Fusion 5: Could not open /dev/vmmon:... after Yosemite installation

[NivaR]

I've been using an Ubuntu VM under Fusion 5 for quite a while.  I installed OSX Yosemite today and can no longer start this VM.

I get:

Could not open /dev/vmmon: No such file or directory.

Failed to initialize monitor device.

Cannot find a valid peer process to connect to

I've searched several threads including

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=100348...

1) I am not running any VPNs or similar services

2) I tried Repair Disk Permissions and Reboot - no fix

3) I tried restoring a snapshot - same errors

4) I uninstalled Fusion, deleted a bunch of recommended files, downloaded and reinstalled it - no fix

Addendum 5): I downloaded another Ubuntu image and installed it.  It will not start - same errors

Suggestions appreciated.

[VinSap]

I ran into same problem yesterday and posted a question. Before you choose to upgrade to Fusion 7 see my post about X Server not starting.

Thanks

[NivaR]

Looks like I have to get Fusion 7 or virtualize some other way per a response to another thread.  I downloaded the 30 day trial for now.

[mortenjensen01]

I have the same problem. I find it unsatisfactory to be forced to upgrade. Hope vmware will post a hotfix - or provide us with a very good upgrade deal.

Morten

[WoodyZ]

mortenjensen01 wrote: I have the same problem. I find it unsatisfactory to be forced to upgrade. Hope vmware will post a hotfix - or provide us with a very good upgrade deal.

If the past is any indicator of this type of issue then no there will be no hot-fix!  Who forced you to upgrade to OS X 10.10 Yosemite anyway?

[rziglin]

Same here, no luck!

[NivaR]

WoodyZ wrote:

"If the past is any indicator of this type of issue then no there will be no hot-fix!  Who forced you to upgrade to OS X 10.10 Yosemite anyway?"

That's certainly one way to look at it.  But, Apple does release evolutionary OS updates  approximately yearly.  So far, I have not had to purchase new licenses for other software, development environments, and suites for those updates.  I reverted to Fusion 5 from Fusion 6 (refunded purchase with some effort) since the latter had problems that made using it incovenient.  As I try Fusion 7, I am encountering some of the same issues that made me revert.   

[GlennyG]

Same for me;  I also had my Fusion 6 purchase refunded as it broke full-screen mode.  I believe Fusion 7 is broken in the same way so also isn't worth the upgrade.

What were your reasons for sticking with Fusion 5?

@Woody:  it is extremely frustrating to be *forced* to pay an upgrade licence fee "tax" for an inferior experience (c.f. full-screen) and is a pretty repugnant business model.

Edit:  wondering if it's more like paying a ransom than a tax?  In any case,  it is rather upsetting when one gets frog-marched to a cash machine to continue working in the same way as one used to.

[NivaR]

I also had some full screen issues in Fusion 6- such as I couldn't get to the VMWare menu consistently when the guest VM covered it up.  It may not seem major but it got in the way enough that it was an annoyance.   The Unity mode also didn't work well for me and I had expected more from Retina Display support (it was there but everything got too small to read).  To their credit, VMWare Tech Support tried very hard to work through the problems with me with screenshares and phone calls but Fusion 5 was a smoother experience for my needs.  Since I didn't need Unity and could live with lower res. on the Retina Display, I could stick with Fusion 5 and got a refund.  I'm seeing some of the same full screen problems with Fusion 7.  I can't say it is broken but I'm having to adapt how I do what I do.  I'm looking to see if it has additional features that could offset the glitches.

I can understand that VMWare has to sell products.  If Yosemite or Mavericks before it had been as major a change as, say, XP to Windows 7 or Windows 7 to 8, I can understand having to repurchase Fusion.  My understanding is that the Mac OS releases aren't major changes in the architecture of the OS so I was hoping to keep using Fusion 5.

[WoodyZ]

GlennyG wrote: @Woody:  it is extremely frustrating to be *forced* to pay an upgrade licence fee "tax" for an inferior experience (c.f. full-screen) and is a pretty repugnant business model.

Edit:  wondering if it's more like paying a ransom than a tax?  In any case,  it is rather upsetting when one gets frog-marched to a cash machine to continue working in the same way as one used to.

The only one forcing anyone is oneself!  Did anyone force one to upgrade the OS?  The only answer to that is oneself and or Apple so any complaints in this context should be directed either at oneself and or Apple not VMware!  Personally I abhor the iOSifcation of OS X and for that alone I freely choose not to upgrade any further then what came on my 2013 MBP/r, OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, at this point in time.  It's not that I don't like some of the new features, although the biggest single thing I hate about OS X 10.10 is the Dock.  Apple has gone backwards with this and it's no longer a element of elegance of the UI.  We all have our quirks and I like to interface with the Dock and quite enjoy its 3D appearance and to loose that element alone and have to interface with a boring flat 1980's style interface takes away a bit of the joy in using a Mac!

