DEPRECATED and OUTDATED: Tips and Techniques for the Apple Silicon Tech Preview 22H2

DEPRECATED and OUTDATED: Tips and Techniques for the Apple Silicon Tech Preview 22H2

This document is not current. It has not been updated since October 2022 and will not be updated further. The 22H2 Tech Preview that it refers to is officially over and you should not be using it. The Tech Preview has been superseded by the release of Fusion 13.

This document remains for historical purposes.

Please use the VMTN VMWare Fusion Community forums  for all questions about running virtual machines on M1/M2 Macs. 

This document is replaced by the Unofficial Fusion 13 for Apple Silicon Companion Guide. The Companion Guide contains up to date tips and techniques for running virtual machines on M1/M2 Macs.

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I'm attempting to install Windows 11 on Fusion on a MACBOOK Pro. Windows is bUnfoooting but tells me that my hardware is incompatible with Windows 11.  Only this I can see that is a potential issue is the Directx 12 support. Any way to get around this? Could it be misleading? I have the Intel processor. I'm on a Multihull boat and need to run a Windows app to see & configure MasterVolt electronics, so important. Unfortunately I bought the OS already.

 

[ image removed by moderator: please re-upload after removing your serial number]

 

@Trim1 

That's regular Fusion for Intel-based Macs, not the Fusion Tech Preview for Macs using Apple processors.

You need to create a post here: https://communities.vmware.com/t5/VMware-Fusion-Discussions/bd-p/3005

 

On another note: do not post a screen shot of your macOS host with the serial number in it. That's sensitive information which should never be shared in public.

--
Wil

This document is fantastic... thank you for contributing!

Excellent work.

Only issue i'd like resolved on my M1 Mac is Shared folders aren't an option

Screen Shot 2022-08-28 at 10.34.34 PM.png

 

Screen Shot 2022-08-28 at 10.34.43 PM.png

@JoshMH the lack of support for shared folders for Windows 11 virtual machines is a documented restriction for the 22H2 Tech Preview. We are all hoping that a complete Tools implementation for Windows 11 for ARM is delivered in the final shipping product which should return the shared folders option to the GUI. 

@Technogeezer Just picked up on this subject again.  Did VMware finally get an arrangement with Microsoft/Qualcomm or whoever it was so they are not breaking legal agreements?  Or are they just forging ahead like Parallels did a year ago?  I've been running the "unsupported" version of Fusion since Windows 11 came out.  For my setup anyway, I don't have any of the issues reported for 22H2 (no problem sharing file folders for example).  It is great that VMware finally got something out that I suppose has more "support," or will eventually be "supported."  I continue to run Parallels on my M1 laptop with zero issues.  Parallels costs a few bucks so it would be nice if Fusion continues to free to non-commercial users if/when they finally release a non-beta product.  I am avoiding 22H2 in the meanwhile as it is beta, and I am not having any problems with my non-beta (but not "supported") version of Fusion on my Intel iMac,

@dminter Your guess is as good as mine about why VMware's lawyers had a change of heart. A comment by @Mikero indicates that they asked Microsoft recently and the answer was that "licensing is between Microsoft and the user". Which to me says that Microsoft won't come after VMware should they build it. Also Microsoft will now allow a retail Windows 11 key to activate Windows 11 for ARM - so there's no more excuse that "you can't license Windows 11 if you're not an OEM".  So I think your latter conclusion that "they are just forging ahead" is probably closer to truth - but that's my opinion.

I've been quite pleased running Windows 11 or ARM on the tech preview. (I run the latest "retail" Windows 11 build from uupdump.net - fully licensed and activated). Only wish that cut/paste/drag/drop was available. 

@Technogeezer Interesting development, and a good one.  I have a lot of confidence in VMware so am glad to see them getting into the pool.  As for Microsoft, the whole relaxing the hardware version TPM requirement may come down to selling more Windows 11 licenses.  I have always purchased and run retail copies - only fair to the people who develop new software like Microsoft.  

