Unable to compact VMs... Help!

[Mongo424242]

Hi all,

I currently run a Linux (Ubuntu) host, with multiple VMs running on Workstation 12.5.7.  As a precautionary measure, I also keep "staging" versions of my Windows VMs, to make sure installs are viable (work OK) before trying on the main VM (which I keep as clean as possible).  For each staging machine, I made a snapshot of a clean install so that if (when) it became too messed up from installing/uninstalling stuff I could restore it to a clean state.  This last weekend, after having installed several gigs of stuff, I restored it to the snapshot.  I was thinking that I would get the space back that was used by the installed programs... I was wrong.  All attempts at compacting the VM after the restore tell me that the compact was successful, but the disk never shrinks back to it's original size (on the host HD, I mean).  What am I missing?  Thanks!

[voidp]

Thinning virtual machine with Ubuntu 64 bit

Compact/shrink *.vmdk does NOT work (for Ubuntu guestOS)

Compact Disk on Linux guests does not work?

VMware Knowledge Base

[Mongo424242]

Thank you for your reply, voldp!

I did find the first link in my searches (my guests are Windows, my host is Ubuntu), but when I tried it I was told that "vmware tools" were not installed (thing is, they are installed...  assuming the "vmware tools" are those that are installed with the Workstation full distro).  That gives rise to another question:  What, exactly, does the option to "Compact" under the Hardware tab of the Workstation GUI do (it says it reclaims unused disk space, but apparently does not work...?)

[voidp]

Sorry!  I thought your guests were Ubuntu.  %-)

wila has a good article here: Shrink guest on hosted platform - VI-Toolkit

New tools were just released in case the latest and greatest might help: https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=VMTOOLS1020&productId=614

[Mongo424242]

Thanks again, voldp...:)