Buying new Computer...License Key for Fusion?

[ThomasMueller]

My Mac is old and has only 4GB Ram. I need to buy a new one and have to have Fusion 11 migrated through „Time „Machine“ to the new machine. Can I use same license key? If yes, how so? VMware has no customer contact and no KB article to explain that.

Thanks!

[a_p_ · Accepted solution]

AFAIK licenses are not bound to a specific host, so if you uninstall Fusion on the old MAC you can use the license on the new one.

While trying to find that in writing on the VMware web site, I found an interesting information, that I wasn't aware of yet.

from https://kb.vmware.com/kb/56986​

Can I install Fusion 11.x on more than one Mac?

Personal users require only one license to install on all Macs, but business or educational institutions require one license per Mac.

André

[wila]

Hi,

Careful with "Time Machine" to a new machine bit.

That works OK for most things, but is not a reliable way to transfer your VMs!

For the why, please see this KB article: https://kb.vmware.com/kb/1013628

So the recommendation is to manually follow these steps:

- shut down (not suspend) the VM

- commit any snapshots you still might have

- close VMware Fusion so that it is no longer running

- copy the whole VM bundle to an external disk

- disconnect that disk, then upgrade to macOS Mojave

- after copying the VM to the new computer, use File -> Open to open the VM at the new computer

- When VMware Fusion asks if you copied it or moved it, select "Moved It" as otherwise you will have to re-activate windows VMs because they will end up getting a new set of hardware identifiers.

Of course you are also welcome to use my backup program (see my signature) for this purpose, but the above works fine.

Hope this helps

--

Wil

[ThomasMueller]

Thank you, Andre, for helping out. I got my new iMac today and moved Fusion through drag and drop from an external drive. when opening it for the first time it asked me for the license key and accepted it immediately. What I don't understand, is how/ where to sign out from Fusion on my old mac. I want the VMware servers to recognise which of my computers actually have Fusion installed/ running. Do you know how to do that?

[ThomasMueller]

Thank you Wil for helping out. Because my Time Machine backup had unrelated software bugs, I didn't even want to migrate it. Instead, I followed your steps and they worked smoothly. I was asked for the license key and it accepted it. But now there is a window with 5 options: "choose installation method". (See attached screen shot). Regardless of which one I select, I receive the prompt to "search for virtual machine". I thought Fusion is the virtual machine. What other machine does it want?

[ThomasMueller]

I tried reading some of these kbase articles and stopped after 20 minutes. Too complex and complicated.

[ColoradoMarmot]

There isn't a place to sign out.

One note - the issue with Time Machine isn't the Fusion program itself, it's the virtual machine.  Time machine is notoriously unreliable for backing those up.  If it worked, count yourself lucky.  In either case, excluding the VM from the TM backups and using another backup method is highly recommended.

[a_p_]

I thought Fusion is the virtual machine. What other machine does it want?

Fusion is only the platform for VMs.

Like other applications (.e.g. Word, Excel) it needs "documents" to work with,. In case of Fusion, such documents, are virtual machines (or Boot Camp).

André

[wila]

Hi,

As far as I can recall this screen is only presented one time at the first start of VMware Fusion 11.

If you followed my steps from above and used the File -> Open as to open your virtual machine(s) then you don't need this screen.

It is intended for people to start installing their first virtual machine. You already have one.

You can just choose "Abbrechen".

--
Wil

[ThomasMueller]

Thanks!