@Technogeezer thanks for sharing your personal success anecdote, I don't have an installer build that has worked yet so I'll try the flavour you just mentioned.

@dminter actually the new TPM that VMware has introduced in the 22H2 Tech Preview is heads and shoulders above what you had do with Fusion 12 on Intel Macs. It doesn't incur the penalty of having to encrypt the entire VM, nor does it have all the deficiencies that the experimental vTPM had in Fusion 12 (which means you can actually move the VM from 1 host to another). You don't have to hack around with registry keys in the Windows 11 installer to bypass the TPM check. Much nicer experience than it was in the 21H1 Tech Preview.

@rhaleblianbeta I'd go for the latest Windows 11 ARM public release build from uupdump.net (22000.918). No it's not the release preview, and getting updates from the release channel so you're getting what real Windows 11 for ARM customers are getting. This 22000.918 build is the one I'm currently running (and it was just updated to that build).

I recommend building the ISO from uupdump.net from another Windows system if you have one. It's the easiest option. There's nothing extra you need to install on Windows once you download the build script from uupdump.net. Building on Windows also includes any updates in the ISO making the install process a bit easier. Building on Linux and macOS do not let you include updates in the generated ISO.

Linux is my next choice, because the open source tools needed by the build process are easily installed from most distro's repos.

Unless you are very comfortable using homebrew, I would not recommend you build the ISO on macOS. It's not for the faint of heart. .

@Technogeezer Thanks for the additional info.  When they release the non-beta, I will probably switch to it.  The only question will be undoing what I already have in place with my intel iMac and the previous Fusion work-around. I suppose it will be a matter or uninstalling Windows 11 (copy/product ID protected if I recall correctly).  And uninstalling the Fusion build I am running now.  Perhaps someone will post transition instructions when the time comes.  I am slightly hesitant to mess with the supporting beams as everything works now. 🙂 

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"

😀

I'll make note of that particular build number.

Yes, I have been using Windows for the uupdump process, as I noted the document also suggests.  Given all of the corner and edge cases of which we are members already, it's insane to add ourselves to another.  😐

Just FYI to everyone reading this. It is no longer recommend to build Windows ISOs from uupdump.net on Linux or macOS. The ISO build process on those platforms no longer produces a valid ISO for Windows 11 22H2 and later. You need to build ISOs on Windows 10 version 2004 or later (or Windows 11). See the guide for complete information.

@Technogeezer, a typo I noticed:

"brew install aria2c cabextract wimlib-imagex" should be:
"brew install aria2 cabextract wimlib imagex"

"aria2c" and "wimlib-imagex" do not exist as package in brew. aria2, wimlib and imagex do.

also, "brew install chntpw genisoimage" is wrong, as chntpw and genisoimage are not valid homebrew packages. I am going through the doc right now, I am not sure if this should be replaced with another command or simply deleted.

Some commands are documented in the readme.unix.md file:

brew tap sidneys/homebrew
brew install cabextract wimlib cdrtools sidneys/homebrew/chntpw

but this is not enough, the script throws this error:

aria2c does not seem to be installed

So I had to run this third command additionally:

brew install aria2

Finally, I know it's not the scope of the doc, but Homebrew installation on macOS is a single command, maybe it can be documented as well:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" 

 

Well, something is still not right, I am getting the dreaded "Start pxe over ipv4".

I am on a MacBook M1 and I did grab 22000.978 for ARM from uupdump.net, so I'm not sure what I did wrong. Still investigating.

@kaz219 thank you for the comments. I don’t use Homebrew so I transcribed the commands from another post. I’ll make corrections based on your input. 
I use MacPorts personally which will work but it’s an entirely  different set of commands. 

@kaz219 - this is probably a stupid question, but were you presented with a "Press any key to start from CD or DVD" message during boot?