[GlennyG]

I've not upgraded from Mavericks to Yosemite,  not least as I've had some considerable pain in the past when doing an upgrade.

As ever,  take a full Carbon Copy of the disc first so you've got the opportunity to do an update.   My normal method is to buy a new hard disc / SSD,  clone it,  then swap 'discs' and upgrade the new 'disc'.  That way the revert is just a disc-swap away.  I suppose we now have to mention Apple's gouging where the new MacBook Pros are proprietary and not upgradable...

I'm quite underwhelmed with Yosemite's "features".  A few nice-to-haves but nothing I can see that makes it a compelling upgrade.  For example past OSX versions that introduced multi-disc time-machine,  full-disc encryption,  or even the original Spaces.  So at least there's no reason to jump in with an upgrade.  And that saves me the Fusion upgrade ransom/tax.

[NivaR]

The merits or demerits of Yosemite are, to me, beside the point.  I looked through the VMWare site and product line closely for the first time.   I now have the impression that Fusion is the lone consumer product in a line geared for midsize to enterprise-level businesses.  The licensing and service models reflect that market where updates are charged either through service contracts, license packs, and related methods but charged all the same...

[cacheguard]

Hi

None of the solutions proposed here worked for me.

I resolved the problem by buying VMware Fusion Pro v7: almost 60 € (VAT Excluding as I'm a “professional”).

Yeah so cool ! Thank you VMware! Thank you Apple... Anybody else want me I thank him? Seriously ? I'm really not happy to have to pay that ransom (thank you GlennyG to suggest the right word ) but my work was completely blocked and I had not enough FREE time to search another solution rather than paying Vmware... As a professional I have to be accountable to my customers why Apple/VMware don't? I can't understand big companies (like Apple or VMware) with their $1000000000...0000 budget (not my case) offering for “FREE” (LOL) a software that breaks peoples' work!

Best Regards

[bna188]

Alright guys. You got a week to fix it. In the meantime I am diverting to VirtualBox. I am not a gamer, so that should be working just fine. If it's fixed after a week I will move back. If not, I'm not upgrading but migrating. Your upgrades are just too expensive.

[atupper]

It looks like I'll have to go back to Paralells, there's no way I'm upgrading to a lousier version of this product. 

[Vinupeter]

Hi ,

I also faced the same issue with Windows 7 VM after upgrading to Yosmite

I followed the below KB article

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=100348...

deleted bunch of files mentioned fixed the Disk Permissions

Reinstalled Fusion 6 and it is working perfectly fine.

I do not think you need to upgrade to Fusion 7 just for Yosmite

Regards,

Vinu

[cacheguard]

Of course nobody force you to upgrade BUT sooner or later you are OBLIGED to update because products reach their end of life. That's why you upgrade (specially when a product is free and when you are an IT professional).

So It is really not professional to not upgrade to Yosemite when the IT is vital for you business. Moreover I don't think that Yosemite has only changes the look and feel of OSX. I'm still not happy with VMware because it don't support earlier versions of Fusion with Yosemite and I really believe that paying VMware to upgrade to the v7 is a RANSOM.

[cupboardy]

The only one forcing anyone is oneself!  Did anyone force one to upgrade the OS?  The only answer to that is oneself and or Apple so any complaints in this context should be directed either at oneself and or Apple not VMware!

Two things:

1. No offence but that's a horrible misuse of the word oneself.

2. It's not really the point is it? No-one forces us to upgrade to Yosemite but it's a free upgrade from Apple. That's what I signed up to. I did not sign up to being forced to pay to upgrade other software.

[WoodyZ]

cupboardy wrote:

The only one forcing anyone is oneself!  Did anyone force one to upgrade the OS?  The only answer to that is oneself and or Apple so any complaints in this context should be directed either at oneself and or Apple not VMware!

Two things:

1. No offence but that's a horrible misuse of the word oneself.

Actually, it's a perfect use of the word!

2. It's not really the point is it? No-one forces us to upgrade to Yosemite but it's a free upgrade from Apple. That's what I signed up to. I did not sign up to being forced to pay to upgrade other software.

It is indeed the point!  Additionally VMware Fusion 5 reached the end of life support before OS X 10.10 was released so that's it!  If you want free then use VirtualBox otherwise be prepared to upgrade on a product that has reached EOLS!

[Jinhong]

I'm using VMWare 5.

I followed all instructions, but it didn't work for me.

Now I'm considering to move parallels.