The Unofficial Fusion 2023 Tech Preview Companion Guide

[Technogeezer]

(Updated 14-Sep-2023)

You may not have asked for it, but here it is anyway. 

The Unofficial Fusion 2023 Tech Preview Companion Guide is an addendum to the official Fusion 2023 Tech Preview Testing Guide provided by VMware. It contains useful information about creating and running virtual machines on Apple Silicon Macs, and contains updated procedures for Windows 11 ARM based on the new features of the 2023 Tech Preview.

Important: This Guide is only for use with the Fusion 2023 Tech Preview. If you are using Fusion 13, please use the guide found at https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Fusion-Documents/The-Unofficial-Fusion-13-for-Apple-Silicon...

V4 adds back content now that Canonical has fixed issues with Ubuntu Desktop 32.10 (Mantic Minotaur) arm64 daily development builds. They now work!

I hope you will find this helpful. Reply to this post with any issues you may find in the document or suggestions you have for improving it.

[dminter]

A ton of work from a lot of dedicated users, and helpful info - thanks for doing it!  Installing on an M1 Apple Mac Laptop.  Disconnected my Windows license from Parallels. Built the ISO using the handy CrystalFetch.  Downloaded the Tech Preview and activated with my Free Use license.  Followed the instructions in the official Tech Preview Guide and also the Unofficial Companion.  Keeps getting stuck when trying to install the Windows 11 ARM ISO.  See screenshot.  Tried many times (after each attempt putting all files including Fusion library files in Mac's trash, emptying trash and restarting Mac), but keeps stopping here.  I think it is something simple but I am stuck.

[Technogeezer]

My apologies for marking the reply as an accepted answer.

When powering up the VM, did you set focus to the VM console (either by clicking into it or typing Command-G) and when the "Press any key to boot from CD/DVD" prompt is displayed, then press any keyboard key before the prompt times out.

This looks to me like you didn't get the ISO booted and it failed back to trying to boot from the empty hard disk and then the network (which timed out).

[dminter]

Well that was exactly my problem!  Not sure how to "set focus to the VM console" so I used the Command-G suggestion and everything else went off perfectly!  Another useful resource I used was an article on Tomshardware.com "How to Transfer a Windows 10 or 11 License to Another PC."  My situation was I was leaving Parallels.com and needed to move my Windows license to Fusion. Maybe old news to many here, but Windows 16-digit Product Key is not necessarily what you need to activate Windows, or reactivate it on a different computer/VM.  Some Window's licenses are "Digital Licenses" and stored in ones Microsoft.com account.  Thanks again for all the work you folks put into the Companion Guide and answering questions.  I am darn happy to have Fusion on my Apple M1 laptop!

[dminter]

@Technogeezer thanks again for you most helpful direction.  You mention in the Companion Guide that printers are not supported in the Tech Preview, but there is a workaround.  Can you kindly provide some guidance on that?  Tried everything I could think of but no luck.  Many thanks in advance!

[Technogeezer]

@dminter To get printing in your Windows 11 ARM VM,

If you are running with Bridged networking, any networked printers should be able to be discovered and configured from within Windows.

if you are running with NAT networking, first go to the macOS System Settings and enable printers for sharing. Then you will be able to discover those printers from within the Windows VM. 

[dminter]

@Technogeezer Once again, you were a big help.  I had done all the usual printer setup you suggest with no success.  But you got me thinking to check the VM Network Settings - it was set to NAT by default and working for Internet access.  I switched to Bridged (Autodetect) mode and printers were immediately discoverable and usable by Windows.  So either it is a glitch with my particular system that printers are not available to the VM using NAT, or a glitch in the Tech Preview software.  Thanks for getting me going!

[Technogeezer]

@dminter It's not.a glitch and it totally normal why the printers aren't seen when in NAT. NAT traffic uses a form of network gateway gateway that printer discovery doesn't traverse. When in NAT networking, the host has a direct IP address on the NAT network, and that supports Bonjour for discovery of printers shared by the Mac to the outside worid via the Mac's printer sharing. 

It's possible that you can configure the printers manually from within Windows when using NAT networking as long as you know the IP address of the printer. For me, it's just as easy to enable printer sharing in the Mac and not have to deal with that. 

Glad you were able to get things going!

[dminter · Accepted solution]

@Technogeezer Much appreciated!  While in NAT, I had indeed enabled printer sharing on the Mac, but the Tech Preview VM just never saw my printers.  Rebooted everything including VM, host machine, router, turned printers on/off, etc. Turned printer sharing on and off multiple times and triple checked the sharing settings.  So at least on my M1 Mac laptop, running Ventura 13.5.1 OS, using Mac printer sharing and a NAT setting on the Tech Preview VM - that was a no go and none of my 3 printers showed up.  When I switched the VM Network Setting to Bridged - presto, all 3 printers were available for Windows.  You tell me as you know better, but I perhaps a bug in the Tech Preview having to do with Windows printer handling?  Or maybe there is some other explanation. Very happy to have a 100% working solution (for my purposes, anyway)!

[Technogeezer]

@dminter What you're seeing is interesting. I've got printers defined to my Mac (M1 Mini, Ventura) that are seen by the Windows 11 VM when I turn on sharing for them in the Mac. Perhaps there's something different with your printers or your configuration compared to mine.