Sorry if this has already been answered.  However, is there a way to share files between the VM and the host through standard Windows network sharing?  My Windows VM isn't seeing the Apple shares.

@David_K2 yes there is. You first need to enable Windows file sharing in the macOS  Sharing preference panel. See macOS Help for more extensive instructions on how to do this and mark folders for sharing.
You may need to connect to the share from the VM using the Mac’s IP address rather than it’s hostname, especially if you’re using NAT networking. 

You might want to wait a bit longer, as Fusion 13 is set to be released any day now. The expectations are that a full VMware tools implementation might be released which would mean Fusion shared folder suppprt. 

@Technogeezer, thanks. I had figured this out.  I agree that waiting for Fusion 13 is the ticket to get full functionality on the ARM.

Not yet ...

If you watch @Mikero's presentation at the Arm Developers Forum, he was using a Release Candidate of Fusion 13. He states in the video that the initial release will not support 3D graphics, drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste.

☹️

That is extremely disappointing. Did he say anything about shared folders?

I would have thought VMware would have been further along given how far behind they are. 

From the RHEL9.1 release notes:

  • Standalone drm driver for the VMware SVGA device (vmwgfx) has been updated to version 2.20.0.0.

https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/9.1_release_notes/devi...

Updated from 9.0 to 9.1, checked that vmwgfx module was available and commented out the module blacklist from /etc/modprobe.d/anaconda-denylist.conf as described in the Fedora instructions and the VM still boots OK. Also no workarounds required to do a fresh install of RHEL9.1.

No success with enabling 3D graphics as yet, I understand OpenGL 4.1 requires appropriate Linux kernel and Mesa 3D versions however I've not yet ascertained if/how those requirements can be met.

I found 9.1 beta boots without blacklisting vmwgfx as well. I haven't experimented with trying 3D support on RHEL - I'll have to double check the Mesa versions and see if there's any change. 

Installed Windows 11 ARM on Apple M1 laptop. Gets to where Windows is looking for the Internet to continue installation after choosing country, language,etc. "No internet is available". Tried all the various Network options (NAT, shared, etc etc) a number of times. Same result. Install gets stuck very early on due lack of internet connectivity, and install stops.  Similar comments starting show up on the forums, so not a one-off. Tried more than one Windows 11 ARM image and they all get stuck at the exact same spot - no internet - and the install will not proceed. Can't find any fix notes anywhere - my bad for being one of the first into the pool with M1 and Fusion 13 . 🙂 

I installed Windows 11 ARM on an Apple M1 laptop running Fusion 13 roughly using the instructions here:  https://krisbogaerts.github.io/posts/How-to-run-Windows11-on-MacBook-Pro-M1-with-VMware-Fusion/

The main trick is to manually install the VMware Tools before reaching the "No internet is available" screen. The VMware Tools provides both network and display drivers that allows installation to complete. I have downloaded updates, synced with my Microsoft account and activated 

@Fuschia I had a feeling the problem was that the tools were needed to get the network going.  Thanks for the tip - I'll give it a try and report back. 😊

@Fuchsia Yep, followed your link from 11/19 and for Windows 11 ARM installed on my M1 MacBook Air, got updates, working except for sharing, and VM Tools won't install. Also, you have to have a trigger finger to click on the VM Window to avoid the dreaded "Start pxe over ipv4” message.  Took me a half dozen times to finally interrupt that process and get to Windows Boot choices in the Terminal window.  As for Installing VMware tools - it is not working automatically, nor is it working using the manual tools/instructions provided by VMware.  Spent a day messing with it and still not fully functional (no tools = no sharing, which I need).  I guess I will table it until version 13.1, or until someone here has a solution.  After a year waiting for M1 support, pretty surprised with all the bugs. 

