Thanks!

[Play]

A very neat step by step guide, just goes to show how simple it really is.

[MM78]

Everyone has their own methods to it all but I would like to add a few things:
1. You can put your VMWares on a Portable HDD - This will allow you to run your VMWares on any Computer that has VMWare Workstation installed.

2. The HDD Space used for the actual VMWare can be modified or should be in proportion to your needs.

So for example, if you only plan to run a Browser, Office, Antivirus on a Windows XP VMWare, you can get away with a 10GB Partition.

The same goes for the Memory.

3. I would recommend several different OS, so if you have 4-6 accounts....you can do 2 in Windows XP, 2 in Windows 7, 2 Linux or at least different variations of these OS.

[MM78]

VMWare is like having multiple Windows Operating Systems running at the same time, for me I usually work on 2-3 accounts at the same time, and I hate switching user accounts. It does help that I have dual screens...so on 1 monitor I'm running my regular Windows and on the 2nd Monitor I run my VMWares.

[glacier922]

Are you one of those with 3 monitors in front of you like Batman does, MM78?

[MM78]

Originally Posted by glacier922

Are you one of those with 3 monitors in front of you like Batman does, MM78?

Yeah, pretty much....I like it!

[vuedoolor]

FAQ

1. Does each virtual machine need it's own unique product key?
2. Is there a way to install whatever operating system you want without having to use product keys?
3. What about that unbridge or bridge thing I heard people talking about where you do that?
4. so you don't need a physical cd to install the windows operating system?
5. Where to get these ISO thingy in bulk for decent price?

I had to google "what is iso file" now I have a better understanding of what it is.

[kenzamb1415]

in my vmware workstation 12 player i can only figure out how to have one vm open at a time. do i need the paid version to open multiple or am i missing something?

[cool customer]

Originally Posted by vuedoolor

FAQ

1. Does each virtual machine need it's own unique product key?
2. Is there a way to install whatever operating system you want without having to use product keys?
3. What about that unbridge or bridge thing I heard people talking about where you do that?
4. so you don't need a physical cd to install the windows operating system?
5. Where to get these ISO thingy in bulk for decent price?

I had to google "what is iso file" now I have a better understanding of what it is.

I'm currently experimenting with a barebones version of Windows 7 called Tiny 7 - if you google it you will find it is easy to download an ISO file. Make sure to download it from a reputable source.

I also have Windows Aero Blue to test too but time has not been on my side.

Neither of these require a license key so you can install them on as many virtual machines as you desire.

It has to be said that I'm fairly PC savvy but I do not find VMWare Workstation Pro to be very intuitive. That said, once you have figured something out it is plain sailing. I would set aside some time to get it dialled in.

Luckily, you can clone a VM so once you have done all the hard work, starting a new VM for your next account should be much easier.

[kenzamb1415]

cloning a vm will still give a brand new "machine" with all different unique identifying numbers and all that? but cloning it means you dont have to go through and download softether and alternate browsers like chrome or mozilla every single time and you can just do it all in one action?

is that a paid version feature or can you do it on free version?

[cool customer]

That is a good point you raise, I'm not sure.

Either way, once you have figured stuff out the first time round, starting a new VM from scratch would be no biggy. I would probably make a shared folder on the host PC with essentials such as batchpurifier installer, firefox installer, 24vc installer etc and access them from each new VM. I would go down this route to be totally sure rather than cloning.

I have a full version that i was 'given' so can't help you there. I wasn't aware there was a free version, are you sure you don't mean free trial?

[Somebody12]

Great guide - super useufl

[Haidukken]

Good stuff, but please could you edit your post and resize images? They are making my forum experience rather annoying.

Otherwise, good stuff.

[MM78]

Originally Posted by vuedoolor

1. Does each virtual machine need it's own unique product key?

Only if you plan to do a clean installation every time.

2. Is there a way to install whatever operating system you want without having to use product keys?

Yes, Cloning. And not a Linked Clone but a Full Clone.

3. What about that unbridge or bridge thing I heard people talking about where you do that?

Here's a brief description:
If you use bridged networking, the virtual machine is a full participant in the network. It has access to other machines on the network and other machines on the network can contact it as if it were a physical computer on the network.

This is what it looks like on VMWorkstation:

4. so you don't need a physical cd to install the windows operating system?

No, you can use an ISO file.

5. Where to get these ISO thingy in bulk for decent price?

You don't, you can find them online on certain sites.

I had to google "what is iso file" now I have a better understanding of what it is.

Good.

[MM78]

Originally Posted by kenzamb1415

in my vmware workstation 12 player i can only figure out how to have one vm open at a time. do i need the paid version to open multiple or am i missing something?

You have the Free Version, with the Paid version....you can have multiple VM's opened at the same time.

This is what the paid version looks like when you have multiple VM's opened at the same time.

[MM78]

Originally Posted by kenzamb1415

cloning a vm will still give a brand new "machine" with all different unique identifying numbers and all that?

What do you mean by unique identifying numbers? Like Windows Keys?

but cloning it means you dont have to go through and download softether and alternate browsers like chrome or mozilla every single time and you can just do it all in one action?

I'm going to recommend that you install your Browser for each VMWare Separately.

is that a paid version feature or can you do it on free version?

If you can't have multiple VMWares in the free version...then naturally you can't clone a VMWare.

[kenzamb1415]

Thanks. The VM's have virtual drives and adapters and such all with their separate MAC addresses.

What I know of cloning a device usually means all of these numbers are cloned. I think it only matters for certain software you might use that goes on "1 Machine" (multiple clones would be 1 machine) rather than any concern for eBay Stealth. Usually that type of cloning is illegal I think. Maybe only if you are cloning someone elses machines though.

But my question is, will all programs, settings, and features be cloned in the clone or is it just so you dont have to install windows fresh every time?

Also, what are the uses of the bridge?

[DanielPatrick]

Originally Posted by kenzamb1415

Thanks. The VM's have virtual drives and adapters and such all with their separate MAC addresses.

What I know of cloning a device usually means all of these numbers are cloned. I think it only matters for certain software you might use that goes on "1 Machine" (multiple clones would be 1 machine) rather than any concern for eBay Stealth. Usually that type of cloning is illegal I think. Maybe only if you are cloning someone elses machines though.

But my question is, will all programs, settings, and features be cloned in the clone or is it just so you dont have to install windows fresh every time?

A clone with copy the contents exactly as it is but into a separate machine.

Also, what are the uses of the bridge?

Bridging is used when you want the VM to act is it is part of the network that you already have in place, for example your Home network. It would be able to ping the router etc.


On a side note, I don't think that using VMs is safe for scenarios like these because imagine the VM file gets corrupted, you will lose everything! Am I right? I know that you can take backups of the VM, but will the latest changed get saved also. Other than that, it's a very good thread, especially for beginners to start with!