Happy to help figure out what might be the issue, but we should probably do that in another thread. 

[Technogeezer]

The Unofficial 2023 Tech Preview Companion Guide has been updated, you can find it in the first post in this thread. 

It includes an update to warn of a broken download link that's found in VMware's Tech Preview Testing guide. The Companion Guide contains the correct link to the Tech Preview installer download. 

Also FYI - for those than want a look-see at the next Windows version, convert the Insider Preview VHDX Beta Channel file from the Windows Insider web site and use that to build your Windows 11 ARM VM. It will update itself to the latest Insider Preview 23H2 beta channel release (which at the time of this post is 22631.2271)

[AveCezar]

great tutorial, can be useful for all

But I have one unsolved problem with Outlook (inside the Windows installed):

1) open Outlook -> File -> Options -> Search -> index options. You can find system window (indexing) WITH Outlook present

2) now, I open Windows settings -> Privacy -> .... (the same system window opens) -> Outlook is NOT present

        1) and 2) are attached in screens (pdf-s). 

Modifying, "show all localizations", sfs/scannow. DISM/....../restorehealth, rebuilding index - nothing helps (tried all given in all google forums, read thousands of pages....)

The only workaround is to exclude (prevent Outlook searching) thru Regedit by adding the key.

In my couple of mailboxes I have about 100 k of emails each, which I work with on daily basis (I am a lawyer), I have to search them often, therefore I need using Windows search in Outlook (not native searching in Outlook with workaround by Regedit key because it lasts centuries).

I am confused and desperate, because it is my 3rd attempt:

1) with clean install vhdx converted to vmdk (Win11 DEV) downloaded form MS official (insider_preview)

2) with clean install from UUPDUMP.net (Win11 DEV) (insider_preview) (ISO prepared in Windows)

3) and now - according to this tutorial, Win11 ISO downloaded thru CrystalFetch (official release, not insider)

Currently I have simultaneously 3 vm's - the same problem on each

[vmware fusion techpreview Professional Version e.x.p (22068932), Macbook Pro M1/16/1TB, Sonoma but under Ventura it was the same]

The conclusion would be, that Win-guest on Mac-ARM not handling windows search in Oultook. In normal PC there is always no problem.

Thank you anybody to check, to confirm the problem, and to solve the problem (hint) which I fight with since February.... 

[ColoradoMarmot]

That's likely a microsoft problem if you're seeing it on all three VMs.

[Technogeezer]

I would investigate another theory. This could be is a Microsoft issue, not a Fusion issue. Fusion should be doing nothing to make this search not work. 

Apologies but I'm not conversant what appears to be Polish that these screen shots are showing. 

What version of Outlook are you running? Are you running classic Outlook My Outlook version (latest Microsoft 365 version which I assume is "New Outlook") does not have a File -> Options menu.

[AveCezar]

It is standalone ver of Office Pro 2021 (on 3rd vm, on previous 2 vms there are Pro 2019, also standalone).

[Technogeezer]

Ahh, the differences are that I'm using "new outlook". The Classic Outlook client has the File ->Options selection. I switched back to old outlook and now see the menus you've posted in English. 

I'm also seeing in your output that Windows indexing is suspended. My indexing is complete - although I suspect I have nowhere near the number of documents as you.

Is indexing supposed to be suspended, or did you manually suspend it? 

I tend to agree with @ColoradoMarmot that this looks like a Windows issue. I've seen other complaints on the Microsoft and Parallels forums about indexing issues with Classic Outlook and Windows 11 (not necessarily limited to Windows 11 ARM)  - so I have to think it's more on Microsoft's problem than VMware's. 

[AveCezar]

Indexing was in progress, but now is completed (screens are form the 3rd vm, nevertheless on 2 others vms is also completed). It doesn't matter unfortunately

But when you open Windows -> settings ......-> indexing, do you see Outlook on the list ? Window opened from windows settings, not from Outlook

[Technogeezer]

I did not see Outlook on the list of sources when opened from Windows settings. It was there if I opened from Outlook.

I still would suspect a Windows issue as there’s nothing here that seems in any way related to Fusion. You say this is working on physical PCs. What version of Windows is running on them? 

[AveCezar]

Both: Win10 & Win11. There was never problem with that, any case. But on vmware, When I started using vmware, I noticed that searching in Outlook gave no results. Initially I thought it needed time for indexing. But after about a week I started digging and noticed this inconsistency and the lack of Outlook in the Windows indexing settings. Believe me, I read probably everything that was available on the Internet, I tested everything that was available: and nothing. Please see any common PC/laptop, there is no problem. I would suspect Win & arm....

[LongTimeMacGuy]

New to this list.  Mac Guy since 1984.  VMWare user since 2017.  

Thanks for publishing this document, IMHO it is rather exceptional support by the VMWare organization and especially the people contributing!

I have gone thru the process and successfully installed Windows 11 ARM on a 2023 MacBook Pro M2... and will also install on an early Mac mini M1.

I have limited Windows experience and would appreciate some guidance on what to install, what to test, and how to provide feedback.

   Unofficial Fusion 13 for Apple Silicon Companion Guide

   Unofficial Fusion 2023 Tech Preview

Mmm... Which list would would best help advance VMWare?