@Technogeezer has advice on that in his guide so I knew what I needed to do.  Just not easy.  BTW that guide is incredibly helpful and useful - nice work and much appreciated @Technogeezer !   I'm sure VMware will get the installation bugs ironed out of Fusion 13/M1 Apple silicon, but for now, it is not yet ready, IMHO.  

Actually the whole Windows 11 on ARM will get a lot easier when Microsoft decides to release it so normal people can download it and not have to mess around with uupdump.

The "Press any key" race is present in the installation of Intel versions of Windows from ISO, so it's not unique to Windows 11 for ARM. 

The big kinks that VMware needs to get a handle on is the expansion of VMware Tools for Windows on ARM to be on-par with its Intel counterpart. 

Microsoft doesn't make it easy either to inject drivers early in the install process for Windows 11 ARM. I would hope that VMware could get Microsoft to include its graphics and network drivers into Windows 11 on ARM to make this easier. But that would mean that Microsoft would have to change its public stance on what's considered supported hardware - which is rumored to be because of a Qualcomm exclusivity agreement.

@Technogeezer I'm sure you are right.  What is puzzling is why VMWare would wait a year to release something that further tarnishes their reputation because it is weak/buggy/hard to use versus competition (comparing Parallels M1 performance and installation to Fusion 13).  I was hoping not to pay for another year for Parallels.com, but that seems optimistic.  I'd imagine Fusion is not a big money maker for VMware, so why do they dabble in this space?  Either get in the business to have a great product or stay out - would seem more sensible.   BTW, in more positive news, the Fusion 13 install on my Intel Mac was flawless - no race to press a key,  So I am happy to have 13 on my Intel iMac at least.  After a year waiting, I still have to advise folks with M1 Mac computers to avoid Fusion.  A year of using Parallels.com on an M1 Mac has been great; the only downside is Parallels costs $.

Buggy: Sorry I don't agree with you there, after running the tech previews for over a year.

Hard to use: No question there, compared to Parallels. Microsoft gets some of the blame on that by not distributing a bootable ISO for Window 11 on ARM. VMware gets dinged for sub-functional Tools and no 3D support. You can get Windows to work if you have a bit of skills. For less skilled users, it's a science project.

Performance: VMware has actually been pretty performant on M1 Macs.

I agree that VMware should do a much better job of committing on Windows on ARM. But Fusion and Workstation relies on the contributions from multiple groups within VMware. I don't think they're all on the same page about the urgency to produce Tools for Windows on ARM. I do know that Michael Roy is fighting for them.

 

Agree - Tech Preview on Intel Mac's has been spectacular.

Not running at all on M1 Mac's for a year --- then releasing a "universal" Fusion 13 that requires huge effort and hassle - that's what I meant by "buggy."  So far I've only seen a handful of people here that could even complete an install on an M1.  And as far as I know, no one has got Sharing or Tools working yet on an M1.  To call it buggy is being generous.  "Unusable" is more accurate for me, as I need tools and sharing.   I'd rather be told Fusion 13 is for Intel Mac's only - rather than wasting time with with software advertised to work with Apple Silicon did not undergo appropriate QA before release.  Advice for all Apple M1 users considering installing it to run Windows as a virtual machine:  Fusion 13 is a hot mess unless/until they fix it.

Fusion still does not have networking working out of the box. Is parallels the way to go? I just need full powershell on mac. Had it working on Fusion preview with Windows 10 a while back. I paid for Pro version only to find the same issues from a year ago lol

@JNY516 I would not recommend Fusion 13 for Windows on an M1 Apple - maybe on in Intel Apple product but it seems like you had problems with that as well,  I have used Parallels on an M1 Apple laptop to run Windows 10 and Windows 11 - it has been flawless.  Parallels specializes in VM's and the software works.  VMware has a hundred other products, and Fusion is at best a tiny part of their business that gets minimal support.  I believe Parallels offers a free trial as well,

Thank you for the feedback. And yes, i am running a 2021 M1 Pro. When I tried Fusion preview, it was on the original M1 13" and I got it to work using some of the work arounds scattered around the internet. I gave it some time but all the original issues are still there.

BTW, after installing vmware tools via powershell (as recommended for Fusion 13 Pro on M1) I get the blue screen of death and reboots on loop. 

 

 

Ty

@JNY516 - that's very strange hearing that the installation of the tools via Powershell on Windows 11 ARM BSODs the VM. What Windows build are you using?

@Technogeezer 

 

Windows11_InsiderPreview_Client_ARM64_en-us_25247.vmdk

 

I can get past the Windows 11 No Network issue, however when going into control panel and viewing the network settings, i do not see any network adapter. Then I try to install vmware tools via powershell (after setting execution policy to remotesigned) and everything looks good. Once i do the reboot, it wont boot back into windows and I get the windows recovery blue screen.

No combination of internet hacks, powershell, manual install tips from VMWare for Fusion tool installation --- has resulted in a fully functional Fusion 13 on my M1 Apple Laptop,  I gave it a day's effort before crying uncle.  AFAIK no one here on the forums --- which tends to be serious/stubborn users --- has a fully function Fusion 13 on an M1 Apple computer (fully functional meaning Tools, Sharing and Network all working),   I don't like bashing VMware on their own forum, and appreciate that they make Fusion free to many users.  But non-functional software (M1 Fusion 13), even free, is not useful.

Well, I'm raising my hand.

I have sharing via Windows SMB file sharing to my Mac and Networking fully operational. And it's been that way for months.While printer sharing from VMware doesn't work, shared network printers do work - I have networked printers which are seen quite nicely by my Windows VM when using Bridged networking. The only things that don't work are copy/paste/drag/drop. And Unity - which I've never used and personally detest it as an abomination - but that's my personal preference. And I don't use apps that require 3D acceleration.

Again, that's me. I'm not saying that you're not having issues. (I've been in the business too long to dismiss complaints). I'm more interested in seeing why you're not seeing what I'm (and others) are seeing.. 

@JNY516 I'll try downloading that VHDX and see what I can find out. I haven't used Insider Preview vhdx files in quite some time since the ISOs are relatively straightforward to build from uupdump.net.

I see you are using the Dev Channel build. Unless you have a real good reason for doing so, I would avoid that like the plague. IIRC I've had difficulties like what you're seeing with those in the past. And Dev Channel builds are on the bleeding edge, they expire, and are not easily upgraded - you're talking a full reinstall once they do. I'd do the beta build,. I prefer Retail Channel installation ISOs from uupdump (the experiences and procedures are in the Companion document). They've served me well for quite some time now. 

@Technogeezer Do you you have Fusion 13 working, including sharing, on an M1 Apple product?  As you literally "wrote the book" (guide) on this, you may be the one who actually got it to work. 😊. I think if I gave it another days effort I might be able to conquer by powering thru more permutations and combinations of the hacks out there.  Your guide helped me get networking working on an M1 Apple laptop.  The Tools instructions in your guide and from VMware were not successful for me (but thank your trying). But Fusion 13 without Sharing is a non-starter for my situation.  $55/year for Parallels seems like a bargain for M1 Apple users who wish to easily and simply run Windows 10 or 11.  I will be going into my second year with Parallels in a few weeks.  My hopes for Fusion 13 on my M1 Apple laptop are fading...

I have 100% confidence we'll see better support next year.  Unfortunately as Technogeezer points out, VMWare is a bit of a catch/22.  They have massive resources to build really stable products, but some things - like Windows VMWare Tools for ARM, I suspect are a common product driven by ESXi (and to a lesser degree, workstation).  So the Fusion team is a bit at the mercy of those other teams priorities and schedules.

As much as I prefer Fusion over Parallels (not a fan of the forced integrations and don't much care for the likely less-than-kosher auto download/install), right now, it's a better use experience.

Once nice thing about their subscription model is that you can use it as a bridge, then move back to fusion when the tools and conversion functions are in place.

For what it's worth, this situation, plus needing better graphics performance than either Fusion or Parallels provides, got me to look into shadow.tech again.  It's not cheap, but it's much better than before the acquisition.  I expect to have both it and Fusion running side by side for different workloads (and Parallels and Crossover will go on the shelf).

@ColoradoMarmot Good perspective from both you and @Technogeezer.. What I don't get and cannot accept is VMware promoting a product that simply does not work, or takes a computer scientist of IT guru to install.  I am specifically talking about Fusion 13 on an M1 Apple computer, that supports networking and sharing (like every Fusion version I have used).  I suspect the typical person that wants to run a Windows VM on an Apple M1 is like me.  I have a single program (Quicken) that is best delivered on a Windows platform.  I don't want to dig into the "zero's and ones," as the old saying goes, to get it to work.

Anyway, enough whining from me.  I will re-up with Parallels for another year and see what happens in the VMware world between now and then.

@dminter - I don't consider it whining. Just another point of view which is 110% valid. We can both agree that Windows 11 ARM on Fusion isn't as easy as it could or should be. 

Now if we could just get Microsoft off their self-imposed embargo on Windows 11 ARM, everyone would be the better for it.

@dminter asked:

Do you you have Fusion 13 working, including sharing, on an M1 Apple product?

Yes I do.

  • I do share folders with my Mac M1 host. But not with Fusion's folder sharing. I'm sharing folders with the host using macOS Windows file sharing and via OneDrive. 
    Fusion's folder sharing, even on Intel Macs, has a lot to be desired.
  • I also share printers. Since Fusion's shared printers aren't there, I've bridged my networking and use my 2 Epson inkjet printers and 1 Brother laster printer - both of which are able to be used wirelessly with Windows. I suspect that if you don't have printers that support network printing that you could share them from the Mac and they'd be usable. I've tried that briefly and it seems to work but have not done extensive tests.

@JNY516, I just installed the same Dev Channel VHDX from a brand new download, and I'm not seeing any blue screens (yet?) after installing VMware Tools. I do this at the very start of the OOBE setup after reboot onto the hard drive (full details in the Fusion 13 Companion document). One thing that I do that I supposed many others do not (or do not think of) is that I shut down my Windows VMs (all of them) from within the guest. Even when installing the VMware video and network drivers, I shut down the VM from Powershell using a command line utility (shutdown /r /t 0). I do not use the Fusion Virtual Machine > Shut Down menu. 

Why? Because there are no VMware Tools other than video and network drivers in the guest that can gracefully tell the VM to shut down when notified by Fusion. I've seen that if you shut down from within the guest, Windows reports that it is shutting down and seems to be performing some actions. If you use Fusion's Shut Down item. the machine almost immediately powers off. I suspect the latter is equivalent to a crash - pulling the plug out while the machine is still running. I don't know if the power off request gets populated into the guest without Tools. So I'm not taking the chance.

 

@Technogeezer Interesting approach to getting past Fusion 13 limitations on an M1 Apple computer. Thank you for sharing your approach. Too many moving parts for me, and I use iCloud and not OneDrive.  Looks like I will be signing up for another year subscription to Parallels.  I think it is appropriate to discourage all M1 Apple users to avoid Fusion 13, unless and until VMware fixes the myriad of difficulties and oddball installation requirements that are far beyond the average users capabilities.

Yes, I'm nowhere near what you'd call an "average user" - but I do wear two hats. The other hat is a more "average user" hat and use this M1 for word processing, spreadsheets, email, and web browsing.

In the end, you have to use the tool set that does the job you need it to do and that you're most comfortable with. Today for the not-as technical user, that's still Parallels. You shouldn't need to be an auto mechanic when all you want to do is to drive the car.

Let's hope VMware listens to us and starts making Windows easier to use on M1. 

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